The Tiger is seen as a force to be reckoned with. Unlike the lion (babbar sher), the Tiger is a fierce predator (remember, it’s the lioness that hunts and brings food for the clan). This magnificent beast symbolizes strength, courage and ambition. The Chinese Zodiac gives great importance to the Tiger. People born under this sign are noble and fearless. They believe in standing up for what they believe is right.
Tipu Sultan wasn’t born under the tiger sign, but he did possess numerous traits of this zodiac. He was larger than life – a figure who was fearsome and ruthless and at the same time, he was someone who you would want fighting on your side. Other words that can be synonyms for Tipu include driven and ambitious.
Author’s Note: I started writing this on the 9th or 10th of November. I wrote it at a leisurely pace. And then it was edited for clarity. The things I wrote on day 1, are probably located towards the end. So, when you read and are confused about any timelines I’ve mentioned, it’s solely because I moved things around several times to get the desired result.
Haidar Ali has been spelled differently in several places including Haiderali. I’ve used the the spelling Hyder Ali consistently.
Tipu Sultan is mostly remembered as a freedom fighter – but I’m afraid that title is sorely lacking. He was many things. A king, a statesman, a visionary, an innovator. Tipu was a Dynamo. The Tiger of Mysore was no mere mortal. To borrow words from Shakespeare (and then remix them a little): Tipu was such stuff as legends are made on.
Tipu’s life and achievements have been chronicled by many writers. What happened when, battles and their outcomes, and Tipu’s adversaries and their planning, these are things not covered in this blog. Examples have been provided where necessary, but that’s all. All of the rest can be found on the Internet. Then what is it actually about, you may ask? Well, dear reader, it is about my friend’s life that we hardly get to see. Of course, this isn’t the complete picture, but it’s what we know.
I address him as Tipu, because for the past two years, Tipu and I have formed an impossible friendship, one that spans nearly three centuries. (How we came to be friends is not covered in this blog.)
Chaotic Times
The 18th Century was a nightmare for the Indians. The Mughal Empire, which had seen dizzying heights, was just on the verge of great ruin. Aurangzeb’s death early 1707 left a legacy of discord. From his death, till 1748 there were 7 people crowned as Emperors. Chaotic? Most definitely. During this (un)Magnificent Century till 1806, there were 13 Emperors, most of them unremarkable. In comparison, in the previous century, there were only three – Jahangir (1605-1627), Shah Jahan (1628-1658) and Aurangzeb (1658-1707).
As the Imperial Court of Delhi fought, revolted, conspired and murdered each other, the Marathas were gathering forces in the backyards of the Mughals, under their very noses. But they were too occupied by palace intrigue could not foresee the future. Further south, in vassal and tributary states, local politics and greed were aiding the decay of the Empire. But the biggest blow was coming from the West in the form of East India Company.
It was in this explosive environment that Tipu was born in 1751. The year is sometimes contested. Tipu was born a commoner, just like his father before him. Hyder Ali, Tipu’s father is another character about whom a whole blog can be written. I’ll think about it – it’s not in my long-term plan at the moment. But Tipu’s story certainly needs a background, so Hyder Ali must find an appropriate space here. Time isn’t of the essence really, because as I write this, we’re still quite a few days away from 30 November (2022), which is when I plan to post this. The date is significant as that was Tipu’s birthday (or so they say).
Hyder Ali was born in the first quarter of the 1700s in the kingdom of Mysore (modern-day Karnataka in South India). As per writer William Dalrymple, Hyder Ali was of Punjabi descent. He was a soldier, just like his father before him. He first served in the military of nearby Arcot and then at Seringapatam. Hyder Ali couldn’t read or write because he didn’t receive a formal education. His education was of a different sort – learned as a soldier. Even though he was illiterate, he was shrewd and incredibly talented. His rise through the ranks was unstoppable. As he scored victory after victory on the battlefield, his influence in the court rose too. The Wodeyar ruler of Mysore was weak. Eventually, after much drama, which included, mutiny, conspiracy and exile, Hyder Ali became the de facto ruler in 1761. Tipu would have been around 10 years old then. The trajectory of his life changed forever.
