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.
RE:TIPU SULTAN
by Secular Indian on Mar 11, 2007 07:34 PM Permalink
The anthology includes excerpts from Tipu's letters as researched by the distinguished Kerala historian K. M. Panicker, which he reviewed in the Bhasha Poshini magazine, August 1923:
1. Letter dated March 22, 1788, to Abdul Kadir: "Over 12,000 Hindus were honoured with Islam. There were many Namboodri Brahmins among them. This achievement should be widely publicised among the Hindus. Then the local Hindus should be brought before you and converted to Islam. No Namboodri Brahmin should be spared. "
2. Letter dated December 14, 1788, to his army chief in Calicut: " I am sending two of my followers with Mir Hussain Ali. With their assistance, you should capture and kill all Hindus. Those below 20 may be kept in prison and 5000 from the rest should be killed from the tree-tops. These are my orders."
3. Letter dated January 18, 1790, to Syed Abdul Dulai: " ...almost all Hindus in Calicut are converted to Islam. I consider this as Jehad."
The anthology also quotes from A Voyage to the East Indies by Fra Barthoelomeo, a renowned Portuguese traveller and historian, who was present in Tipu's war zone in early 1790:
"First a corps of 30,000 barbarians who butchered everybody on the way ... followed by the field gun unit under the French commander, M. Lally. Tipu was riding on an elephant behind which another army of 30,000 soldiers followed. Most of the men and women were hanged in Calicut, first mothers were hanged with their children tied to necks of mothers. That barbarian Tipu Sultan tied the naked Christian and Hindus to the legs of elephants and made the elephants to move around till the bodies of the helpless victims were torn to pieces. Temples and churches were ordered to be burned down, desecrated, and destroyed. ... Those Christians who refused to be honoured with Islam were ordered to be killed by hanging immediately. These atrocities were told to me by the victims of Tipu Sultan who escaped from the clutches of his army and reached Varapphuza, which is the centre of Carmichael Christian Mission. I myself helped many victims to cross the Varapphuza river by boats."
Moreover, evidence of Tipu's atrocities abounds in many contemporary church records in Mangalore, Calicut, and Varapphuza.
RE:TIPU SULTAN
by Secular Indian on Mar 11, 2007 07:38 PM Permalink
Perhaps his portrait should be hung in the Arab imperial hall of fame in Saudia Arabia. A butcher of Hindus is no hero of Indians. He was simply promoting Arab imperialism in India using their military doctrine called Islam.
RE:RE:TIPU SULTAN
by amjadhussain on Mar 11, 2007 08:02 PM Permalink
Hi I am here. You people still stick here and all are barking same song. take breath and think. You people are saying so. But you go to oxford, cambridge, washing University or any Indian Libraries and open their records you find that it is written The Great Moghul Emporer Aurangzeb with Golden. The tiny deep could outclassed the Great Sun. Say Jay Aurangzeb and keep quite.
RE:RE:RE:TIPU SULTAN
by chaitanya kumar on Mar 11, 2007 08:14 PM Permalink
libraries maintain standards amjad. That is why people reach them because they try to keep records of best analyzers. Not Mullah brainwashed filth.
RE:RE:RE:RE:TIPU SULTAN
by chaitanya kumar on Mar 11, 2007 08:21 PM Permalink
and of course they also keep a record of books used by satan worshippers. Not a bad idea to know the devil before it's hunted. The more you learn about it, the better the efficiency in limiting it's rule.
