When Nizam Deccan installed a power plant in Masjid Nabawi

(Hyderabad, Deccan) King Kothi Palace is the royal palace in which the last ruler of Asafia Kingdom, Nawab Mir Usman Ali Khan known as Nizam of Hyderabad lived for many decades. Considered among the most beautiful buildings of Hyderabad in the 20th century, this palace today presents a deserted scene.

Mir Usman Ali Khan was born on this day, April 6, 1886, in the Old Haveli of the old city of Hyderabad. In 1914, the King shifted to Kothi Palace and spent not only his reign but also his last moments here.

Today is the 135th birth anniversary of the Nizam of Hyderabad, but even on this important occasion, all entrances and exits of King Kothi Palace, including Bab Dakhla, are locked. If anything is normal, it is the noise of speeding motor vehicles on the roads that pass in front of this palace.

Jodi Mosque is located just two minutes away from King Kothi Palace. Mir Usman Ali Khan had this mosque built in 1936 in memory of his son Prince Jawad Jah who died at a young age.

When the Nizam of Hyderabad died on 24 February 1967 at the age of 81, he was buried in the premises of this mosque as per his wish and will. Some of his other relatives, especially his mother Zehra Begum, are also buried in this compound.

On the occasion of Mir Usman Ali Khan’s birthday, there is no special procession in Masjid Jodi except for the members of his Nizam family living in Hyderabad and people associated with non-governmental organizations come in small groups and lay flowers on his grave. They are praying, reciting Fatiha and leaving.

Mir Usman Ali Khan, who ruled Hyderabad Deccan for 37 years from 1911 to 1948 (occupation of Hyderabad, India), was not an ordinary Nawab or Emperor, but he was the richest man in the world, a Philanthropist and his subjects. Paror was the ruler.

Mir Usman Ali Khan is considered to be the first architect of modern Hyderabad because the buildings of government or public use built during his time are still prominent and key, be it High Court, Assembly Complex, Osmania Hospital, Asifia Library. Ho or Arts College Osmania University.

Nizam Hyderabad was famous not only in his kingdom or India and Pakistan but also in many countries of the world due to his philanthropic or charitable works.

In 1939, he installed a power plant to light the Masjid Nabawi (Madinah), provided financial assistance to England during World War I and World War II, and after the partition of India, asked for a loan of Rs 10 crore to Pakistan. 20 crores were given.

At one time Nizam of Hyderabad was so famous that when he died on 24 February 1967, his funeral procession was attended by more than a million people. But today there is no official ceremony in the Hyderabad Deccan to remember Mir Usman Ali on his birth anniversary and not a traditional parade.

Hyderabadi historian Sajjad Shahid told Independent Urdu that while the current governments are bent on erasing the names and marks of personalities like Mir Usman Ali Khan, the local youth are also not interested in learning about the history of their city.

During the reign of Mir Usman Ali Khan, his birthday was widely celebrated. Parades were held as well as public holidays. All that is now a story of the past.’

Lighting arrangement in Masjid Nabawi

In 1939, Mir Usman Ali Khan installed a power plant for lighting in Masjid Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia. To carry out this work, the Nizam appointed Nawab Ehsan Yar Jung, Chief Engineer of the Hyderabad Public Works Department, in Medina.

However, historians from Hyderabad Deccan say that the Nizam installed power plants not only in Madinah but also in Makkah to light the holy places.

Kuwait-based physician Dr Muhammad Najeeb Shah Zor, who is interested in the history and cultural heritage of the Hyderabad Deccan, has written a blog on the Hyderabadi web portal ‘Siyast.com’ in which he has included the official letters exchanged in 1936. From 1938 to 1938, Hyderabad was between the governments of the Deccan and Saudi Arabia.

He has written: ‘On the occasion of the Silver Jubilee in 1936, Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Usman Ali Khan proposed to install a new electric plant and lights in Masjid Nabawi at his own expense. The old electric plant installed by the Ottoman rulers had apparently fallen into disrepair.

Nizam proposed to send Nawab Ehsan Yar Jung, Chief Engineer of Hyderabad Public Works Department, to Medina to supervise and execute the project.

Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Shah Zor has written that after the approval of the Saudi government, the Nizam not only installed power plant and lights in the Prophet’s Mosque in 1939, but also repaired the wall and doors of the cemetery called ‘Jannat-ul-Mala’ in Makkah.