The Legend of Tipu Sultan
the one man awake, whilst the East slept
Allama Iqbal
At birth, he was given the name Fateh Ali. But he was called Tipu, in memory of a saint in Mysore who went by that name. Later in life, he was referred to as Sultan Tipu (or Tipu Sultan) or as the Brits called him ‘Tippoo Sahib’. Hyder Ali gave his son the education necessary for a warrior and fit for a future king. Formal education as we know it today didn’t exist then, but whatever form it was in, Tipu received the best. This education also included military training under French instructors. When Tipu was around 16 years of age, he fought alongside his father against the British in the First Anglo-Mysore War. It was in those battles that he built his reputation as someone to be feared. It wasn’t just combat – he proved to be a capable military strategist as well.
James Kirkpatrick, a Resident of the East India Company in Hyderabad said of Tipu, “Born and bred in camp, and tutored in the science of war under a great master [his father Haidar ‘Ali] possesses all the characteristic valour and hardiness of the soldier while his achievements in the Fields of Mars are far from discrediting the precepts inculcated by his father…his whole reign having been one continued state of military preparations or actual warfare.”
So many details about the life of Tipu Sultan have been lost over time. There are two things we know with absolute certainty: Tipu loved tigers and detested the British. His fascination – obsession maybe – with tigers was notorious. The motif of the tiger was repeated over and over in Tipu’s life. Both the livery and the royal standard included tiger patterns. Even his weapons. And throne. There is a story, and I think it is as true as the fairytales we grew up with. In this story, Tipu and his French buddy went hunting. As luck would have it, they encountered a tiger. Both fierce creatures faced each other, and Tipu’s gun was thrown from his hands. He drew his dagger, but the tiger’s swipe knocked it out of his hand too. Tipu fended off the tiger with bare hands as he tried to get a hold of either of his weapons. Eventually, this unmatched wrestling ended as Tipu was able to kill or scare off the tiger with his dagger. As a result, the Frenchman gave him the title of ‘Tiger of Mysore’. In an alternate version, the title was conferred because of his courage and determination and because of his fascination with tigers – no tigers were harmed during the creation of this title as per this version.
Regarding his hatred of the British, it may have stemmed from the fact that they (the East India Company) reneged on an agreement they had with Hyder Ali. They had promised support but backed out leaving Mysore high and dry and resulting in great losses. This was years before the First Anglo-Mysore War. Tipu’s hatred for the British was a pattern that repeated itself again and again. It was especially evident in Tipu’s actions and also his communications with other Indian rulers. In this manner, Tipu Sahib was very different from other rulers of his time. He tried to warn others of the threat posed by the Brits, but they were either too busy enjoying the perks offered by the British and too oblivious about the growing arrogance of the East India Company and its people or they had been rendered powerless. Towards the last few years of Tipu’s life, he wrote to the turncoat Nizam of Hyderabad, since he had aligned himself with the British. A translation of a part of the letter is copied below:
“Know you not the custom of the English? …Wherever they fix their talons they contrive little by little to work themselves into the whole management of affairs.”
It turns out, that Tipu had been absolutely right. None of his contemporaries saw what was happening. They were either too weak or too hedonistic (as they loved the presents showered upon them by Company officials in return for their compliance). Like Allama Iqbal wrote, he was the only one vigilant enough.
Hyder Ali and Tipu ruled over Mysore with great vigilance for nearly 40 years. Both of them possessed a great sense of justice. Crime and punishment in Mysore were taken seriously. No one was spared when it came to justice, noblemen and their families were also covered in this net. Punishments were quite severe and even dramatic. Under their watchful eyes, Mysore thrived like never before. With his father’s guiding hand, Tipu heralded the golden age of Mysore. Agriculture, sericulture and industry flourished in the kingdom as did education, science and technology. In times of peace, Mysore had a life of its own under Hyder Ali and Tipu. It was a prosperous state, not just because of riches, but because Tipu was no ordinary ruler. He was a visionary. A natural-born innovator, Tipu introduced several reforms in the kingdom. He developed a new lunisolar calendar. If one considers all the effort and calculations that go into it, it’s a job that can easily drive the doer insane. And yet, the new calendar was not only developed but also put into use. Tipu also redefined the land revenue system. Trade flourished, too, especially with Tipu’s farsightedness where international trade was concerned. His revolutionary ideas led to the unprecedented growth of Mysore’s agriculture and industry. Tipu’s reforms also gave rise to two major industries in Mysore: silk and ammunition.
