TITU MIR

Titumir Hall,a major dormitory of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology at Dhaka, is named after him.

Mir Nisar Ali (Titu Mir) was one of the greatest freedom fighters of Bangladesh. He sparked the flame of liberation in the hearts of Bangladeshis which is continuous leading them in their struggle for political, cultural and economic independence.


Titu Mir was born on 14 Magh 1188 (Bangla calendar), 27 January 1782 at a village named Chandpur under Bashirhat Thana of Chabbish Parguna District. His father was Mir Hassan Ali and mother was Abeeda Rukaya Khatun.

He received his primary education from his own village. Then he studied in a local Madrassa where he came into contact of an Alim and Hafiz teacher. Titu Mir become a Hafiz of Quran there. He also became scholar in Hadith. He completed his Madrassa education at the age of 18 years. He had good command on Arabic, Persian and Bangla.

Titu Mir was a renowned wrestler of his time. He defeated many of his contemporary boxers.

He went to Mecca in 1822 to perform Haj. There he met Saiyeed Ahmad Shaheed. He became greatly influenced by Saiyeed Ahmad Shaheed who inspired him to preach the true teachings of Islam and fight for the freedom of Muslims.

Upon returning home, he started his struggle against Bidaat. He united Hindu peasants against the Zaminders and the British occupiers and inspired them to fight for liberation of Bangladesh. He used to say that Muslims must be fully Muslim in their words, deeds and behaviours, and should help the oppressed irrespective of their religion.

Titu Mir protested levying tax on beard, mustache, mosque and Islamic name of Muslims by local Hindu Zaminder Krishna Dev Roy. It resulted in a conflict between Titu Mir and the Zaminder. The Zaminder tried to create division among Titu Mir's followers by labeling him as a Wahabi. However, the Muslims did not pay any heed to his tricks. As a result, he intensified torture on the Muslims.

Zaminder Krishna Dev Roy took help of the British occupiers to oppress the followers of Titu Mir. Some of his followers were martyred at one stage. The Muslims became more united and formed a Mujahid freedom fighter force in the leadership of Ghulam Masum. They built a bamboo castle at Narikelbaria. Titu Mir declared liberation from the British and re-establishment of Muslim rule. The whole area of Chabbish Parguna, Nadia and Faridpur districts were under his control. He had around five thousands Mujahid freedom fighters with him. The soldiers of the Zaminder and of occupier British were being repeatedly defeated by the Mujahids.

At last, on 14 November 1831, the British force armed modern arms attacked the Muslim Mujahids. They could not withstand the attack of the British force with modern arms with their shields and spears. The bamboo castle was destroyed. Titu Mir was martyred along with many of his fellow freedom fighters.

Independence activist

In 1822, Titu Mir went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, the Haj enjoined upon all Muslims, and on his return he commenced organizing the peasants of his native village against the landlords or Zamindars and the British colonialists. He also affected the 'tahband' a tube shaped garment worn around the waist, in preference to the dhoti, seen as more overtly Hindu, and enjoined his followers to do likewise.

Titu Mir opposed a number of discriminatory measures in force at that time which included taxes on the earing of beards and on mosques. The rift between Titu Mir and his followers on one side, and the local Zamindars supported by the British rulers on the other side, continued to widen, and armed conflict broke out at several places. Titu Mir had himself served a Zamindar as a 'lathial or 'lethel' a fighter with the quarterstaff, (which in Bengal is made of bamboo, not wood) and he was actively training his men in hand to hand combat and the use of the bamboo staff. This weapon in skilled hands is deadly against anything except projectile weapons.

The followers of Titu Mir, believed to have grown to 5,000 by that time, readied themselves for prolonged armed conflict, and they built their fort of bamboo at Narikelbaria, near the town of Barasat. This was surrounded by a high double curtain wall of bamboo stakes filled in with mud cladding and sun-baked.

Titu Mir declared independence from the British, and regions comprising the current districts of 24 Parganas, Nadia and Faridpur came under his control. The private armies of the Zamindars and the forces of the British met with a series of defeats at the hands of his men as a result of his strike-and-retreat guerrilla tactics.

Finally, the British forces, armed with cannon and muskets, mounted a concerted attacks on 14 November 1831, on Titu Mir and his followers. With their simple swords and spears, Titu Mir and his forces could not withstand the might of modern weapons, and were overwhelmed. The bamboo castle was destroyed, and Titu Mir was killed along with several of his followers. The commanding officer of the British forces noted his opponent's bravery in despatches, and also commented on the strength and resilience of bamboo as a material for fortification, since he had had to pound it with artillery for a surprisingly long time before it gave way.

Legacy

The saga of the bravery of Titu Mir and the bamboo castle continue to be a source of inspiration to the Bengali people, and are also believed to have inspired the freedom fighters of Bangladesh in the liberation war of 1971. Mahasweta Devi wrote a novella called Titu Mir, and Titumir-er Basher Kella has been a popular play on TV in Bangladesh as well. It has also featured as a theme for Puja pandals which are often done up as historical tableaux.