New Delhi: Long before Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi took up arms, another queen had already fought and won against the British in southern India. In 1824, Rani Chennamma of Kittur, in modern-day Karnataka, led one of India’s first rebellions against the East India Company—a legacy of resistance the Modi government is commemorating today.

She has long been an icon in Karnataka, but this week, the Ministry of Culture has gone all in on celebrating her. It has shared a flurry of posts on social media about her valour, organised a three-day festival for schoolchildren in Kerala, and today is holding an event marking 200 years of her Kittur victory at Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium, presided over by Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. A Rs 200 coin is also being issued in her honour. Th

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