Great king Tipu Sultan, now just a pawn for parties

History has, unfortunately, not been kind to most Muslim kings, who ruled India and their legacies of success and achievement. We Indians have somehow failed to give them the recognition they deserve and instead assess their rule using modern yardsticks.

What Chhatrapati Shivaji is in Maharashtra, Tipu Sultan is not in Karnataka. Many, especially the politicians, have no problem celebrating a Hindu ruler while spinning controversies about a Muslim king. Sadly, because Tipu was a Muslim, he is not only ignored, but also dammed by some.

Let’s not touch upon the Moghuls and their empires that came before him.  The most talked about, cherished, celebrated and also damned (by a bunch of morosophs) figure, Tipu  stood up against the British rule and fought it, leading eventually to the emancipation of India from its clutches.

But  he is so disliked by a few that they even call him a  ‘rapist’ and ‘mass murderer,’ although  history has time and again proved him to be an able administrator and an innovator, who developed the rocket technology and facilitated modernisation of trade.

These are the people,  who supported the British at the cost of their so-called loyalty and patriotism, which they have been proclaiming from the rooftops. But Tipu Sultan, whose concern for the people of the land was unquestionable,  has been villified with his religion overshadowing his innovations, his struggle and contributions. If Tipu wasn't born a Muslim, I am sure he would have been celebrated by everyone as he was feared most by the British among the kings of the time. 

Being aware of his   strong military base and innovative weapons, including  rockets, the British saw him as the biggest threat to the East India Company.

The Nizams of Hyderabad, Arcot Nawabs and Wadiyars luckily did not meet a similar fate as Tipu’s  because they fawned over the British. Look at the properties that  their descendants  possess today. Would this have been possible if their ancestors had fought  the British instead of supporting it?
 Unfortunately, centuries after his death, Tipu’s image is being tarnished, while people like Veer Savarkar are given the status of national hero.

Tipu has now become a hot topic among politicians, who want to use him  to win votes.  And it’s not  just the Congress as  many believe. Even the BJP tried its luck with Tipu politics in 2008 when it held a grand exhibition in Srirangapatna highlighting his contributions. The saffron party’s endeavours did not end there.  

Its former Karnataka Chief Minister, Jagadish Shettar, wrote a foreword praising Tipu for his “significant role...His concept of nation state, his idea of state entrepreneurship, his advanced military skill, his zeal for reforms, etc. make him a unique leader far ahead of his age” in the book ‘Tipu Sultan, a crusader for change’ by well known scholar, Sheikh Ali, that was published by the Karnataka government. Another former Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, even dressed  like Tipu while participating in the Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

So now why this hypocrisy when the Congress wants to celebrate Tipu Jayanti officially ?

The BJP is bent upon inciting communal hatred among peace loving Hindus and Muslims and the likes of Union Minister, Ananth Kumar Hegde and Mysuru-Kodagu MP, Pratap Simha are making fallacious comments on Tipu with their limited knowledge of history. 

Contrary to what is believed by  members of the RSS and  BJP, Tipu Sultan was a secular king with respect for all  religions and concern for people of all communities. His capital, Srirangapatna, reflected his secularism. 

Had he been a fundamentalist as painted by the BJP and RSS, there would be no temple left in its vicinity and Srirangapatna and its surroundings would have a huge Muslim population. The ‘facts’ that the BJP and its crony historians present  about the massacre of Hindus in the Kodagu region are undoubtedly taken from a distorted account given by the British.  

BJP leaders,  who are busy  politicising Tipu ahead of the Tipu Jayanti on November 10, were presented  with the real facts about him by none other than the first citizen of India chosen by their own party bosses.

The President called a spade a spade by speaking the truth about Tipu Sultan and not succumbing to the belief held by the party he represents. His remarks are truly appreciable. President of the Tipu Sultan United Front spoke to DC

On the  contrary: Horse trading

As is inevitable in a society crippled by a shortage of critical thinkers, the current controversy over whether political nominees should get membership in the elite Bangalore Turf Club has generated far more heat than light. We live in times when the political classes have taken quite a bashing (much, but by no means all, self-inflicted), which is why it may help to view matters from a fresh perspective. Peter Riddell said, "I like politicians… in spite of themselves. They can be, and often are, vain, self-obsessed, narrow and blinkered, but most have a genuine commitment to public service and do not regard compromise as betrayal." It is not, he argues, the role of politicians to create an ideal society, but rather "to help reconcile different interests in a peaceful way."Riddell believes in representative democracy and detests the cheap populism so beloved of the tabloid media.

Politicians have never been popular, but there is a sickeningly self-righteous public anger fuelled by larger-than-life TV anchors: perhapsArnab lived near achole-bhatura shop as a child since passive inhalation of chole fumes is the only reasonable explanation for his constant, confected, windy outrage. On his freak shows, which combine extreme vulgarity with a patronizing air of superiority, the greatest applause is reserved for attacks on politicians from themost profoundly stupid member of the celebrity panel. I don't claim to have many political friends (my enemies would question my restricting this to the political sphere) but some myths, especially the one offering the grimacing Goswami as a role model, need to be challenged. For starters, politicians have more patience and spend much more time with the truly deprived than any of the armchair experts whose idea of a busy day is 30 cr missed calls in support of Sadhguru's campaign. 

"If no action is taken to rejuvenate lakes, we will only be able to seedeserts right from God's own Country Kerala to the capital, New Delhi," thundered the Sadhguru, while all present trembled. UntilUllasKaranth, who knows a thing or two about the environment, set the record straight. "I seeno point in such theatrical road shows, which are mainly forgreen-washing the authorities and power-lifters in the spiritual advice business. Sri SriRavishankar's event trashed a wetland habitat near Delhi and was harshly criticized and fined by the National Green tribunal.  Degradation of forests and river systems in India are complex, serious scientific and social issues; these gestures make people feel good about 'participating' but do not address the problem. Missed calls and social media blitzes are a cop-out from the serious, ongoing trench wars against suchdamage." Well said, Dr K.

Politicians work under trying circumstances to deliver on political promises that were going to set the world alight: electrify all our villages, for example, and often resort to imaginative fund-raising methods,necessitated by an absence of public funding of elections. When compared tothe average voter's interest in the process of government which rarely extends beyond appending a "like" on Facebook, this is not such a grave crime.As they say in Colombo (and Colombia), "There is a price to be paid for democracy," and why blame only politicians when most movers and shakers boast about their political proximity?

To get back to the BTC, several reservations were expressed about increasing memberships: "who will monitor the riff-raff, where will it end, what happens if the next government asks for the same…" All these are reasonable queries but stem from the arrogant assumption that the elite are best placed to make these decisions, as opposed to elected MLA's who enjoy the people's mandate. If they were good enough for the electorate of Karnataka, why would they fall short of BTC's lofty standards? When the very future of racing and the interests of 1000 daily wagers is at stake, plus thousands of farmers and BPL families who are employed in ancillary industries, it is high time we woke up and smelt the coffee. One-by-two is better than chicory. Instead of assuming that all politicians are arrogant, out of touch and corrupt, members need torecognise that "politics, like most of life, is painted in grey rather than primary colours.

"Frequent interaction between the rulers and the ruled is a sound method of providing feedback to the former which can only benefit the latter. A day at the races may well provide an opportunity to "meet and greet" for those unwilling to endure the long queues at the CM's Darshan. For those who feel standards will slip and the floodgates will open if political nominees are admitted, there is always the country club. 

Ajit Saldanha has a finger in the pie, and another on the political pulse. And when he writes, he cooks up a storm