It was a sad day not only in the history of Kodagu but also by whole of India.

Finally on May 4th, 1799, while trying to flee likes an unknown coward, Tipu was killed by a stray bullet or by an unknown soldier marking the end of so called Anglo-Mysore War. While Mother Nature created a severe thunderstorm to cleanse herself of the dirt and grime of a monster along with chasing the last wisp of his Satanic Soul, cowardly British connoisseurs were putting their final act and touch of coating on to their Poster Boy.

An hurried burial with military honour for the limply body with a limp developed by falling from his legendary eight legs horse {sorry palanquin} along with his celebrated ornamental sword in Kerala. When a lie is told, too many arrangements are made to cover it up with meticulous preparation. Unlike trust, a lie black or white or multi coloured, it always leaves trace and shadow, no matter how smart or far reached the tentacles are. I am even wondering if they really found his body or buried a dummy in his place.

British were not only thieves but also seasoned liars who lied to the world for more than two centuries and sadly they got away with it too with the support of power hungry cheap politicians. The Kannada proverb goes “Kote shringara olage goni-soppu” (the fort is decorated but inside it all empty except few inedible leaves), seems to truly reflect the British mighty!

It is interesting to note that the residue connecting Tippu-British-Kodagu ended in 1864 at the Brampton cemetery with a cocktail of manmade religions. A cocktail of Kodava and Lingayat  blood converted none other than by Queen Victoria herself, who also tried to play cupid between the belle and another brave community from North, a Punjabi convertee to produce a super offspring failed to materialize. All these drama leaves a question mark in my mind…. was Hitler’s experiment to breed that special Gene was any different from Victoria’s attempt to thorough-breed a super Tiger from the Daughter of a Kodava mother?

What the heavily Corseted Mother goose failed to understand the simple fact that Kodavas are Tigers not Ligers!

In my individual capacity I stand along my bygone sister-clan, the Kodava-mapilas in dignity who became the collateral damage of the whole saga over mangled ego, power, wealth and fear. Wish the situation was different then… then perhaps I would have not written this article at all.

However the narration leaves a qualified question on the European integrity over the history of rest of the world. It’s time to look at the real Indian history without the smoke screen and who know what lies in the Pandora box? Also I guess it is time for both French and British, to return the stolen treasures of India and apologize to India, along with the tail ended falsehood propaganda makers including politicians within India.

As much as I feel proud to be a Kodava, I feel sorry for Tipu for his ignorant sad psyche, for the Politicians without integrity who used Tipu as a crutch, for the British who took shelter to maintain their image, for the French who stretched their hands for Tipu’s crumbs and last but not the least the misinformed souls who worship Tipu.

While most of the world fought over the religion, in the name of the unseen God, either by hook-or-crook to increase the physical number count, Kodavas the original inhabitant of the beautiful land of Kodagu, without the bondage of religion fearlessly roamed among the trees, bushes, plants, grass and seedlings under the sun and moon, swayed over by fresh wind soaring like 100-D journey among the rivers, valleys and hills reaching to Cosmos. Their philosophy, their free spirit and love for motherland is the secret behind their bravery.

While I admire, appreciate, love and cherish Kodava ancestors, I want the other religious fighters to know that religion does not relate to mortal body. The real religion is intangible…. God has no religion and true religion is magical like the unseen blood and water of our body lay deep among the creases of our heart and in every cell of our folded brain waiting to be explored. Once you are out of the physical religion box, everything becomes tangible. Don’t be the instrument or collateral damage for anyone. Do it for yourself… find the sparkly light individually… in the depth of your heart under the deep mystery of mind.Stop fighting over religion and destroy humanity to fulfill the madness of another individual. Use your common sense… listen to your heart the most precious organ of your body which works from birth to death without expecting anything in return.. waiting to be explored and finally leaves the body and slips away …. Don’t use the bodily religion as the crutch to reality. The physical body with the bodily religion, slipping into oblivion just rots or burns or floats unwanted even by the closest of the closest. Don’t waste your time, spread or spreading peace and harmony in an individual capacity. Live like a human being. I often wonder what if, he was humanly and stretched his hand in friendship to Kodavas and sought their help to fight the British. History would have been different today!