Tipu was also an avid inventor of sorts. He was a pioneer of Rocket artillery at a time when the Europeans had given up on this technology. They had experimented with the use of rockets during wars. However, their versions were as effective as using firecrackers in a battle. These useless weapons were replaced by cannons. Under Tipu’s guidance, the Mysoreans created rockets that were highly effective and resulted in significant damage. In fact, they were such a terror that the English referred to them as “flying plagues”. The Battle of Pollilur (Second Anglo-Mysore War, in the 1780s) is an excellent example of the havoc wreaked by these rockets. Tipu’s rocket brigade dealt a devastating blow to the British. Their ammunitions were set aflame too, rendering them helpless against Mysore’s army. The Battle of Pollilur was such a decisive victory for Mysore. The British hadn’t tasted the kind of defeat that Hyder Ali and Tipu dealt them. Never in India. The scale of Mysore’s victory in this battle can be judged by the fact that the East India Company was nearly wiped out in India. During my research to write this, I came across William Dalrymple’s words:
“Tipu showed that the Indians could fight back. That they could win. That they could use European tactics against the Europeans and defeat them.”
I believe – and very strongly – that phrasing above is unjustified when the writer says that European tactics were used against the Europeans. Sure, the Mysoreans used French-made guns, but that’s only one ingredient out of so many. I’m no historian, like Mr. Dalrymple. But it has been established that Rocket artillery made a major comeback during this battle. So much so, that it was Mysore Rockets that were sent to England for R and D so the British could dissect and study the technology to make their own – the European rockets were utter failures before this. At worst, it is one of those things that falls under casual racism. Just like theories of the pyramids being constructed by aliens because – hey! How did ancient middle eastern people do something the Europeans hadn’t done before. I’m not accusing William Dalrymple of racism, but to me, it just sounded this way.
There is also a rather whimsical automaton that was invented by or for Tipu. It’s called Tipu’s Tiger. The contraption was maybe made for entertainment and features a tiger mauling a redcoat. It also featured sounds. Upon playing, the sounds mimicked a tiger’s roar and something that sounded like a human cry. Along with other possessions of Tipu Sultan, this too was shipped to England. The strange device was displayed for the people soon after it arrived in London. Tipu’s Tiger soon came to symbolize the hostility between the various Indian rulers and the British. This strange device currently resides in Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Tipu, along with his father realized that the small kingdom they had breathed new life into also needed a naval fleet to safeguard their ports and trading routes (their systems were something to envy for Mysore’s enemies). I’m not certain if this is something other Indian rulers ever attained. But our dynamic duo managed to create their own small navy too. I think I may have used the word ‘visionary’ before – but that is what pops up in my brain over and over when I read of their achievements.
Several authors have created fictional accounts of his life and exciting events. But they are works of fiction and therefore unreliable. In my imagination, Tipu was hotheaded, with a short temper. As stubborn as he was resolute. When he got an idea lodged in his brain, he’d get it done no matter what. But then, that’s just my opinion. In his book The Anarchy, William Dalrymple writes:
“… [Tipu] ruled with great efficiency and imagination during peace, but with great brutality in war”.
He was absolutely menacing and ruthless on the battlefield against those who dared to transgress. That much was true. Those who love to disparage and discredit Tipu always paint him as a bigot (I think it will be prudent to clarify that I’m not referring to Dalrymple here, the picture he’s painted in The Anarchy is fair, it was just the comment above regarding the European tactics that ruffled my feathers). But it all depends on the framing and context. One incident during the Second Anglo-Mysore War stands out. Hyder Ali had died and Tipu had just become the ruler. The English had hoped that the masses wouldn’t welcome him as the new ruler, but they did. The War was raging and with Tipu’s attention elsewhere, the vindictive Brits thought to take revenge on the people of Mysore for embracing Tipu’s ascension to the throne. The British didn’t really have boundaries when it came to intimidating, maiming and killing civilians (particularly women and children). Under Brigadier General Matthews’ orders, that is what happened in Bednore. The English soldiers committed all sorts of atrocities against the residents. They looted and plundered because they assumed that they would get away with it. They had in other parts of the country. Some of the soldiers also wrote letters to friends and families about the misadventures they’d carried out and it was also recorded in the Annual Register – so we know it’s true. As per one officer, a slaughter of the residents took place. Some escaped, but most people became victims of this nonsensical exercise. The officer went on to report that the English soldiers stripped jewels off the women who were dead or dying. And of course, other horrors happened too.
