Many of the problems with interpreting history result from our tendency to either idolize or demonize historical figures, rather than analysing them. That is why we never learn from history. Let me explain this in the context of Tipu. Consider the following facts. ----------------- Tipu was a great warrior against the British colonialists. But at the same time, he aligned himself with the French, who were not in India with noble intentions either. He was very well-read in multiple languages and knew Kannada, Urdu and Marathi fluently besides of course Persian. But he did change the court language to Persian despite the fact that a majority of his own officials did not know the language. He gave a lot of money for the development and maintenance of the Sri Ranganatha temple inside his fort city of Srirangapatnam. He banned many practices in Mysore based on blind superstition rather than any religious philosophy. Yet, he also promoted acts of blind superstition. He was generally fair towards his non-Muslim subjects. The point is that he, like many other great historical figures, was a complex person, with many facets to his personality. We do injustice not just to history but also to ourselves by looking unilaterally at only one aspect of his character and ignoring the others. On the one hand, those who idolize Tipu tend to gloss over many of the negative aspects of his character, that are historically well-recorded. On the other hand, others like the BJP minister in Karnataka, ignore all the positive aspects while highlighting the negative aspects. An opposite situation exists in the analysis of a figure like Shivaji - another great historical character who is either idolized or demonized, but not analyzed in all his complexity. By not analyzing these figures and idolizing/demonizing them, we not just open ourselves to legitimate charges of hypocrisy. But we also ensure that we will never learn from history. We seem to be happy in living in a world of fantasy. It may provide momentary gratification. But it works against our interests in the long term.
Yahi to kamaal hai BHARATWASIYOON KA KI Tipu Sultan died fighting the British but his Muslim names prevents him from being a freedom fighter. On one hand a 'shaheed' is disrespected while traitors like Scindias have not only been forgiven but their scions have placed themselves well in all political parties (Congress and BJP) and have been appropriated for siding with British ;) Lot could be learnt from the likes of Vasundhara, Yashodhara, Jyotiraditya, all Scindias, and similar families. The fate of Tipu Sultan's descendants is known to everybody.
