PDCS writes: Under the very popular ‘Blame the Damn Politician‘ scheme, Chikkarange Gowda recently asked a very pertinent question:
Why don’t politicians, who spend a fortune on Biryani and Chilli chicken, sponsor and publish in Urdu his book on Tippu Sultan?
Shri Gowda, who is the honorary chairman of two fine Bangalore based organizations Tippu Sultan publicity committee and Kuvempu publicity committee, was addressing a special meeting of (the appropriately named) ‘Tippu self-help societies‘ in Mysore. He apparently has researched Tippu extensively and written a Kannada manuscript, which he would like his Muslim brethern to read. That’s where politicians enter the picture. They aren’t willing to support his project, since all their money is being spent on Biryani and Chilli Chicken.
Gowdre, may I let you in on a secret? Politicians got some change to spare after buying Biryani and that’s usually spent on Scotch. But as you say, they are all idiots and won’t give you a dime.
But, gentle Churumuri reader, the impressive thing about Gowda isn’t just his book manuscript. He also has enough stuff to give a hundred hour long speech on Tippu and he is willing to give that speech if someone were to sponsor the event.Yesterday, as Andolana reports, Chikkarange Gowda found an enthusiastic audience among gentle and generous Mysoreans, who offered to host his hundred hour lecture.
But I ask: what would our world be without obsessively committed people like Shri Gowda. It takes one to recognize another of his tribe.
Also what’s up with hundred hour speeches? I got problems with 45 minute ones! Does this have anything to do with that favorite Indian obsession: Guinness records?
In the meanwhile, an absurdly serious search continues for the Missiles of Mysore. Is this a missing piece of military history or a delusional quest? You tell me.
A senior technocrat and a confidant of President Abdul Kalam, Shivathanu Pillai visited Srirangapattana earlier this week. Newspaper reports referred to many historical truths that Indian scientists have apparently uncovered. According to them, Tippu’s Mysore Kingdom was the first to apply scientific principles to test and perfect rocket and missile technology. Tippu also apparently had a rocket brigade, which was instrumental in defeating the British in 1792. I have nothing against asserting Srirangapattana as the birthplace of modern rocket science and technology. I like Tippu too. He was a good guy. But on the missile thing, show me some credible evidence. That’s all I ask. A lame assertion masquerading as discovery doesn’t cut it as evidence.
But what’s up with trying to prove Tippu and Indians are the pioneers in rocket science. For all our innovation and early start, our rockets still tend to fall into Arabian sea, too frequently for anyone’s comfort.
Evidence is available in history books related to Tipu and also from war materials gathered by the Britishers after the Mysore Wars that Tipu had developed rocket technology, though a crude one, which was powerful enough to cause damage in the enemy camp. A number of scholars have presented papers on the interesting subject. Two rockets captured in the Mysore War are displayed in Museum of Artillery, Woolwich, London. The description gives details of the rocket, its weight, size etc.
A water colour painted by a Britisher during the Mysore War III shows a rocket routing the British army in the 1780 battle. Even NASA has recorded Tipu’s contribution to rocket technology! We are opening our eyes only now, after President Kalam has evinced keen interest into this technological achievement of Hyder and Tipu.
Pardon my ignorance, but had never heard Chikkarange Gowda’s name before now :) Or is the satire so complicated that I really didn’t understand it ?
Hey, even I will write a book (or maybe I should claim that I already wrote one !). Will the government please get it published in Tamil (I will go with a classical language). How disillusional is Mr. “Chikkarange Gowda”….LOL
I too hadn’t heard of Chikkarange Gowda before and only a detailed Andolona report on this matter alerted me to his accomplishments and interests.
Gouri Satya, your point is well taken but I am still looking (and waiting) for credible evidence and trustworthy scholarly papers. If you have references, please do post them here.
If I may, I should say I don’t trust many historians who write on matters such as this, partly because of the way they use sources. Let us leave aside quarrels of professional historians. Anyway, my point is about the hyperbole in matters such as this. There is a difference between launching/using rocket (primitive or advanced) and claiming Srirangapattana as the birth place of rocket technology.
Rocket technology during Tippu’s era?? that will be joke of the century..Show us the proof with all the documents. Gouri Satya is even claiming NASA has recorded it…Satya must be dreaming. First let us review about Tippu. How many Hindu temples have been demolished my this great Tippu? So many poor hindus have been killed by Tippu during his rule. May be Tippu even had tie ups with Laden’s great grand father who knows?
