The Sword of Tipu Sultan

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This historical tells the story of Tipu Sultan the man, the lover, the soldier, the prince, and the king. It speaks of those who loved and betrayed him; of charming ladies and brilliant men around him; of his greatness and of the crafty stupidity of his contemporaries; of the wit and folly of his times; and of the struggle of men and ideas when faced with the march of history. Based on extensive research and original sources, The Sword of Tipu Sultan is an original contribution to historical literature which gives insights into the character of its hero, and the period in which he lived.

Tipu, maligned by historians as a cruel and bigoted ruler, emerges here as a humane, enlightened ruler who believed that God is not confined to any one religion and that all religions therefore deserve equal respect. He was opposed to colonialism; welcomed the American Declaration of Independence and applauded the spirit of the French Revolution. The author establishes him as the first among modern Indian nationalists who knew also that India was weakened no by outside powers but by sickness, decadence, and disunity within.

The novel vividly portrays the drama of Tipu’s times and recaptures the amazing spirit of the man who in the midst of disaster lost neither his dignity nor his love nor his faith in the values he cherished. He chose to court death when he could have saved himself, for he firmly believed that his sacrifice would serve as an example for the future generations of India.

Bhagwan S. Gidwani was born in 1923 in Karachi (Sindh), and remained there until Partition merged his province with Pakistan. Gidwani specialized in technical, economic, and legal fields of civil aviation. He was counsel for India at the International Court of Justice (World Court) at The Hague; and negotiated India’s air transport agreements with foreign governments. He has variously served as India’s additional director general of tourism; representative of India on ICAO Council, Montreal, (1979-81), and director of Legal Bureau of ICAO (United Nations), Montreal from 1981-85.

The Sword of Tipu Sultan has been reprinted in forty four editions and has sold more than 2,50,000 copies. He also wrote the script, screenplay and dialogues for the television serial based on the book, which ran for many years and was also telecast in Europe, U.K., U.S.A. and West Asian countries.

Gidwani has authored Omar I –a poetic rejoinder to Omar Khayyam, which discovers fresh and vibrant insights in Omar’s poetry and mysticism; his other book, Return of the Aryans received much critical acclaim.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Prof Bhagwan S. Gidwani continues to participate in international projects to promote safety of air transport and tourism. Largely though, he concentrates on historical writing and research.