When it came, Tipu’s retaliation was equally brutal. No one was spared. The English were too busy with loot and plunder, they couldn’t be bothered with any recon. They only found out about Tipu’s arrival with his army when they were merely a few kilometres away. Within minutes, Mysore’s army had plowed through the English forces. With no way out, General Matthews and his men retreated to the fort of Bednore. Unfortunately for them, the decayed fort provided little defense. Ammunition too had been left behind in the town. Provisions were low and with no way to inform other contingents, General Matthews and his men were doomed. The siege lasted a few days and the English gave up when they ran out of rations. As a surrender treaty, the English were to receive a safe passage out. They only had to return the valuables they stole. Their personal belongings would be theirs, but not those they snatched from the people. But as it turns out, humans are strange. What could be more precious than life? Apparently, all the gold you stole. The English reneged and refused to return the loot. As a consequence, Tipu’s men were forced to back out from their end of the deal as well. The English officers were imprisoned. Quite a few of them were eventually given the death sentence – death by poisoning (the prisoners knew they were being given poison – it was that or another horrendous way to die – being rolled off a cliff and then left at the mercy of nature to do its task). This included the greedy General Matthews too.
It was perhaps the first, but definitely the last time that the English were actually made to pay for their transgressions. No other local ruler would have even dared to think of what Tipu actually managed to pull off. And perhaps that’s why Tipu was the perpetual thorn in the Company’s side. His presence endangered their presence. Other rulers, who had so far given in to the English in various ways, would feel inspired by Tipu Sultan’s example. So Tipu had to fall (either as an ally or as an opponent).
The British weren’t the only rivals of Mysore’s Tiger. No. There were also the Maratha, the Nizam of Hyderabad and several Nawabs and Rulers of Mysore’s neighbours. They all had their excuses. Then, there was also the shadow of betrayal. Whether or not Tipu was in actual fact betrayed by his own trusted counsel has been debated over the years. Historians and scholars are divided over this. While one party believes that even though Mysore was considerably weakened by that time, Tipu could have defended Seringapatam. And that the fortifications were impenetrable. They believe that only an inside job could have bested Tipu. The other faction believes that there is no evidence of any such occurrence. These scholars follow the court historian, Mir Husayn Ali Khan Kirmani – one of Tipu’s courtiers. Kirmani didn’t record any account of treason. But in the subsequent retelling of this epic tale, betrayal makes a fantastic plot point – so stories recounting the legend often include Mir Sadiq as the traitor. As per scholars of the ‘Tipu was betrayed’ school, there were four or five courtiers who were part of the plot against Tipu. Anyhow, whatever happened, the Tiger of Mysore did fall. Colonel Arthur Wellesley is credited with Tipu’s defeat. It’s the same Wellesley who beat Napolean, too. He went on to become the 1st Duke of Wellington.
Tipu’s critics often lead with the fact that without Hyder Ali, Tipu couldn’t hold off the British. It is quite easy to brush off Tipu as reckless or rash, but there is so much that we won’t ever know. It was only when the English joined forces with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad that Tipu was finally defeated. I believe it was a live demonstration of the Urdu proverb “Ittefaq mein barkat hai“.
Death, when it came, was the culmination of the philosophy of his life. So many Indian princes, kings and emperors chose to give in to the British. Some lived in exile and some in disgrace. Not Tipu. He fought along with his men till his last breath. And that is what made him a hero. Like Tipu once said: It is far better to live like a tiger for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years (I must say it sounds much better in Urdu, although I don’t think Tipu spoke Urdu, he must have said it in Kannada).
Bollywood has been far too busy in the last few years, painting a different narrative – one in sync with the narrative their government is trying to push. Their attempts to glorify the Maratha have been met with great success. Let’s face it, the Maratha was more like a haphazard band against the Mughals. Their jugar-like battle tactics may have worked due to the element of surprise, but I see them as nothing more than opportunists (and also brigands), never rulers and statesmen. Like the British, Tipu was a thorn in their sides too as he led several successful campaigns against them, putting an end to their regular raids to loot riches from Mysoreans. And then like the goons that they were, they also sought large sums of money from Mysore rulers before Hyder Ali to ensure they wouldn’t raid (which they did anyway). I truly wonder if filmmakers would ever venture into this facet of the oh-so-glorious Maratha. Or the fact that to get Tipu out of the picture, the Maratha aligned themselves with the English. And once Tipu was out, the English wiped their hands off the Maratha as well – in a permanent way. So, in short, the picture of bravery they have been presenting was only just fluff. Honestly, if they were as good as they claim to be, they wouldn’t have needed crutches provided by the British, nor would they have been crushed by their lordly overseers (the Brits) later when their purpose had been fulfilled.
