I haven’t seen too many Benz cars, especially of the recent vintage, in Srirangapattana. But Bangalore and in recent times, Mysore and Coorg too, have many rich people who have bought latest model Benz cars. Sure, Srirangapattana is on the Bangalore-Mysore-Coorg highway and the weary Benz traveler will see the dilapidated fort, old bridge named after Col. Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington and of course, the gorgeous Cauvery (river). I don’t understand the logic but Mercedes wants to conserve this historic island town.
Tipu Sultan must be turning in his grave, given the attention his capital city of Srirangapattana seems to be receiving from his friends and adversaries, including the French, British and even Germans. Or may be not. It appears as if the Karnataka State Government is talking to the British, who as the State Heritage Commissioner, K. R. Ramkrishna said, are
interested in the town since they defeated Tipu in 1799 and therefore ‘have more information about the town’; not surprisingly, they have research, archival and conservation interests. Meanwhile, state archaelogical department has identified an open courtyard, which is now plastered with cow dung and serves as an open-air urinal for the locals, as the site from which Tipu launched his missiles and rockets. As we all know, French (as they are know to do even now) provided technology to Tipu. While both the friendship with the French and technological achievements of Tipu need to be celebrated, I doubt very much whether the locals (ok, just men) would want to give up their open-air urinal facilities.
What do we conserve and how and with whose help? I have written earlier about the Kannada warriors and will expand on their struggles soon. But the Srirangapattana conservation project raises different kinds of questions: which parts of the town should be conserved and how should the state deal with the locals who want to live in the town and may not be willing to vacate? There will also be questions about the intentions of a company like Mercedes Benz and the conditions it may have to support this project. Details about any proposed project are still sketchy. Benz’s heritage is worthy of admiration but in the matter of how we want to remember Tipu, as a Mysorean and historian, I want to have some say. Being a (n Indian) man, I am naturally invested in preserving the open-air urinal.
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