CHAPTER II
METHODOLOGY
Statement of the Problem
1. The paper seeks to study the military genius of Tipu Sultan with special emphasis on his foreign and diplomatic policies. The paper will also attempt to bring out the relevance of his policies in the present day.
Justification of the Study
2. Tipu was a master strategist. Unfortunately for Indian history, his foresight and war acumen was recognised by few. Continuing the legacy anti- British tirade set forth by his illiterate father Hyder Ali, Tipu went on to become the quintessential thorn in the British in India's designs and ambitions. Close examination of Tipu's rule reveals a brilliant brain beyond the valiant warrior. The British had never been confronted in India with a more resolute and fierce contender. The brave attempts at taking on the British stemmed from the belief that the problem, in this case the British, should be addressed at the core, the epidemic had to be plucked out from its roots. Now this kind of vision was completely alien in the India of those years, and to great extent, even to the present India. The ‘Brainwave' of trying to get the French to fight the British was considered to be blasphemy. The radical thinking Tipu attempted to return the favour, as regards to getting Indians to fight with the Indians, by trying to get the Europeans to fight the Europeans. He must have troubled the British sufficiently enough for them to commemorate the victory and the eventual death of Tipu Sultan by casting a Medallion depicting the fall of Srirangapatna, Tipu's capital, it had a British Lion with the Union Jack atop the Tiger of Mysore. The vision along with the courage to follow the vision almost changed the course of Indian history but for the consistently myopic views of the other Indian powers. This attempt at taking on the ‘Ruler of the World' at that time, using Diplomacy and Vision as the key ingredients for a recipe to vanquish the British is relevant even in the present day context of War and politics.
Scope
3. Tipu Sultan displayed immense valour and military acumen in addition to extraordinary leadership and tact in not just fighting the British but also in seeking cooperation of friendly foreign states and Indian powers. The paper shall however be restricted to the importance and use of Diplomacy, by Tipu, to garner support from friendly states including foreign states and to win over the love and faith of the primarily Hindu populace of the Mysore state. The pivotal role played by diplomacy in the domestic governance and external policies of Tipu two hundred years ago is worthy of study and replication even today.
Methods of Data Collection
4. The main source of information for this study has been gathered from various books, periodicals, papers, websites and blogs on the internet. In addition, information and photographs collected from a visit by this author to the historical site of Srirangapatna, the centrepiece town of Tipu's rule has also been included. References have been made wherever material from original works or articles have been used. In addition, a bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the paper.
Organisation of the Dissertation
5. It is proposed to study the topic in the following manner:-
