By Dheer Sanghi 

Azimullah Khan, also known as Krantidoot Azimullah Khan (Krantidoot meaning ‘Ambassador of Revolution’ in Hindi), lived a storied yet somewhat obscure life. Born on 17 September, 1830, Khan assisted in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Being only a child during the famine of 1837-38, Azimullah Khan had to be rescued alongside his mother by British missionaries, going to their shelter in Kanpur. As he grew up, he learned both English and French, proving to be capable and clever.

After his education, he got a job as a secretary to British officers. This led to another job under Shrimant Nana Sahib Peshwa II, an aristocrat of the Maratha Empire, where Azimullah Khan not only worked as a secretary but an advisor as well. Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, had a disagreement with the British government regarding his late father’s pension; as although he inherited his father’s property and title, the government refused to......