Suresh Biswas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Col. Suresh Biswas was a famous 19th century adventurer from India.

[edit] Life

Suresh Biswas was born in undivided Bengal in East India (Latter half of 1800s). He ran away from home when he was very young and joined a circus, where he mastered the art of controlling animals, and was one of the first Indians to be a ring-master in a circus with tigers and lions.

After that, he migrated to Brazil (probably one of the first Indians to do so), and fought for the independence struggle of Brazil (late 1800s). He was made a Lieutenant in the army (and a Colonel too, later).Inspite of showing remarkable courage during the upsurge of rebellion he was not properly felicitated simply because of racial discrimination(he was after all a non white hindu Asiatic in the white dominated catholic Brazil).One more instance of the white arrogance.

Colonel Biswas however settled down in Brazil as he was enchanted by the natural beauty of the country and breathed his last there itself.

[edit] Trivia

Not too many written records remain of the legendary adventurer, but he was mentioned in Satyajit Ray's novel "Chhinnamastar Abhishap" (Trans: The Curse of the Goddess), featuring the famous fictional detective, Feluda.

[edit] Reference

The Self-Image of Effeteness: Physical Education and Nationalism in Nineteenth-Century Bengal by John Rosselli, Past and Present, No. 86 (Feb., 1980)