An article by Aleem Khan Falki, a writer and researcher from Hyderabad Deccan, titled ‘The Story of the Fall of Hyderabad’ has been published in the web portal ‘Tameer News.com’.

In it he writes: ‘The water and electricity expenses of Makkah and Madinah were also borne by the state of Hyderabad and for this great purpose, the magnificent buildings called Madinah Building, which still remain today, Makkah and Madinah. There were waqfs whose rents were sent to Makkah and Madinah. In addition, the Nizam had built buildings near the Haramin in Makkah and Madinah under the name of Rabat to accommodate the pilgrims.

Allama Ejaz Farrukh, a prominent historian and writer of Hyderabad Deccan, said in a conversation with Independent Urdu that Saudi Arabia was financially supported during the Nizam period.

‘This was in the early decades of the 20th century. The economic conditions of Saudi Arabia were very bad. Hyderabad not only used to provide financial support to Saudi Arabia, but grain also went from here.’

Allama Ejaz Farrukh said that Mir Usman Ali Khan and his family had constructed Rabats in Makkah and Madinah Munawrah for the Hajj pilgrims and also constructed Madinah Building in Hyderabad, which was rented to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah Munawrah until the 1960s. He went to Saudi Arabia for development and maintenance.

“The Saudi government in the 1970s wanted the money spent on building the bridges to be returned to the system, but the problem was who to give the money to.” Due to this, the matter got delayed.’

According to historian Sajjad Shahid, during the implementation of the expansion plan in Makkah and Madinah, the rabats built by the Nizam were demolished and new rabats were constructed in their place.

According to a report in the Indian newspaper Times of India, it was the Hyderabad Deccan that introduced Hajj flights to Jeddah in 1946.

In 1946, when two Deccan Airways’ Dakota aircraft took off from Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport for Jeddah, thousands of people from the city flocked to the airport to witness this historic moment.’

India’s uproar over lending to Pakistan

Writer and historian MA Aziz (Engineer) from the city of Aurangabad in the former state of Hyderabad writes in his book ‘Police Action’ that Mir Usman Ali Khan, the ruler of the state of Hyderabad, announced on August 1947 through a decree. That ‘just as India and Pakistan are free and independent states, Hyderabad is also a free and independent state which will not participate in any dominion.’

However, Laeeq Ali (the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad) has written in his book ‘The Tragedy of Hyderabad’ that the Nizam decreed the complete independence of Hyderabad on June 11, 1947, citing the promises of the British government and the Indian Independence Act. What did

‘The decree contained the idea that Hyderabad’s participation in Pakistan would be unacceptable to Hindus and India’s participation to Muslims. Hyderabad will remain independent in this sense and maintain friendly relations with both countries.

On 26 November 1947, India and Hyderabad signed a conditional standstill agreement for one year, which came into force on 29 November with the signing of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

The Indian newspaper ‘The Hindu’ wrote about this agreement: ‘This agreement is for one year which will continue till 28th November 1948 and during that time further negotiations will be held for a longer term agreement. It is believed that this agreement is not of the nature that the Indian Union has negotiated with other states.

The nascent state of Pakistan, facing financial difficulties, asked for a loan of 10 crore rupees from the state of Hyderabad, and Nizam Deccan gave 20 crore rupees.

Historians believe that if the Indian army had not been engaged in Kashmir, the Indian Union would have invaded Hyderabad immediately instead of negotiating a treaty with Hyderabad and waiting for a year.

According to historian Allama Ejaz Farrukh, Mir Usman Ali Khan wanted to remain independent because Hyderabad was an independent and developed state with all the facilities that were available in London at that time.

‘How could India tolerate the secession of a state so independent and developed? Sardar Patel’s phrase was that ‘If Hyderabad is left free, it is a cancer in India’s stomach.’

After the partition of India, Mir Usman Ali Khan gave 20 crore rupees to Pakistan after asking for a loan of 10 crore rupees, which India called a violation of the ‘continuing management agreement’ and created a commotion.

Syed Hussain, a writer and bureaucrat from Hyderabad, in his book ‘Zawaal Hyderabad’, has a summation: ‘At the time of the partition of India, it was decided to give 50 crore rupees to Pakistan so that the new government would not have difficulty in running the business. But its payment was stopped by the Government of India to keep Pakistan in financial crisis from day one. The time for staff salaries was near and Pakistan was suffering from financial problems.