Today, our neighbouring country India is busy vilifying Tipu as part of a larger campaign. This however is not the first time. The first time Tipu was vilified was through the orders of Richard Wellesley, the Governor General appointed by East India Company. He was the elder brother of Col. Arthur Wellesley (mentioned above somewhere). A severe picture of Tipu was painted. He was depicted as an aggressive tyrant and a “Muslim monster”, who only had two ideas: oppress and terrorise his subjects (most of whom were Hindu) or devise evil plans to drive out the British This campaign also allowed the British to paint themselves as saviors of the people, that they were trying to get rid of a tyrant to bring back the rightful owners. This ploy worked under the ‘Divide and rule’ formula used by the British. Propaganda is an impressive tool to be used in politics and war.
Tipu’s Legacy
Tipu and Seringapatam fell to the British in 1799. The Brits were astonished by the things that they found. The riches and other objects, such as the weapons and other things came as a massive surprise. The report sent by officials said that there was “everything that power could command or money could purchase”. Tipu’s Mysore was dismantled one object at a time. The war turban that once adorned the head of Tipu Sultan was presented to Lord Cornwallis – Tipu’s old nemesis. The turban stayed in the Cornwallis family till 1971, when the British National Army Museum received it. Cornwallis also received an exquisite bejeweled dagger. The library containing more than 2000 manuscripts was shipped to the Court of Directors of the East India Company. The Prize Committee (established to determine the extent of their winnings and disbursing prizes to the troops) officially sold the valuables (gold, jewels as well as other items). The proceeds from the sales were used to present the rewards to the troops. Eventually, these things kept changing hands. Several of Tipu’s possessions are found at collectors’ residences or at auction houses.
A Mural (sections shared in a preceding section) was commissioned to honour the grand victory of Mysore’s kingdom over the Brits in the Battle of Pollilur and was installed at Tipu’s Darya Daulat Bagh. Sotheby’s placed the 32 feet long mural on auction for a price of £ 500,000 – £ 800,000. It is no longer available, meaning it was sold.
In 2019, an astounding discovery was made in an ordinary home belonging to an ordinary family in England. Several items, which included a flintlock gun and a gold-encrusted sword were found in the attic. Imagine finding a treasure when you’re spring cleaning! Experts discovered that these rare artifacts once belonged in Tipu’s armoury. It was a small “Hyder” symbol on the sword that led the evaluators to believe it belonged to Hyder Ali. The gun was worn. The evaluators think that it may have been the gun that Tipu used in his last stand at Seringapatam. As per reports, an officer in the East India Company brought them back to England. It is unclear if he received them as his share of the prize because records don’t have this information. There’s always a chance that he might have swiped them when no one was looking.
Fate and the Internet work in strange ways. Here I am, on day 3 (13th November 2022) of writing this and carrying out research and connecting dots. And out of the blue, as I was scrolling on Twitter, I came across a suggested tweet of a person I do not follow. It’s an image of the Seringapatam Medal. Awarded by the Company to those (British and Indian Troops) who participated in whatever way in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The medal was actually awarded roughly ten years after the momentous end of the battle. The Medal has an interesting depiction: a lion (babar sher) overpowering a tiger. The text on a Union Jack reads Asad Allah al-Ghalib (God’s Lion is the victor/conqueror). I think both, the depiction and the text were not coincidental. They chose them because of their association with Tipu and Mysore. Additionally, the text is taken from Mysore’s flag (as seen in the gallery above). I’m not sure if anyone has ever connected this before. It seems as if it was a mockery. The message was pretty simple: they (the English) were the new ‘Asad Allah’ as Tipu was vanquished. OR, it could also mean that because they were the true Asad Allah Al Ghalib, they were able to defeat Tipu. It boasted of their “superiority” over Tipu. Or maybe it was an attempt to claim that the flag (and rulers) might have changed, but some things – at least – would remain as they were. Who knows?
In Pop Culture
Earlier this evening, with nothing much to do, I flipped through my well-worn copy of Kulliat-e-Iqbal (this was the 9th or 10th of November. Coincidentally, it was Iqbal day). I often read the book, even if it’s two verses. I landed on a page and read it without actually reading it because I was distracted. Flipped forward and backward a few times, till this poem caught my attention. It wasn’t about Tipu, no. It was an imagining of what Tipu might have said to those who wish to carry his legacy further. The poem, “Sultan Tipu ki Wasiyat” can be found in Zarb-e-Kaleem.