Here’s what National gallery of uk had to say
Tipu’s own military manual, ‘Fathul Mujahidin’, copies of which were distrubuted to all his officers, gives 200 rocketmen in each Mysorean cushoon, and a total of 16 cushoons of infantry (Lieut. Bushby, describing Tipu’s infantry, intimates that 24 cushoons may have been nearer the total).Rocket men were trained to assess the parabolic curve of the rocket’s flight and vary the angle of dispatch, depending on the diameter of the cylinder and the distance from the target. For multiple launching, Tipu created his own ‘rocket organ’, capable of launching 5-10 rockets at once – as used at the siege of Honore (1784) . 600 ‘engines of iron for throwing rockets’ were found at Seringapatam in 1799, together with 700 serviceable and 9,000 empty rockets. Some of these had iron points or steel blades bound to the bamboo, to inflict greater damage.
The article further elaborates through "A watercolour by Robert Home
painted during the Third Mysore War, shows one of Tipu’s rocket men in his ‘tyger
jacket’ bending to pick up just such a missile. Although rockets existed also in
Europe, they were not iron cased, and their range was far less than that of
their oriental counterparts"
The evidence is there for all to see except ….
Here is the description of the rocket…..
The rocket men were trained to launch their rockets at an angle calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance of the target. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously were used in war. Rockets could be of various sizes, but usually consisted of a tube of soft hammered iron about 8″ long and 1½ – 3″ diameter, closed at one end and strapped to a shaft of bamboo about 4ft. long. The iron tube acted as a combustion chamber and contained well packed black powder propellant. A rocket carrying about one pound of powder could travel almost 1,000 yards. In contrast, rockets in Europe not being iron cased, could not take large chamber pressures and as a consequence, were not capable of reaching distances anywhere near as great.
Need more…?
I would like to know which war, this post is referring to? Is it the Third Anglo Mysore war ((1789-1792)? As per Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Mysore_War) & other sources, this led to a defeat of Tipu’s forces. So is this post incorrect in mentioning that the British were defeated at that time?
The article in Wikipedia does mention the use of rocket brigades though.
PDCS, it would be great if you could find the time and resources to further expand upon Tipu’s wars in your blog and explore this issue.
As Gauri Satya says it is 1780 battle, then the reference is to Mysore War II when Hyder was in command of Mysore Forces. But it has become fashionable to ascribe everything to Tipu as he was a known Hazrat of Muslims unlike Hyder. Even Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar’s 18-chavadi system of Administrative system was given a new Persian name as Attara Kutcheri. Again Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar constructed the first dam across Cauvery but today at KRS you see a stone inscription by Tipu(courtesy Sir Mirza !). Even to this day Mysore gets drinking water thro’ one of the canals built then known as Devaraja Nala, where as the other known CDS canal irrigates sugar belt around Pandavapura. Alas! His name does not ring a bell for majority of Mysreans and farmers.
Even earlier to 1870 during Krishna Raja wodeyar’s time when Mahratta’s laid a seize of the Fort were forced to flee from Sriranagapatna because of incessant flying firepower and they called the town as Firangipatna!
Also do not forget that it was British and French who fought these wars for supremacy at that time and you cannot ignore their contribution in war efforts. The story even a barometer brought by French was used by Tipu , then heavens sake if you find painting of Tipu with a Barometer ascribe it to him.
You have to admire the inherent artistic leanings of British prisoners who left some of these paintings for posterity. But it does not mean what you see in them was Tipu’s creation.
These are the vagaries of Secularizing History! Before 1947, Tipu would not have been glorified in Mysore but juxtapose the light and sound show in 2006 you will have him glorified in front of the Mysore Palace – yes the very palace and fort which he destroyed and You say you have a sense of Heritage, Morality and Ethics ! If fighting against British was the sole criteria then it is indubitable that Jinnah too fought against British! Then why blame Advani ! Going by the theory of partition and the stand of Muslim rulers from Hyderabad and Junagadh, then a hypothetical Mysore under Tipu’s progenies would certainly resulted in South Pakistan. Any takers?
100% in agreement with Jeevarathna. The Mangalore Christians to this day commemorate the death march Tipu forced them to undertake to Mysore. I have heard (and therefore not 100% certain it is true) that certain Brahmin families in Srirangapattana do not celebrate Deepavali to commemorate Tipu’s massacre of Brahmins there. This is the man who wanted to turn Mysooru into Nazarbad, wipe out all traces of the previous administration and culture, and we lionize him as a great secular leader.
