The Asaf Jahi Nizams: Pioneers In Shaping Modern Hyderabad

Step into the opulent world of Hyderabad under the Nizams, where grandeur met innovation, propelling the city light-years ahead of its contemporaries. Explore how the visionary leadership of the Nizams transformed Hyderabad into a beacon of progress, setting it apart from other princely states and even the British-administered territories of its era. Join us as we unravel the secrets of Hyderabad’s golden age, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

Hyderabad – The city of Pearls decades before the arrival and boom of silicon industry was worldwide known for its wealth and riches. The credit for laying the foundations for development of Hyderabad State especially goes to the Nizam’s of the Royal Asaf Jahi Dynasty. Among them, HH Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Siddiqui Khan Bahadur & HEH Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Siddiqui Khan Bahadur are the most prominent, whose policies and actions towards the development of Hyderabad city put it on the globe.

In 1937, Time magazine published Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan on the cover page as the world’s richest man of that time and the fifth richest man in history, with a total wealth of $2 billion. Born on April 6, 1886, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur ascended to the throne of the erstwhile Hyderabad State upon the death of his father HH Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, who was the sixth Nizam.

He was one of the five princes under the Colonial British Rule, who were entitled to a 21-gun salute, and owing to the support provided to the British during World War 1, he was granted the title of ‘Faithful Ally of the British Empire’. The last Nizam VII was also the only ruler of a princely state in India with the title of ‘His Exalted Highness’. and as per Indian Office Records, a question was also addressed to the British Government for granting of the title of “King” to the HEH The Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Siddiqui Khan Bahadur.

Nizam VII: Patron of Education and Development

His emphasis on education is further reinforced by the fact that his government devoted 11 percent of the State budget for education. The vast campuses of Osmania University, numerous educational establishments and grants given to them are irrefutable evidence of his keen interest & everlasting contributions for education.

Operation Polo

After gaining independence from the British Empire, followed by the Indo-Pak partition of 1947, the princely states of India had the option of choosing to join either India or Pakistan and it was then that the Nizam refused to join either and instead, wanted his 16 million people and over 82,000+ square-mile territory to be a separate kingdom within the British Commonwealth.

For this purpose, his government even approached the United Nations for help, but the newly established Indian government sent a division of the Indian Army in an operation codenamed Operation Polo. Following Operation Polo, Major General Syed Ahmed El Edroos, the Commander-in-Chief of the Nizam’s Hyderabad State Army, formally surrendered to Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri of the Indian army, and Hyderabad State was integrated into newly independent India.

Subsequently, Mir Osman Ali Khan was sworn as the Raj Pramukh (Head of the State like the present-day Governor) on the 26th of January 1951 and held that post until the 31st of October 1956. The position of Raj Pramukh was abolished on the 1st of November 1956 under the States Reorganization Act by the Government of India and unions of states was dismantled.

Senior Journalist and Political Analyst Dr. Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui observes that His Exalted Highness the Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Siddiqui Khan Bahadur was a Uniter-in-Chief and not an internationally notorious Divider-in-Chief. The noble Nizam had declared that Hindus and Muslims were his two eyes. He neither ordered nor committed any genocide. He appointed Hindus in his Cabinet and in Hyderabad City Police. Sir Maharaja Kishen Pershad was the Sadr-ul-Mahaam (Prime Minister) and Raja Bahadur Venkatrama Reddy was the Kotwal (Police Commissioner) of Hyderabad State.

Dr. Ahmed pointed out that HEH the Nizam was the builder of modern Hyderabad. Hyderabad still drinks from his two cups – Osmansagar Lake and Himayatsagar Lake. The wise Nizam lighted the candle of education with the century-old, internationally acclaimed Osmania University, which even produced a Prime Minister of India. He nursed the sick, back to health with the mighty Osmania Hospital. The legacy and the heritage left behind by HEH the Nizam VII must be protected at all costs by the Telangana Government and the Government of India. The noble ruler must be awarded Bharat Ratna.

Asaf Jahi Nizams’ contributions for Hyderabad State

Mr. Amarbir Singh, an eminent Historian & Numismatics Expert on Hyderabad Nizam’s Currency has painstakingly recorded and shared the contributions and developments made during the Asaf Jahi Nizams era that helped me to put it in a tabular form and I am indebted to Mr. Amarbir Singh for allowing me to use his scholarly research in this story as it can be read in the table below.

While documenting the Asaf Jahi Nizams’ contributions to Hyderabad State, a rule or procedure must be applied especially for colleges, hospitals, and everything so that readers get to know the story behind it, i.e., the first proposal or plan, issuance of Firman (Royal Charter), project initiation date, expenditure incurred, year of construction and completion, inauguration, etc. Such as, for Osmania University (OU) – The Royal Charter was promulgated on 16th of Zilhaj 1336 AH corresponding to 1918 Gregorian Calendar and it was established on 1st of Moharrum 1337 AH corresponding to 1918 G.C.

OU College was opened in 1919 after the issuance of the Royal Charter and OU Regulations received the assent of HEH The Nizam VII on 29th of Safar 1339 AH corresponding to 1920 G.C added Mr. Amarbir Singh.

Can we imagine, how Hyderabad would have been without the contributions & developments made by the Nizam’s of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty?

Mohammed Amjad, a Chief Technology Officer of a multinational company, and Senior Heritage Buff of Deccan Heritage Trust Group says, “In the field of education, Hyderabad was far ahead than the rest of India and several educational establishments were established under the Nizam’s Asaf Jahi Dynasty.

