Kipling made him a heroic figure. Contemporay writers see him differently.

John Nicholson: the sadistic British officer who was worshipped as a living god in India

We could spend from here to eternity applying our 21st century standards to those of a different time.
What do you think of Ashoka and those who followed him, Tamerlane, Baba all whose mass killings dwarf anything that the British did in India.
Nicholson was worshipped by his Indian troops who stayed loyal and were amongst the most aggressive fighters against the mutineers..

John Nicholson was a product of his time in that he was a promoter of Muscular Christianity, a Presbyterian from Northern Ireland who was also a sadist, a hypocrite and a very brave man. Read Charles Allans book, Soldier Sahibs & Saul Davids, The Indian Mutiny. I was completely unaware though of John Nicholsons racism and hatred towards Indians.As for the cult that seems to have deified him it must have its origins in the Pathans as something similar happened to Abbot and hence Abbottabad.....About 10 years ago The Archeological Survey of India were conducting clearance operations of encroachments along the surviving sections of the wall around Old Delhi near The Kashmir Gate when they discovered a stone tablet on the wall indicating this was near the spot where John Nicholson received his mortal wound during the fighting to take Delhi in The Indian Mutiny.

Anyone who has visited old Delhi can see how brutal the fighting would have been in those narrow streets, the huge loss of life on all sides.
The mutineers fighting for survival and the forces led by the British but including a large % of loyal Indian troops revenging the massacres that had taken place in Delhi, Meerut, Cawnpore and elsewhere..

Its been years since i wandered around Delhi, especially around Chandni Chowk and what's left of the old city.I couldn't do it now as its too polluted.It was 30 years ago but now its beyond a joke.My friends son Joshua married into a Delhi family and the first thing they did after their honeymoon was move to Goa because of the air quality.I was once staying at the Asian Guest House, near where you get the bus to Manali, off the outer edge of Connaught Circus, went up to the roof for some fresh air and we were amazed to see two moons in the sky ! One was real and the other was a reflection on the clouds of diesel exhaust fumes coming from the bus depot that was hanging over our heads !

Only electric tuk tuks are now allowed in the old city.
The noise and congestion was of a level we have never seen before.
Not just traffic, but people. Not enough to put us off from returning later this year.
The pollution in Delhi and along the Agra corridor is some of the worst in the world.
It was so bad that you could not even see the top of the skyscrapers being built in Nodia mega city.
Rural India is a different world.

When would you have seen it before EMR????

All the major cities are quite different.
"Rural India"??? Even different rural areas of different States are quite different.

I used to enjoy central Delhi but got to absolutely dislike it particularly around the main rail station and the station itself!
Electric rickshaws is an 'aim' and old vehicles are banned (15 years).

When did I say I had seen it before, your usual invention Bipat.
Electric tuk this, , not an aim but already mandatory in the " old city ".

The noise etc "at a level you had never seen before".
E-rickshaws have been banned by High Court this year because of accidents-'--- loss of power.

Will try to get you a link. (Tablet not copying!!) Also Jio running out.

Once last Year, not before.

" Once " !
Will see again later this year..

The last time i was there Tuk Tuks were being converted to LPG and they were fine.The problem with Delhi is that its on the edge of the Thar Desert and that means sand pollution and damp humid air that does not move. Unlike Mumbai which as the city cools down at night it draws cold clean air from the Arabian Sea. Delhi becomes a pressure cooker in that as the humid air gets heavier from Pollution it becomes an inversion layer trapping more pollutants....It was once described as a three shirt city. In that if you were working with the general public you needed three shirts to get you through the day. But as you said rural India is still clean, more healthier that certain parts of the UK and that's just my opinion and i live in central London.

Hello PJ
In Delhi it is made worse after harvest by the illegal stubble burning. Also terribly cold winters. So much petty crime in tourist areas.

Have you been south recently? You wouldn't recognise Karwar. The five lane freeway under construction, new bridge opened two weeks ago. High rise flats. Seabird will eventually encroach
Some nice new parks but I think the historic beauty has gone.

Very true, the lack of light pollution in rural India is unlike anything that you will find in any of the cities or in much of the UK.
We could not believe the pollution in Agra, it was almost impossible to see the Taj from the highest parts of the fort .
All we have as a photo is a vague image through the smog..
Should we criticise India for that which is was common in the UK only a few decades ago, of course not.
Any justified criticism should be levelled at those who pretend that India is not facing major problems from pollution of all types, lack of clean water, traffic congestion etc.

EMR how much of the rural areas of 29 States did you see in 3 weeks tourist visit?
What do you know about the supply of clean water?
You previously seem to have a strange horror of wells, they are regularly cleaned and maintained.

For once you got it right, traffic congestion in cities is massive, lack of enforcement of traffic regulations, road deaths. Speeding through minor roads in rural areas etc. The multiple two wheelers, pillion and children never helmets.

You turn every thread into one of your silly off topic rambles..
It's time you took a rest.