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?
This story is from the December 15, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Kochi.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 15, 2024 edition of The New Indian Express Kochi.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New posters of Empuraan and Dheeram out on Indrajith's b'day
As Indrajith Sukumaran celebrated his 45th birthday on Tuesday, the makers of his upcoming films L2: Empuraan and Dheeram released new posters featuring him.
Wicked Part 2 gets title & release date
THE second part of the Wicked film, helmed by Jon M Chu, has now been titled Wicked: For Good.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO USHER IN CHANGE
AMPONG Bras Basah in the Malay language movie La Luna might be several thousand miles away from Soorajmukhi in the interiors of North India in the Hindi film Laapataa Ladies, but the two quaint fictional villages share quite a lot in common even as both the films have themselves been among the 85 vying in the Best International Feature category at the Oscars.
YOUNGEST-AT-IFFK TAG SERVES AS A COOL ICEBREAKER
In a conversation with TNIE, filmmaker Cyril Abraham Dennis speaks about his maiden feature film, Watusi Zombie, and his aspirations
'BANGLADESH WILL MOVE TOWARDS LIGHT'
Bangladeshi filmmaker Ahsan Kabir Liton opens up on the turmoil his country's cultural space is going through
Where sea debris turn art
PLAN At Art, an exhibition of artworks made of plastic waste that washed up on the Fort Kochi beach, is currently underway at the Jail of Freedom Struggle building in Fort Kochi.
Where sea debris turn art
PLAN At Art, an exhibition of artworks made of plastic waste that washed up on the Fort Kochi beach, is currently underway at the Jail of Freedom Struggle building in Fort Kochi.
Bullish Market
Though far from realising its full potential, the new Ernakulam Market has mushroomed like a beacon of hope, a touchstone for vendors pitching their businesses against giant corporates
RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS
Poor form and captaincy issues could be two unrelated things as Rohit falls for another low score on day four in Brisbane on Tuesday
A quiet suburban corner that was home to a revered judge
ONCE a quiet suburban neighbourhood in Kakkanad, Judgemukku is now a bustling corner littered with shops and businesses and a flurry of traffic. No passage through this locality is without thoughts meandering as to why the place got such a peculiar name.
