Memories of the Old Hyderabad
By Farooq Ahmed Khan P.S.P.
D.I.G. Police (Retired)
Las Vegas, NVI was really impressed by the series of well written articles by Mr. Arif Hussaini on Hyderabad, which have just been concluded.
Having myself been born there, it brought back fond memories of how Hyderabadi culture was, before India 1948. At present the generation of Hyderabadi families in Pakistan or America have little idea of the Hyderabad of those days. I am giving an idea of the Hyderabad of those days, and its contribution to the Muslim causes throughout the entire sub-continent of then undivided India.
It is true that H.E.H Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, then reputed to be the richest man in the world, unlike other State rulers, led a very simple and frugal life, but at the same time contributed generously on a big scale to worthy causes.
During early childhood, I had my first glimpse of the Nizam, when he had come for his “Juma prayers” at the “Jama Masjid”, located in the “Bagh-e-Aam”, which was the park and zoo area of Hyderabad.
The contribution of Hyderabad’s famous “Osmania University” for research and education, specially in translating and teaching the major sciences and technology in Urdu, which had never been done before, is well-known. However, few people are aware that substantial funds were contributed by the Nizam every year to the “Aligarh University”, which played such an important role in the “Pakistan Movement”, resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
When I was conducting my graduate studies at Islamia College, Peshawar, after completing my Senior Cambridge from the Doon School, at that time I was residing at the “Osmania Hostel” in the Peshawar University where 1 was surprised to learn that this Hostel was named after the Nizam because it had been built entirely by the funds contributed by him.
In short, the Hyderabad of that time was the chief-patron of education, art and culture, and Muslims from all over came there to seek their livelihood and fortune, for a better life for themselves and their families.
Hyderabad was the only state in pre-independence India, which had its own separate currency, railways (Hyderabad State Railways), postal system with separate postal stamps, state Civil Services, known as H.C.S. own military, and even its own small airforce.
While rulers of other big states like Kashmir, Jodhpur Bikaner, Indore, and Bhopal were given the title of “His Excellency” (H.E.), the Nizam of Hyderabad alone had the title of “His Exalted Highness” (H.E.H.)
The road and traffic system was so well organized that I remember seeing “traffic lights” in Hyderabad City in the pre-Independence period, when no such facility was in existence in other parts of India, including the region which now is in Pakistan, where they have been installed decades later.
Not many people know that at the time when Pakistan came into existence in 1947; and before the fall of Hyderabad, due to unprovoked Indian military aggression in 1948. The Government of Pakistan had to start a new country from scratch. And India had purposely not given the share, which Pakistan was supposed to get under the “Partition Agreement”; because in the beginning Pakistan did not even have the money to pay the salaries of the Government officers and employees. Although the morale of the people was high, and the people were ready to make sacrifices for the new country, which they had aspired for, and had now finally become a reality. At that critical period, it was Hyderabad State, which came forward to help Pakistan, and rescue the country from bankruptcy or collapse.
For this purpose, a novel scheme was implemented. An adventurous British commercial pilot was contacted and engaged in his private capacity to secretly fly loads of gold from Hyderabad to Pakistan, eluding the Indian planes, which could have stopped the flight or shut down the plane.
This rescue project for Pakistan was the idea of Qasim Rizvi, the leader, who was then in power in Hyderabad. Nizam had also given his consent for this noble action, undertaken at great risk.
Fortunately this scheme worked, which helped to keep going the newly formed Pakistan. Needless to say, that this invaluable and timely help from Hyderabad to Pakistan, at such a critical juncture, cannot be forgotten.
Coming back to the memories of pre-independence Hyderabad, as a small child, I once accompanied my mother to a function in the “Ladies Club” of Hyderabad, where Princess Dur-e-Shahwar the Nizam’s daughter-in-law was the chief guest. She was accompanied by her younger sister, Princess Nilofar (also Nizam’s daughter-in-law.)
Both the Princesses, who were extremely beautiful and graceful, were the daughters of Sultan Khalifa Abdul Majid, the last Sultan of the centuries old Turkish Ottoman Empire (Sultanat-e-Osmania).
Nizam’s elder son, Prince Azam Jah married Princess Dur-e-Shahwar. Moazzam Jah, Nizam’s younger son, married Princess Nilofar.
The Late Dr. Raziuddin Siddiqi, the world famous scientist and scholar, of Osmania University Hyderabad, was the father-in-law of my cousin, Major Owais Idris. He was the son of the late Brigadier K.M.Idris, my maternal uncle, who was one of the most senior officers in the Pakistan Army, at the time of the creation of Pakistan. My other maternal uncle, the late S.M. Younus, who was, a Doctor of Law from Oxford University, remained behind in Hyderabad and became its’ Law Secretary.
Incidentally, my uncle, the late Brigadier K.M. Idris was the brother-in-law of late Brigadier Husky Baig whose life history has recently been published in the “Pakistan Link”. And the late Sikander Ali Baig (Younger brother of Brigadier Husky Baig), whose talented son, Yousuf Baig writes regularly for the Pakistan Link in his highly informative and interesting columns, entitled “Letter from London”.