OK, so what about “Hakeem Nanjunda” ? No, I am Not saying Tippu was very secular. But, you can’t just amke sweeping comments about him being at the other end of the spectrum either !!!
…..and No sir Mysore wouldn’t have come anywhere close to being South Pakistan. For that matter, even Junagadh wouldn’t have survived for long. Few nutheads in Mandi Mohalla would burst the fire crackers when Pakistan beats India in a cricket match, come waht may. It really wouldn’t have mattered to them whether they belonged to India or South Pakistan anyway.
jeeverathna, I am just curious what your take on Kashmir is ? Since you so passionately support the integration of Hyderabad into India, I am curious. No sir, I am NOT against Kashmir being in India ? Infact, I am a HUGE fan of BJP (and was an RSS grass root level worker for long). But, isn’t it our double standards that we want Hyderabad but don’t want to give Kashmir ? Are we all hypocrites ?
Jeevarathna,
Thanks for the clarification. I think in 1780 as you mentioned, Hyder was in command and Tipu helped him to fight the British.
In one respect, the British officers & soldiers need to be commended for recording the history of their times so meticulously & preserving the related documents.
First you should admit that Partition theory was applied only to Bristish Ruled parts of undivided India. As for as Indian States, they became sovereign states the day India Independence Act 1947 was enacted by British Parliament (18-7-1947) and freed from the suzerainty of British. Nearer home British retroceded Bangalore Cantonment to Maharaja Jaya Chama RAja wadiyar not to the dominion of India ! It was left to the Rulers to accede to either of the dominions or remain Independent. But for Hyderabad and Junagadh and Kashmir all the Indian Rulers acceded to the Indian dominion by signing a common document known as Instrument Accession. By this the Rulers did not lose their sovereignty but accepted laws made by the dominion government regarding Defense, communication and Foreign affairs. All of them were supposed to have their own Constitution and continue to retain their distinct identity. But what transpired from 15-8-1947 to 26-1-1950 was nothing short of a miracle and only Sardar Patel and his unsung deputy VP Menon were responsible for the organic integration of India.
Now comes your question: If Junagadh Ruler who acceded to Pakistan was forced to flee India on the plea that his subjects were predominantly Hindus, then it becomes difficult to defend holding on to Kashmir because the Ruler acceded to India as the subjects were predominantly Muslims. Only a Plebiscite would have given true Picture . Any way what is ironical is that the agreement of the Rulers has been disowned by an act of Parliament by which the Rulers were recognized and this makes it all the more difficult to appreciate the Indian stand. But the might is right and Indians are hypocrites of the first order. As for my stand : In the first place one should accept the theory of vivisection of India in to two dominions on the basis of Religion. For me this is unacceptable. The federal structure proposed in Government of India Act 1935 would have served Indian sub continent better. We would have lived without the tragic of holocaust and multiple wars. But thanks to Gandhi and congressman and world war II we stand divided and have become the epicenter of Terrorism.
As for as Hakim Nanjunda, the whole episode is due to a wily Brahmin Pundit who cured a favorite elephant of Tipu that he was obliged to grant the demand made by the Brahmin to the abode of srikanateswara. Any way it is almost singular to call God as Hakim Nanjunda and insulting .
I think KP has lost interest towards churumuri or he is too busy at VT.
KP I think the readership at churumuri is reducing as it is kind of inactive in last fort night!
Do something about it.
Shri. PDCS avare,
Nevu US ge hinthurigide mele ii keLagina paperannu tharisikoNDu Odhi. Guess there should be some desis at UC, Boulder who can help you.
Sir William Congreve ivathige badhukilla…so ava baredhirOdhu sathya antha en guarantee antha nivu prashne ethOdadre please contact N.S. Rao or Dhirendra Gopal on this forum. They might be able to help you. Avarubiru haali swarga residents (ondhu thara NRIs).
