'I am Truth Wing, I am Bharat Wing'
The New Indian Express Hyderabad|December 15, 2024
Anand Neelakantan talks to Vikram Sampath about the dichotomy in the narrative regarding Tipu Sultan, and allegations that the author is part of the 'right-wing' historians group
Anand Neelakantan and Vikram Sampath
'I am Truth Wing, I am Bharat Wing'

Why is Tipu relevant now? Should we bother about historic personalities who are long dead and gone?

That is almost like asking whether history is relevant at all as the discipline deals with characters long dead and gone! In the case of people like Tipu Sultan they become relevant because they are made into a political football by the acrimonious politics of our times. Ever since the Congress Government started the Tipu Jayanthi in 2014 to commemorate his birth anniversary, it caused great angst to several communities in Karnataka, whose ancestors had suffered his brutalities. The BJP did its share of ridiculous myth-making as a counter, talking about Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda as his killers—all with an eye to target the Vokkaliga vote bank. In all of this, I felt that it was truly a historian's responsibility to set the record straight, bring the facts on the table and present the unvarnished truth of Tipu Sultan, as he was, with warts and all.

While growing up in Kerala, there was a dichotomy in the narrative we heard about Tipu Sultan. The textbooks, the Doordarshan series and the academic narrative of that time portrayed him as a great hero who fought against the East India Company and a secular icon, while the collective memory talked about a different picture. Which is the truth?

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 15, 2024 من The New Indian Express Hyderabad.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 15, 2024 من The New Indian Express Hyderabad.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS HYDERABAD مشاهدة الكل
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

THE NEW SAT WHAT LIES AHEAD?

As universities evolve and the SAT goes digital, a question looms: What is the future of the SAT? From adaptive AI tools to India-focused initiatives, Saumya Solanki and Varsha Sagi find out how the SAT is reshaping its role in a global education landscape

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

Three-star Blasters down Mohammedan

KERALA Blasters FC players delighted the home crowd to record a dominant 3-0 win over Mohammedan SC in the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

The making of fast bowler Boland: Cult hero of MCG

ON a hot Saturday afternoon at the AH Butler Oval, Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club was playing against Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club in the local game on the outskirts of Melbourne.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

Liverpool extend lead, United lose

LIVERPOOL FC recorded a thrilling 6-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur to extend their lead in the Premier League on Sunday.

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

Nat'l badminton: Unseeded Adarshini enters semifinals

TAMIL NADU'S Sathish Kumar K, who's the No 1 seed, and Adarshini Shri NB entered the semifinals of the Senior National Badminton Championships in Bengaluru.

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

KNOW LINEAR AND LATERAL THINKING

As a result of geopolitical tensions, scheduled general elections in India during the mid-year and in the USA towards the end of the year as well as valuations that had sky-rocketed, volatility during 2024 was anticipated by many of us.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

IS ALGORITHMIC TRADING FOR YOU?

TECHNOLOGY should expand the scope of human skills. There are things that you can do yourself using your skills.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

Credit card defaults could hurt you badly now

With SC rejecting 30% cap on credit card interest rates, card issuers will now have more flexibility to set rates

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

Banks' profits spike in first 9 mths of 2024

BANKS have raked in as much as ₹2.7 lakh crore in net income in the first nine months of 2024. Going by all indications, public sector lenders are set to overtake their private sector peers in the profitability sweepstake this year.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The New Indian Express Hyderabad

SC judgment nullified; GST Council fixes Safari Retreats' error retrospectively

THE government has 'nullified' the Supreme Court order in the Safari Retreats case that allowed commercial real estate companies to claim input tax credit (ITC) on construction costs for their rental buildings.

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024