18 SOCIAL SCIENTIST Interestingly, these papers further reveal the role of scholars and saints in spreading disaffection. Maulvi Ahmadullah, a scholar-saint, is mentioned in the Tilism as preaching jihad (holy war) against the Company to his followers. The Company had to post troops at his residence to prevent people from visiting him. Later, when he shifted from Lucknowto Faizabad, the government had him arrested.9 Another saint of Lucknow, Qadir Ali Shah was alleged to be hatching a conspiracy against the Company when he was arrested, to be released later for want of sufficient evidence.10 One major factor for this kind of hostility, was a sense of strong emotional attachment towards the erstwhile Awadh ruling family. For all the Urdu papers, the deposition of the king was not simply a matter of great concern but a major calamity. The Tilism says: Close your eyes for a second and your turban (pagri) is gone. Gentlemen (Mir Sahib) these are difficult times. Hold your turban (dastar) by both hands... from the date the sultanate disappeared, the city has degenerated and things are let loose.11 Events concerning the royal family naturally find a place of prominence in these papers. The visit of the Queen Mother, Malika Kishwar to London is described in great details in the Tilism^2 it is also mentioned in the Sadiq-ul-Akhbar.n Both these papers also refer to debates in the parliament that concerned the British Annexation.14 The editor of Sadiq-ul~Akhbar, perhaps too optimistically, believed that Queen Victoria was against the Annexation and desired the restoration of the dynasty. It also informs its readers that the Queen of Awadh had filed, at the office of the Court of Directors, a representation for the return of loans taken by the Company from the state of Awadh. The Company, it says, owed the ruler of Awadh, Rs.3 lakhs in 1834, Rs.17 lakhs in 1839, Rs.12 lakhs in 1840, and Rs.46 lakhs (inclusive of arrears and interest on arrears) in 1843.15 In a language that is clearly intended to incite the readers, the Tilism describes in details the forceful manner by which the British tried to occupy the royal palaces, the ruthlessness with which they forcibly evicted the ladies of the harem and the oppressions they inflicted on the royal servants to recover arms and ammunition belonging to the deposed house.16 Quite obviously, these references that describe with such grief, the developments concerning the erstwhile Awadh kingdom reflect the grief and concern of the people of Awadh, especially the influential landowing classes who were the