“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.”
-Gandhi
However, the following is also equally true!
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
― Mark Twain
The rapacious western imperialists, during their tyrannical tenure, apart from plundering all our physical wealth, had also fiendishly implanted a flagrantly faulty, fraudulent fictitious falsehood as history and the more pitiable, pathetic fact is that, instead of correcting it immediately after their exit, we still continue to reiterate it parrot-like as gospel truth, as a consequence of which, selfless patriots are projected as traitors while tergiversators and turncoats who shamelessly betrayed our nation are depicted as loyal heroes.
For instance, the notorious systematic falsifier of history, Macaulay disdainfully described our 1857 rebellion against the British for freedom as just a sepoy mutiny and in his perception, the national heroes who had sacrificed their lives and limbs were traitors! How ridiculous will it be if we continue the same concocted stories even after seven decades?
When the mammoth historical film ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’ featuring the peerless Sivaji Ganesan was released in 1959, propelled by a malicious motive of confusing the credulous masses, there was a loathsome attempt by one group headed by the famous author, Tamilvanan depicting Kattabomman as a dacoit of Telugu origin, thus discrediting that patriot.
One such glaring instance that is presently going around briskly is the story of one fellow called Marudanayakam. Evidently there appears to be some vested interest in projecting him as a patriot and propagating that bogus message, poisoning the minds of the gullible masses through the all-powerful media.
This guy has managed to infiltrate as a freedom fighter in the minds of the Tamil people. This idea was also peddled in the recent extravagant show on Indian independence performed at the closing ceremony of the Chess Olympiad.
However, even a cursory glance will show the true colours of this slubberdegullion.
Maruthanayagam Pillai was born during 1725 in the village of Panaiyur in a Hindu family of Vellala caste.
Being too restless in his youth, he left his native village and converted for convenience to Islam with a new name, Yusuf Khan.
He initially served the French Governor Jacques Law in Pondicherry. He later enlisted under Chanda Sahib who was then the Nawab of Arcot.
While staying in Arcot he fell in love with a ‘Portuguese’ Christian girl named Marcia and married her.
In 1751, in the struggle between Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah and his relative Chanda Sahib for the throne of Arcot, the former sought the help of the British and the latter, the French. Chanda Sahib got defeated.
Although Marudanayagam was on the side of the opponent viz. Chanda Sahib, Robert Clive noticed his exceptional valour and got him enlisted in the British army. Yusuf Khan assisted the British with his guerilla warfare and rose rapidly in rank and recognition.
Around this time, an English captain named Brunton educated Yusuf Khan, making him proficient in English. He moved up the ranks as tax collector, Havildar and finally as a Subedar and that is how he is referred to in the English records.
While serving the British, Yusuf Khan battled with Puli Thevar, a Polygar of Nerkattumseval, a small town to the south-west of Madurai, who was rebelling against the Nawab and the British. Yusuf Khan, with his exceptional skills in warfare, captured some of Puli Thevar’s forts where others had failed. His fight with and killing of Vennikkaladi, a chieftain of Puli Thevar was ghastly, galling and gruesome to say the least. Puli Thevar later escaped from Sankarankovil and disappeared from the pages of history for a couple of years. Only now, Puli Thevar is recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu as a freedom fighter.
Successive spectacular victories made him a megalomaniac and consequently he earned enemies also. Arcot Nawab was envious of him and wanted him to pay taxes directly to him and not to the British. He rebelled. He proclaimed himself as the ruler of Madurai. The Nawab and the British forces joined together and defeated him. In the end, he was hanged.
Thus it will be seen that there was never even a modicum of patriotism in that fellow. Every step in his life was propelled by sheer self interest in the pursuit of which he had no qualms in betraying and brutally backstabbing his own brethren. Will we not be a laughing stock if we are going to laud him as a loyal liege of our motherland.
Clinching, Conclusive Corroboration Confirming The Correctness Of History
Nobody denies that there are several versions of the history of Marudanayagam, some crediting, complimenting and commending him as the first freedom fighter even before 1857 while others, condemning, calumniating and castigating him as a conspirator colluding with the country’s enemies. Each narrator will claim that his own script is the right one. As a result, one is confused as to which one is factual and which one is fraudulent. Under such circumstances, to arrive at an accurate and authoritative account of history, we can solicit the stance of someone whose view we can verily vouchsafe for veracity and accept it as authentic. It is like sage Vasishtar acknowledging and approving his arch-rival Vishwamitra as ‘Brahma Rishi’.
Another instance is in Ramayana: Sri Rama is hailed as the embodiment of all virtues by everyone, but here is a certificate from an unexpected person,’
रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः साधुः सत्य पराक्रमः |
राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवानाम् इव वासवः || ३-३७-१३||
“Rama is the embodiment of righteousness, he is an equable person with truthfulness as his valour, and as with Indra to all gods he is the king of entire world.” This is from Mareecha, the uncle of Ravana!
In the same manner, here is a certificate, an authentic proof at that, provided by Sir John Malcolm, a British soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator and historian:
‘Yusuf Khan, the bravest and ablest of all the native soldiers that ever served the English in India. The name of this hero, for such he was, occurs almost as often in the page of the English historian [Robert Orme] as that of Lawrence or Clive.” [It must be noted that these two Englishmen were the pillars of East India Company and they sowed the seeds of British colonialism in India.]
The entire biography of Marudanayagam alias Yusuf Khan with all details and references is available in a book, ‘YUSUF KHAN, The rebel commandant’ by Samuel Charles Hill.
Do we need any further proof? How idiotic, ironical, irrational, inane it will be if we are going to glorify as a patriot, protector and proponent of our freedom struggle, a guy who is being brazenly praised simultaneously as their peerless hero and a sincere servant by the enemy himself? The plain fact is that, while in his early career, he was functioning as a servile, submissive, slavish stooge to the British/French/Nawabs all along, later, propelled by piggishness, desirous of chewing more than he could swallow, he attempted to ambitiously act as if he is an autonomous authority and was appropriately made to pay a heavy price for it. That is all.