THE BRAVERY OF MANGAL PANDEY Mangal Pandey's Martyrdom Day (Day of Sacrifice) is observed every year on April 8. He laid the foundation of the First War of Independence of 1857 and was hanged at Barrackpore on April 8, 1857. His sacrifice proved decisive in igniting the sparks of rebellion against British rule across the country. The first shot of India's freedom struggle (the Revolution of 1857) was fired by Mangal Pandey. On March 29, 1857, at Barrackpore (West Bengal), he opened fire on British officers in protest against the use of greased cartridges. The famous slogan of Mangal Pandey, a hero of the Revolution of 1857, was "Maro Firangi Ko" (Kill the Foreigner). He raised this slogan while rebelling against British rule at the military cantonment in Barrackpore (Kolkata), and it subsequently became a symbol of the uprising against the oppressive British regime. Mangal Pandey was born in the village of Nagwa in the Ballia district. His father's name was Diwa...