In the field of Medicine, Hyderabad State under the Nizam’s had a separate and specialised hospital for General Medicine, Chest, Orthopaedic, Fever, ENT, Mental Health, TB Sanatorium and Quarantine Facility in 1940s more than 82 years ago. No doubt, Hyderabad under the Nizams was far ahead of other princely states and British Administered Territories of that time. It also had its separate Army and independence of all means despite under the Colonial British Rule, says Dr.Mohammed Safi Ullah (Renowned Historian of Hyderabad). It’s worth mentioning that it was in the Nizam’s Dominion, Sir Ronald Ross made his landmark discovery of Malaria parasite on August 20, 1897, in Secunderabad.

Further, around 1947 Hyderabad Asbestos and many other companies such as Hyderabad Lamination Products, Hyderabad Soap Factory, Decan Chemical Works, The Baba Water Manufacturing Limited, Vasu Deva Ayurvedic Pharmacy Limited, Deccan Potteries and Enamel World Limited, Charminar Potteries, etc were established under his rule.

HEH The Nizam in December 1914, took over the direct administration of the Hyderabad State and issued Firmans (Royal Charters) for the new developments for the welfare of his people. He initiated measures to modernize Hyderabad city and ordered construction of numerous buildings of public utility and services. The Nizam’s Government in 1928 introduced Air-conditioned Tourist Railway coaches. He gave priority for the development of industries and several new industries were established under his rule. He took interest in the social-cultural welfare of the people and implemented Tribal reforms.

The displaced Tribals-Gonds-Lambadas were rehabilitated, and he issued orders granting them free education, hostel accommodation and food facilities. Nizam’s schemes brought all round prosperity. In Nizam’s Government, no Income tax was levied in the State for the benefit of the people unlike the burden of Income Tax that is now levied upon the people by the present democratic government.

Nizam’s State Film Industry

Nizam’s State Film Industry was no lesser than today’s Bollywood or Tollywood. In year 1927 Royal Talkies and in 1930 Yakuth Mahal was constructed. Followed by Moti Mahal in 1930, Zamarrud Mahal 1934, Manohar Talkie in 1934, and in 1939 Abids Shop was converted into a theatre and later renamed Palace Theatre. Some other old theatres which survived and some others which were lost with time are Minerva, Amar, Dreamland, Rameshwar Talkies, Paradise, Rahat Mahal to name a few are from the erstwhile Nizam’s era.

No dynasty or democratic governments have contributed and developed Hyderabad as much as the contributions made by Nizam’s Asaf Jahi Dynasty of Hyderabad and Berar. Despite after 75 years of Indian independence, various political parties that governed India, failed to provide even basic toilet facilities for many of its citizens, due to which they are still forced to answer the call of nature either in the cover of darkness in the bushes or on the train tracks. Recently in 2018, the Indian Government realised the right to basic amenities and started “Pradhan Mantri Sauchalay Yojana Free Toilet Scheme”.

But unfortunately, these political parties who can’t even provide basic toilets to the citizens, today dare to tarnish the Asaf Jahi Dynasty Nizams who developed Hyderabad State and modernised it even before India got its independence.

His Exalted Highness Nizam VII’s visionary, philanthropic activities and modernisation for his people didn’t ever stop even after the annexation to India. Despite losing his throne and title, HEH Nizam VII continued his efforts to serve the people.

In 1964, he ordered the construction of Nizam’s Orthopaedic Hospital and later it was handed over to the Andhra Pradesh Government on a 99-year lease for a nominal monthly rent of Re.1. And in the same year, he created a trust called “The Nizam’s Charitable Trust” with a corpus of Rs.5 crore for the poor, irrespective of caste and religion, says Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, the grandsons of HEH The Nizam to complain to the Indian Election Commission & ask the Indian Prime Minister Modi to stop the hateful rhetoric from demonising Nizam.

It’s worth mentioning that the Right-wing party which’s today demonising Nizam neither existed during the Nizam’s era nor its Khakhi clad militants whose ideology is based on Nazi Germany ever participated in the Indian independence movement nor they hoisted the Indian National Flag for 52 years after independence until 2002.

Rather, the militant leaders of the then Hindu Mahasabha – the ideology on which today’s right-wing party functions, wrote numerous mercy petitions to the British Colonial Rulers for leniency and early release from prison & a militant affiliated to this group Nathuram Godse also assassinated Mahatma Gandhi – the father of the Indian Nation.

When Sati was freely practiced by Hindus in India, Asaf Jah Nizam IV Mir Farkhunda Ali Khan banned the evil Sati practice a year before his death in 1857 & well ahead of its ban by the British. Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyat Khan Afzal Ud Daula gave land for the Bombay-Madras Railway line, built the Afzalgunj Bridge & Bazaar.

The numerous contributions of Asaf Jah VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan after assuming his sovereign rights & Asaf Jah VII Mir Osman Ali Khan mentioned above made rapid development in the fields of railways, revenue system, and establishment of silk and cotton mills. Other fields that came under their spotlight include education, judiciary, police, excise, forest, and health. During world war 1 and World war 2 the last Nizam VII extended military, financial and material support to the British.

He generously donated money to educational institutions like Aligarh Muslim University, Benaras Hindu University, Shivaji Vidyapeeth, the Bhandarkar Institute, and Santiniketan. He then also gifted away 14,000 acres of land to Acharya Vinoba Bhave for the Bhoodan Movement in Pochampally near Hyderabad city. After India got independence, Nizam VII refused to merge Hyderabad State with India as he wanted to retain Hyderabad as an independent sovereign nation under Commonwealth.

But Hyderabad was annexed by the Indian forces through a military action code-named Operation Polo & thousands of Muslims were massacred and in November 1948 the Nizam acceded to the Indian Union for the safety and interest of his people, thereby bringing down the curtains on the 225 years rule of Asaf Jahi Dynasty in Hyderabad State.