Author Congreve, William, Sir, 1772-1828
Title A consise account of the origin and progress of the rocket system [microform] : with a view of the apparent advantages both as to the effect produced, and the comparative savings of expence, arising from the peculiar facilities of application which it possesses, as well for naval as military purposes
Publisher London : Printed by J. Whiting, 1807
HOLDINGS
UC-Boulder SCIENCE STACKS Microfiche 1228 Local Use Only
Description 42 p
Subject Rockets (Ordnance)
Note Preface signed by William Congreve
Microfiche. : Readex Microprint. 1 microfiche. (Landmarks II)
LC # Q111 .H35 UF767
Please read these too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Congreve_%28inventor%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congreve_rocket
Hello Dr. RocketScientist the below is for you from NASA Website
“During the end of the 18th century and early into the 19th, rockets experienced a brief revival as a weapon of war. The success of Indian rocket barrages against the British in 1792 and again in 1799 caught the interest of an artillery expert, Colonel William Congreve. Congreve set out to design rockets for use by the British military. ”
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html
kUli MuTT avare, Appreciate the links you have given. I have seen in some villages of Mysore district, villagers preparing crude ‘Tara Mandalas’. They may not be recokets, but the crude but big bamboo rockets, similar to the small ‘rockets’ we fire during the ‘Deepavali’ celebrations. These village-made crude rockets are used during the village festivals during pyrotechnic demonstrations, as part of the celebrations. The bamboo rockets go up and shower colourful ‘stars’ for a minute or two, adding colour to the celebrations. This crude technique might have been developed in some sort of rockets developed during the period of Hyder Ali Khan and Tipu Sultan.
gauri satya avare nIvu hELuvudu nijavirbEku:
exerpts from Annals of The Mysore Royal Family:
chikka dEvarAja oDeyaravara ayudhashAle, jAnashAle ErpADu ( Ad 1673-1704):
…pUrvadalli raNadhIra kaMThIrava narasarAja oDeyaravaru shrIraMgapaTTaNada kOTeyoLage kaTTisiruva jAnasAle, maddinamane, alaginacAvaDi, muMtAdavugaLannu mOdaligiMta vistAravAgi mADisi, I jAnasAleyalli hagalubatti, hUbANa, AkAshakoLavi, cakrabANa, nakShatrabANa, mattu nAnAvidha vRuksha pakShigaLAkArada bANagaLannu mADisi, I bANagaLannu navarAtriyutsava dEvototsava, muMtAda utsavakAladalli haccisuvaMte kaTTaLe mADi, pUrvakkiMta adhikavAgi katti, kaThAri, tupAki, maddu, guMDu modalAda yuddhasAmagrigaLannu hEraLavAgi mADuvaMte kaTTu mADi….
doDDa kRuShNa rAja oDeyaravara doretanadalli naDeda yuddhagaLu..
AD 1725 ( parAbhava saMvatsara) :
..marATeyavarakaDe bAjirAvu eMba saradAranu bahaLa sainyadoDane baMdu, shrIraMgapaTTaNakke muttige hAki yuddha mADuva samayadalli, avara daMDige shrIraMgapaTTaNada kOTeya mEliniMda kOvi PiraMgi guMDu, jaMjAlu tupAka makaraDibbi jabarajaMgi bANa mUMtAduvugaLiMda hoDeyuttiralu, A bAjirAvu tanna daMDinalli bahaLa janagaLu hatarAdudannu nODi, bhayadiMda edegeTTu ” nAvu kattiyalli yuddhamAduvavaru, ivarAdarO maddu guMDiniMda yuddhamADi namma bahaLa sEneyannu saMharisidaru. idu shrIraMgapaTTaNavalla, PiraMgipaTTaNaveMdu tOruttade: eMbudAgi tanna sEnajanara saMgaDa hELi, ivara saMgaDa yuddhamADalAreneMdu ODihOguttidanu…
Dear Jeevarathna, thanks for the excerpts from Mysore Royal Family. It is very interesting. I am traying to get a copy of the Annals of the Mysore Royal for a long time, without success. Happy you have quoted from it. I believe you have a copy of it. Very happy. Needless to say, it is a very useful book on Wodeyar’s dynasty. Some of the Kannada classics throw light on similar use of maddu, mataapu, both in wars and on festive occasions. In Sanskrit, of course, the oldest work so far traced is Bharadwaja Muni’s “Vaimanika Sastra”. I am not sure whether it has details of manufacture of maddu, gundu etc for wars, but it has excellent information on the ancient Vimanas.
I’ve blogged on this before. Btw, the Smithsonian magazine had an article on Tipu’s rocket technology. A documentary on Indian armed capabilities in the History channel spent a fair bit of time on Tipu’s rockets. A Brit Major showed a version from the war museum. He created a bunch of copies and fired them as a demonstration.