In 1928 (or 1929), Iqbal visited Tipu’s Mausoleum in Mysore. It is said that Iqbal spent many hours by Tipu’s grave. Apparently, the “wasiyat” isn’t the only time Iqbal paid tribute to Tipu, but a Google search will yield only Sultan Tipu ki Wasiyat” in the results. Iqbal’s Javed Nama, composed in Persian is something I mostly skipped because I don’t know any Persian, and reading an English translation isn’t quite satisfying. But my research brought me to Iqbal’s poem titled “Pegham-e-Sultan Shaheed Ba Rood Kaveri”. Tipu has not been mentioned by name here. But the title itself is more than enough of a hint. Sultan Shaheed is Tipu. Kaveri is the river that flowed past Seringapatam, Tipu’s capital. I read the translation a few times for it to make sense. In the poem, Tipu addresses the Kaveri and speaks to her about life, death and martyrdom. The Javed Nama is itself a cosmic journey of the writer/reader. As the spirit takes flight towards the Divine presence (at the end of the book), Tipu or Sultan Shaheed is the last mortal encountered by the reader. While reading, one verse really got to me – it’s the last line of the text copied below:
do you know from whom this message comes?
From him whose mighty power you once encircled,
whose empire you reflected in your mirror,
by whose contriving deserts were turned to Paradise,
who wrought his image with his own blood,
whose dust is the goal of a hundred yearnings,
and with whose blood your waves surge still;
the man whose words were all action,
the one man awake, whilst the East slept.
While the pen of Iqbal encapsulated the spirit of Tipu forever in a very different manner, several fictitious accounts of Tipu’s life have been written by Pakistani and Indian authors. Even Europeans and Americans have written a character that they define as Tipu. There have been novelizations by Khan Asif, Naseem Hijazi and numerous others – I haven’t read any of those.
Over the decades, my impossible friend was also brought back to life in film and TV. There was a Pakistani movie, starring Mohammad Ali as Tipu Sultan (1977). Incidentally, he also played Hyder Ali in an eponymous movie (1978). In the late 1980s, Tipu was brought back to life yet again, this time for Indian TV, based on a book by an Indian writer. I decided to check it out on YouTube just today (16th November 2022). I was moved to tears. It was that bad. To be fair, it was made in a different time and obviously, they didn’t have the technology we have today. I was especially annoyed with the language – the English characters spoke in heavily fake accented Urdu or Hindi (why would you do that!), the Hindu characters spoke very difficult Hindi and the Muslim characters like Haider Ali and Tipu spoke very proper Urdu. For God’s sake, they weren’t speaking any of that! They could have stuck to one language. I understand that back then, the show generated great success. Watching it today, however, I think it was quite cringe-worthy. I think Hyder Ali could have had a better depiction. The one thing they got right was the name – The Sword of Tipu Sultan.
I remember when I was little there was a tv serial on PTV named Tipu Sultan (1997). I don’t remember much, except the horses and costumes. After the disappointment mentioned above, I think I will definitely watch this on YouTube as well. Update on 21st November 2022: it’s called Tipu Sultan: The Tiger Lord. If I remember correctly, my friends and I loved it when it was broadcast on PTV. Years later, today, I can’t stop shaking my head. Tipu got married twice in two episodes (yes he was married several times in real life, but two weddings in two episodes are quite a lot). I would certainly have done it differently.
Closing Thoughts
There is so much that I couldn’t write. Because then, this would turn out to be a book instead of a blog. I think more than 4500 words have been written already. Although they don’t do justice to Tipu’s awe-inspiring life, they will have to do.
I often think about how Tipu’s epic still remains, as most of the stories of rulers of that time have been lost. Unlike Mughal princes, who just waited and conspired for their turn, I think, Tipu really deserved the throne and the lasting legacy. No one cares about the Nawab of Bengal (Siraj-ud-Daula’s predecessor, I forget his name, was said to be a good ruler, but do we know him, I think not). Perhaps it was the fact that his rivals – the Brits – were so in awe of him that they unknowingly kept him alive. Their records combined with local ones are to be credited with this. A significant number of people we revere as freedom fighters were born and were martyred in the 19th Century, in the years directly preceding and during the establishment of the British Raj. Although he was long gone by this time, it was Tipu who set the standards. And even though his fight was to safeguard his kingdom and his people, not the whole of India – he became the national symbol of the struggle against the Brits. He had dared to defy the odds and he did.
Noor Rathore 
One reply on “The Mark of Tipu Sultan”
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