'I am Truth Wing, I am Bharat Wing'
The New Indian Express Bengaluru|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
'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?

Bu hikaye The New Indian Express Bengaluru dergisinin December 15, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye The New Indian Express Bengaluru dergisinin December 15, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS BENGALURU DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club

CHELSEA forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

NIA court convicts 3 IM operatives

THE SPECIAL Court for NIA Cases convicted three Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives for hatching a conspiracy to carry out blasts ahead of the then US President Barack Obama's visit to India for Republic Day in 2015, as per instructions from Pakistan.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Hopcoms outlets on the verge of closure

GOING by the current trend of online platforms and private players selling vegetables and fruits procured directly from farmers at competitive prices, outlets of the Karnataka government-owned Horticultural Producers' Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (Hopcoms) are on the verge of closure.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Farmers' suicides can't be stopped by curing depression

ARCHING in the Dark, Kinshuk Surjan's moving and inspiring documentary on the widows of farmers who died by suicide in Maharashtra, won accolades in several film festivals across the world.

time-read
3 dak  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Upendra dedicated his life and soul to this project: Priyanka Upendra

The grand pre-release event of Upendra's much-anticipated UI was a star-studded affair, attended by Sandalwood's biggest names, including Dr. Shivarajkumar, Duniya Vijay, and Dhananjay, among others.

time-read
3 dak  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

A Man on the Inside to return for S2

AFTER its successful debut earlier this year, Netflix has renewed its series A Man on the Inside for another season.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

SRIIMURALI COLLABORATES WITH PEOPLE MEDIA FACTORY ON A BIG-BUDGET FILM

This film will be made as the production house's 47th project and an announcement was made on the actor's birthday

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Where do ideas come from?

Someone who has to write articles and perform jokes regularly, my work depends on 'getting ideas'.

time-read
2 dak  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

Roopesh Shetty's Adhipathra locks its release date

IGG Boss winner and actor Roopesh Shetty's much-anticipated film Adhipathra is all set to hit screens across Karnataka on February 7 next year.

time-read
1 min  |
December 18, 2024
The New Indian Express Bengaluru

BEHIND THE RAINBOW

The Queer Caravan, a group of six poets from Germany, India and France, recently took to stage to reimagine queer futures that move beyond sadness and tragedy to embrace joy and hope

time-read
2 dak  |
December 18, 2024