Btw, that’s not all. What is not well known is that TIpu was probably India’s first democrat.
First democrat!!!!
Serendipity!!! Eureka!!!
First Indian born Frenchman after the great French Revolution!!!
Well where as India became independent on 15-8-1947 and republic on 26-1-1950, but French Indian colonies of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam & mahe became part of India only on 16-8-1962!!
Ironically, we still have lot of Indians who opted for French Citizenship at that time and they still vote during French Elections and also get substantial Monthly dole from France.
Poor descendents have Tipu should be told about their Great Ancestor’s French Citizenship and make a claim for pension and Citizenship, which will alleviate their poverty !!
First democrat!!!!
Serendipity!!! Eureka!!!
First Indian born Frenchman after the great French Revolution!!!
Well, where as India became independent on 15-8-1947 and republic on 26-1-1950, but French Indian colonies of Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam & mahe became part of India only on 16-8-1962!!
Ironically, we still have lot of Indians who opted for French Citizenship at that time and they still vote during French Elections and also get substantial Monthly dole from France.
Poor descendents of Tipu should be told about their Great Ancestor’s French Citizenship and make a claim for pension and Citizenship, which will alleviate their poverty !!
Who is this great Jacobin Monsieur Ripaud ?
According to G.B.Malleson:
Adventurers fleeing to his court (Tipu’s) from Pondicherry captured by the English
(During the Revolution Pondy fell in to hands of English) fanned these visions: but it was an accident that ripened them to action. In the early part of 1797 a French privateer, commanded by an adventurer named Ripaud, was driven on the coast near Mangalore. This man finding his way to Seringapatam , succeeded in persuading Tipu that he was an envoy to him from French republic. He established in Seringapatam a branch of Jacobin Club, composed mainly of the refugees from Pondicherry ; and this club , constituting itself an integral person of the French nation , and swearing hatred to all kings ( strange indeed in appearance, that the mighty upheaving of all old ways in France, an upheaving which cast down thrones , and levelled its shafts specially at Kings should have found its first sympathizer in the Sovereign of Seringapatam ! After the failed embassy to Afghanistan for an alliance to throw out English, Tipu was desperate and Monsieur Ripaud gave him a ray of hope !!) excepting to Tipu sultan the victorious (!) persuaded the infatuated (?) sovereign against the advice of his ablest counsellors to send an embassy to the isle of France and to the Directory to demand aid for the expulsion of the English from India !!
Epilogue:
The Great Iron Duke conquered both Tipu and Bonaparte in the end.
Now,that central team under the instruction of the President has visited Srirangapatna to study that so called Tippu’s Rocket Technology,they should also visit our Bannimantap site to study ‘Rocket Technology’-as a Rocket was fired from there during 1959.
Surprised but true. One Kumar nicknamed as ‘Rocket Kumara’ then a student of Jr.Bsc in Yuvaraja’s,his father at that time was a professor at NIE had his one man ‘Indian Astronomical society’ fired a so called Rocket.
Luckily for him the PTI sent the news thro’ its teleprinter network,that was picked up by AIR and came in the morning news.Since the name was Indian Astronomical society,it was taken as Indian Govt.
USA was surprised at the capability of India firing a Rocket! Within few hours it got the confirmation of Sivakasi pataki. It was late N.N.Shastri of PTI who sent the news first.The media thought it was an important news.It was said that Shastri was called and reprimanded.Our senior journalist Mr Vattam may know more about this.
Dring Emergency of 1975 and later Tippu is becoming a national hero only to appease a section of the voters. His war was only to protect his own rule and not for the sake of other citizens.It was only the innocent soldiers who gave their life.The cruelty he inflicted on his captured soldiers is in history. True there was no Geneva convention but there should have been humanity.
What Jerome Saldhana wrote a long time back is still unanswered by those who hail Tippu.Jerome writes about the cruelty meted out to hundreds of Konkani christians of Mangalore.They were captured,marched barefooted to Bangalore(?) without Food and water.Only few survived and they told their tale of sorrow and suffering. The alleged crime of that christian community was that they have colluded with the British and they are informers.
Historical people do belong to some religion or caste.They may be good, bad or worse.Those belonging to any religeon or caste should not feel offended if any historical person has done harm during his rule. After all it is history,we are not party to it.
tipu u rule …..the first 1 to invent rockets during his rule