And the sword broke

A couple of days ago some one advised me that if I wanted my blog to be read by more people I should write about something interesting like Hollywood Stars.
I was initially offended by the advice. After my initial indignation with the suggestion wore off, I realized that my adviser was correct
Correct in analyzing that people have become obsessed with celebrities and get attracted to sites that provide news about them or discuss them
But this does’nt means that I am going to do the same. I would still rather write about something that pleases me more than anyone else.
Incidentally, I wrote something on Shelfari while creating my Urdu books group a few days ago. I thought I would copy some of it here as well.
So here it is
I realized a while ago that all our heroes and cult figures happen to be Westerners and not from our part of the world. Not that I have anything against admiring non Eastern personalities who deserve to be admired. My only concern is that most of these personalities happen to be celluloid Hollywood figures. We need real life inspirations, preferably from our own history to motivate us.
To accomplish this I went out and bought two Naseem Hijazi novels namely “ Moazzam Ali” and “Aur Talwaar Toot Gai”.
Moazam Ali is sequel to Aur Talwaar Toot Gai. One features Siraj Ud Daula and battle of Plassey 1757, the other Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu and the battle of Sirangapatam 1799.
I was quite impressed with Sultan Tipu’s courage and brilliance as both a ruler and as a military leader. The fact that he did not escape like most kings but chose to die along side his soldiers at the time of impending defeat tells us a lot about his personality.
He was the one who stated,
“ It is far better to live like a tiger for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years”.
He died proving it, his broken sword still held firmly in his lifeless hand, hence the book title Aur Talwar Toot Gai (And the Sword Broke) .
He truly was the tiger of Mysore.
So I have found at least one hero I was looking for.