‘Tipu Sultan, a very complex figure in the history of India’ : Dr S Jaishankar

New Delhi – “Tipu Sultan is actually a very, very complex figure in history. On the one hand, he has the reputation as a key figure who resisted the British colonial control over India, and it is a fact that his defeat and death can be considered a turning point when it came to the fate of peninsular India,” said the Foreign Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar. He was speaking at the launch of the book ‘Tipu Sultan : The Saga of the Mysore’s Interregnum (1761-1799)’ written by Vikram Sampath.

Jaishankar further said that the negative impact of Tipu Sultan’s rule was also seen in the Mysuru region. In many parts of Mysuru, even today there is not a very good feeling towards him. Indian history has focused more on his opposition to the British and neglected other aspects of his administration. History is complex in all societies. Today’s politics is often preoccupied with selective realism. The same has happened in the Tipu Sultan case. I was surprised by the information given in this book on Tipu Sultan as a political figure.