Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu (November 20, 1750, Devanahalli – May 4, 1799, Srirangapatan/Sanj-patan), also known as the
Tiger of Mysore, was the
de facto ruler of the Indian Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 (the time of his father's death) until his own demise in 1799. He was the first son of Haidar Ali and Fatima alias Fakhr-un-nissa.
Tipu Sultan was undoubtedly the greatest Ruler produced by the Indian subcontinent, the only resistance provided to the imperialist British forces, the only king to have not surrendered or submitted to the British, the only King to have died in the battlefield, he did not flee from the battle in the face of defeat and death
. A fascinating figure of 18th century, who offered his blood to write the history of free India. He had a vision and a mission in life. The vision was to make his people enlightened and prosperous, and mission was to liberate his land from the yoke of the colonials. His short but stormy rule is significant because of his view that only that life was worth living which would unfold the drama of human freedom, not only political freedom, but also social freedom, economic freedom, cultural freedom, and freedom from want, hunger, apathy, ignorance and superstition. His definition of State itself was organized energy for freedom.
Heaps of praise and respect are showered at the Sultan not just by his admirers but also the foes.
"In the management of the horse, the bow, the lance
or the musket, [Tipu] shone pre-eminent. He was also an excellent
scholar, and even though inured to war from infancy, reputed a good poet
and was respected in the army as an excellent and indefatigable
soldier."
The Hon. John Lindsay, Journal of An Imprisonment in Seringapatam, in 'Lives of the Lindsays' (1840).
