YOUR FAVOURITE HERO OF HISTORY

YOUR FAVOURITE HERO OF HISTORY

Points: Introduction - Youth and training - A great ruler - His struggle against the British - He was a great national hero,

My favorite hero in history is Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan, the worthy son of Haider Ali was born in November, 1750 at Devanhalli near Bangalore. At the age of ten his education was complete. Besides other subjects, he was taught Persian, Arabic, French and English. Over and above he acquired a thorough understanding of the art of modern warfare.

Tipu Sultan "the Lion of Mysore", ranks among the noblest figures of all times. He was both a brave general and a farsighted ruler and administrator. He established peace throughout the empire and introduced beneficent reforms in all branches of administration. He was a great lover of democracy. He did away with landlordism. Trade and industry grew rapidly, new cities sprang up all over Mysore.

Tipu Sultan was a true Muslim. In his private life Tipu Sultan was free from the prevailing vices of his class. He prohibited the sale of wine. A man of sound character, he had an intense faith in God.

Tipu Sultan made a determined effort to secure freedom for his country. When the Muslim power in the sub-continent was declining and the influences of the British were increasing, it was he who made a last effort to secure freedom for the land of his birth. He has been called the "last ray of India's hope". He realized the danger of foreign domination and devoted all his energies and resources for fighting till British. The great Sultan failed, no doubt, to achieve his object but there can be no doubt that he left a great impression of his patriotism on the minds of his country men as well as his enemies.

Tipu Sultan used to say that a day's life of a lion is better than hundred years of life of a jackal and he proved the truth of this saying by his unique sacrifice. Right since the days of his father he had proved his valour and military skill against his enemies. The main cause of his failure was that although he had devoted his life to the cause of the freedom, his neighbors always opposed him and joined the British in making alliances and conspiracies against him. As a result of his failure the sub-continent remained subject to foreign domination for more than a hundred and fifty years. Had the Nizam and the Marathas supported him he would certainly have succeeded in expelling the British from the Sub-continent. He died the death of a hero, fighting the British at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799. The name of Tipu Sultan would always remain foremost in the history of freedom movement.