A boy from a village in Bengal, a lion tamer in Europe and a soldier in a Brazilian civil war. No, they aren’t 3 distinct people but the indomitable Suresh Biswas. Nearly 140 years ago, Biswas left India and carved himself an incredible path. A🧵(1/16)
In 1894, Amrita Bazar Patrika, a leading daily from Calcutta, was reprinting news of the Brazilian Civil War from European newspapers. One piece attracted much attention. It mentioned a Bengali man, Lieutenant Suresh Biswas, was fighting in the war (2/16)
Suresh Biswas was born in the Nadia district around 1861. By the time he was 15, he had proved himself as quite a rebel having converted to Christianity much to the displeasure of his Vaishnav parents. It is likely he was disowned by his family (3/16)
Soon, he left India. He possibly went to Rangoon and from there, sailed to Europe. Biswas, in 1881-82, featured in publicity material for the World’s Fair in Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington – his first appearance in media (4/16)
“Among the beasts are three lions, which leap and perform other acts at the bidding of their keeper, Suresh Biswas, who enters their cage....." (5/16)
".....This exhibition, which takes place frequently, attracts great attention, and the daring young Hindi, master of the king of beasts, is loudly applauded for his display of temerity.” (6/16)
A flyer for the fair also features an image of Biswas, seated at a cage door with the lions behind him.
Suresh Biswas ended up in the employ of a famous menagerie owner from Hamburg, Carl Hagenbeck (7/16)
Suresh Biswas ended up in the employ of a famous menagerie owner from Hamburg, Carl Hagenbeck (7/16)
In 1885, he sailed to South America with a tiger and two lions to perform there. Soon, an elephant named Bosco also joined his entourage. Biswas’ first performance was in Buenos Aires and the crowd loved it (8/16)
His next show, in Rio de Janeiro, was attended by the royal family of Brazil. Biswas went back to Hamburg for a short while but soon returned to Brazil (9/16)
As it turns out, he’d fallen in love with Maria Augusta, the daughter of a Brazilian doctor. A dramatic change in profession followed. Maria apparently wished to see Suresh in uniform, as a soldier (10/16)
The undaunted Bengali, not one to back down from a challenge, went ahead and joined the PMDF – a military force set up to protect the Brazilian seat of government.
Corporal Biswas rose steadily through the ranks (11/16)
Corporal Biswas rose steadily through the ranks (11/16)
Some exceptionally courageous displays in the naval revolt at Niterói earned him a promotion to Lieutenant. Suresh Biswas married Maria Augusta and was a serving captain in the Brazilian forces when he passed away in 1905 (12/16)
The reports and letters published in the Amrita Bazar Patrika created a major fan following for Biswas across Bengal (13/16)
In fact, in his last letter to his uncle, shortly before his death, Biswas mentioned receiving several letters from young men in Calcutta asking for ways to travel to South America (14/16)
At a time when there was consistent effort by the East India Co. administration to portray Bengalis as a cowardly, non-martial race, Suresh Biswas broke barriers and taboos and lived an exceptional life (15/16)
A life surely worth immortalizing on the silver screen – will an adventurous film-maker please raise their hand? (16/16)
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