The word Titu derives from “Tita,” which means bitter! Titu Mir was named Syed Mir Nisar Ali at birth. At a very early age, he fell ill with some diseases. The local doctors suggested some medicine, but it was so bitter that no one could drink it!
However, Titu Mir drank the medicine so happily that everyone thought he liked bitterness! Thus, the name Titu Mir was given to him. This story is about a great Bengali man born in 1782 but affects Bengali literature, political ideologies, and thinking today!
Titu Mir is mostly famed because of his Muslim nationalistic ideologies, the revolution he created, and especially the bamboo fort of Titu Mir! The fort became an icon of resistance against the British forces in the Indian Subcontinent!
But let me present the stories to you in a more structured way below, so you understand how much the legends of Titu Mir and the first armed peasant uprising in India still effects the Bengali society in Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Formative Years
Titu Mir was born in 1782 in Chandpur village of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. His parents were Abidah Ruqayyah Khatun and Syed Mir Hasan Ali. In his early life, Titu Mir was educated in the local Madrasah in Islamic education and learned Bengali, Arabic, and Persian.
Titu Mir became a Quran Hafeez from the Madrasah when he was 20. (Meaning he had the entire book of the Quran memorized.) After this, he married Muhammad Rahimullah Siddiqui’s daughter and moved to Calcutta with her.
In Calcutta, he pursued further Islamic education under Shaykh Zaki Bihari and Shaykh Kamal Bakerganji. Also, as a natural Gymnast and wrestler, he started working as the bodyguard of a local landlord (zamindar).
However, after some time, he had to serve prison terms on one occasion. After he was released from jail in 1822, he decided to go to Mecca to perform Hajj.
The Religious and Political Legacy of Titu Mir
During his pilgrimage to Mecca, Titu Mir was heavily influenced by Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi. Barelvi is another legendary figure in the Muslim society of the Indian Subcontinent. He was a Muslim nationalist Wahhabi preacher and called for Sharia-based armed rebellion against non-Islamic corruption in all stages of life.
After returning from Mecca, Titu Mir developed his ideologies based on Barelvi’s teachings. He began to teach the Muslim peasants against unIslamic practices such as charging interests on loans, worshipping Pirs and constructing Dargahs, etc.
The British governments backed the zamindars or landlords and oppressed the local peasants with their oppressive tax regime. As the Muslim peasants suffered heavily from the loansharks, they embraced Titu Mir’s ideas wholeheartedly.
So, Titu Mir’s teachings penetrated social structures, and everyone started following their religious identities and participating in the socio-religious agitation. Men began to keep beards with shaved mustaches, and women began to follow Purdah and Sharia rules. Titu Mir’s followers also boycotted those who failed to abide by these rules!
The lower-class Muslim people responded to Titu Mir’s teachings favorably. However, as he was a Muslim fundamentalist, he received no support from the Hindu peasants or citizens. Most zamindars objected to his teachings, which later translated into more oppression.
Clash With The Landlords
To stop Titu Mir from organizing the peasants, in 1830, Hindu zamindar Krishnadeva Rai placed a yearly charge on all Muslim citizens sporting beards to isolate Titumir. However, the peasants refused to pay this illegal tax on Titu’s advice.
As a result of this uprising, Krishnadeva became furious and went on an arson rampage, demolishing a nearby mosque. The peasants fought against Krishnadeva, and both parties filed complaints at Baduria police station.
However, the Barasat Sub-Divisional Magistrate dismissed the matter after receiving a statement from the villagers pledging to maintain peace in the future even though they were oppressed!
Fueled by this biased judgment from the British Government, An illegal tax regime was put in place by the landlords of Taragonia and Nagarpur, Ramnarayan Nag Chaudhuri and Guru Prasad Chowdhury; those who failed to pay were imprisoned. Even though the peasants organized themselves to file cases against the landlords, the government looked otherwise!
This oppressive status from the landlords and the government turned Titu Mir’s socio-religious movement into an aggressive class struggle between the peasants and the zamindar. Titu Mir was regarded as the peasant leader. Also, during this period, he built his iconic Bamboo Fort at Narkelbaria and began organizing a militia by giving military training to peasants!
Conflicts Against The British Forces
After Titu Mir decided to start an armed rebellion, he shifted his headquarters from Chandpur to Narkelberia and began organizing an armed militia. In October 1830, Titu Mir proclaimed himself to be the natural sovereign of the region and insisted the taxes were paid to him instead of the zamindars.
On the last day of October, Titu Mir and his forces of 300 armed men decided to take revenge against Krishnadeva. The zamindar bari (residence) was ransacked, and shops of money-lenders were set on fire. The mob even sacrificed a cow in front of a temple!
Because of Titu Mir’s continued attacks on zamindars, the landlords and the British indigo planters quickly allied mutual assistance. The landlord of Habra-Gobardanga, Kaliprasanna Mukherjee and Gauri Prasad Chowdhury, played a key role in forming this alliance. Thus, kaliprasanna was targeted by Titu Mir.
Although Kaliprasanna was aided by 200 men from a British indigo planter, Davies, he was defeated by Titu Mir’s forces. Davies escaped narrowly after the fight and sought refuge at Debnath Roy’s home. Titu Mir attacked Debnath’s forces in Nadia, where Debnath Roy was killed.
As Bengal was under foreign domination by the British East India Company, the Indigo plants were mostly owned by the company and managed by the British. The workers were heavily oppressed. That’s why Titu Mir burned several indigo plantations.
These attacks continued till October and November of 1830, and the Joint Magistrate of Barasat, Alexander (along with Officer-In-Charge of Baduria Thana, Ramram Chakraborti) came with a force of 120 police officers in mid-November. However, they were defeated by a strong force of 500 militia.
Self-Ruling Badshah
After the conflicts with Alexander, Titu Mir claimed himself to be the ruler or Badshah of the region. It installed loyal people to important official positions like military commanders, ministers, etc. He also urged the peasants to participate in the Sacred war (Jihad).
On 17 November 1830, the district magistrate of Nadia, Smith, together with four other Magistrates and a 300-person police and security squad, moved into Narkelberia.
However, Titu Mir’s commander, Ghulam Masum, and Titu Mir happened to be aware of this attack, and he planned an ambush with 500 militia at Baraghar, Narkelbaria. Smith’s forces fled to an indigo planter’s residence crossing the Ichhamati river and pleaded with Lord William Bentinck to dispatch a military unit.
The Last Battle
A military unit consisting of Cavalry, infantry units, and two cannons was sent to Narkelbaria on 18 November 1830. The unit was led by Major Scott, Lieutenant Shakespeare, and Major Sutherland.
Major Sutherland laid an all-out attack on the Bamboo Fort. However, they couldn’t break the fort’s defense till the morning of 19 November. Titu Mir and 50 of his fellow soldiers were killed in this battle. Also, many others were to serve prison sentences of varying lengths.
Thus, this was the end of Titu Mir’s revolution. However, his legacy survives even now, and he has been an icon of resistance for the Bengali people ever since!
Conclusion
Syed Mir Nisar Ali 0r Titu Mir is regarded as the peasant leader of British colonial India’s first armed peasant revolution. His ideas may be considered radical today, but during his time, they were appropriate.
His legacy teaches us to be independent-minded, even when the enemy is large and defeat is inevitable! This ideology urged the local people to fight for the independence of India. Even though he died as a martyr, Titu Mir lives in the people’s hearts!