The History Of Bangalore Tall Poppies, And A Small Minded Man
Vijayanagara stood at the absolute height of its prosperity in the late 1550s, yet the character of its leadership had begun a dangerous shift toward petty arrogance. Ramjee Chandran explores the "Tall Poppy Syndrome" that defined Aliya Rama Raya’s rule—a philosophy of cutting down anyone who rose too high, from capable local administrators like Kempe Gowda to neighboring sovereigns. This episode details how Rama Raya’s hubris transformed manageable political interference into a permanent existential threat for the Deccan Sultanates. Through a series of calculated humiliations and military campaigns marked by religious desecration, he unwittingly did the impossible: he forced his bitterest enemies to unite. We follow the diplomatic masterstroke of the mediator Mustafa Khan Ardistani and the marriage alliances that bound the houses of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, and Golconda together, setting the stage for the cataclysmic Battle of Rakkasagi-Tangadgi.
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The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.
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