Ghulam Muhammad, then the finance minister of Pakistan, came to Hyderabad and requested that 10 crores of tamsaks be given as a loan to pay the salaries. The Nizam consulted with Ali, and Ali supported the giving of the Tamsakat. The Nizam, acting generously, handed over 20 crores to Pakistan instead of 10 crores from the point of view that the new Islamic state would have more financial needs if possible.

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan writes in his Aap Baiti ‘Karwan Hayat’: ‘The value of freedom can be gauged from the act of the system that even during the severe crisis of Hyderabad, they were able to ensure the establishment of Pakistan and the survival of its freedom. How interested was it that he transferred 20 crore rupees worth of dowry to Pakistan shortly after its establishment and further that he agreed to transfer his state property to Pakistan in a phased manner? But they could not get respite for it.’

Laeeb Ali has written in ‘The Tragedy of Hyderabad’ that he met Mahatma Gandhi on January 29, 1948, during which the latter objected to a loan of 20 crore rupees given to Pakistan.

After a detailed discussion, we were both satisfied. Gandhiji said that there will be another meeting tomorrow and something will be settled. I was very satisfied that the matter would be resolved when Gandhiji took it into his hands. Yesterday, January 30, the day I was going to talk to Gandhiji, Gandhiji was shot.

However, it is worth mentioning here that Mahatma Gandhi had expressed his displeasure over India’s withholding of Pakistan’s share of rupees and had also put a ‘barat’ on it.

Laeeq Ali further writes: ‘In the last week of February 1948, Sir Walter Monkton (constitutional and legal adviser to the regime) and I went to Delhi. While visiting Lord Mountbatten, VP Menon (Secretary to Sardar Patel) came to meet me and started talking unnecessarily. I said that if you talk about the purpose, they said that the loan of 20 crore rupees to Pakistan is causing problems in all matters.

Laeeb Ali has written that on March 2, 1948, a delegation from Hyderabad, which included me, Nawab Moin Nawaz Jung (Finance and Foreign Minister of the Nizam) and Sir Walter Monckton, met Mountbatten, and then he offered Pakistan 20 on Moin Nawaz Jung. He complained about the provision of crores of loans and said that if the matter had taken place before the contract was executed, it should have been cleared at the time of the contract.

Lord Mountbatten in his biography mentions that after the Second World War, when England was economically bankrupt, Nawab Mir Usman Ali Khan’s generous donations helped to a great extent.

I told him that if the agreement cannot be concluded for this reason alone, I will go to Pakistan myself and see that the 20 crore rupees that were given as a loan to Pakistan are not repaid during the duration of the agreement. go

‘I immediately contacted Pakistan. On March 3, 1948, he made an appointment with Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Had a detailed discussion with the Quaid-e-Azam on March 3 and despite severe financial difficulties, he decided not to pay the debt till the end of the contract period. As soon as I returned from Pakistan on March 4, I met Mountbatten along with the Hyderabadi delegation and told them not to bother.

MA Aziz (Engineer) writes in his book that when the hopes of reaching a long-term, stable and permanent agreement with India started to die due to its (India’s) actions, the Nizam sent a delegation of Nawab Moin Nawaz. Under the leadership of the United Nations, which was meeting in Paris at that time.

Hyderabad’s case was accepted for discussion in the United Nations Security Council. The date of the debate was fixed in the second week of September 1948. India, however, wanted to avoid the Security Council debate. Therefore, under some conspiracy, the scheduled date was postponed and the debate was postponed to another date.

On September 11, 1948, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah died in Karachi. The Government of India saw no better opportunity to attack Hyderabad. In the early morning of September 13, 1948, the Indian army sounded the war horn and started crossing the border of the state from some twenty-five to thirty places.

According to Allama Ijaz Farrukh, the Nizam of Hyderabad provided great financial support to England during the First and Second World Wars, for which he was awarded the title of ‘His Exalted Highness’.

Aleem Khan Falki in his essay: ‘Lord Mountbatten has mentioned in his biography that after the Second World War when England was economically bankrupt, Nawab Mir Usman Ali Khan’s valuable donations contributed greatly to Supported to the limit.’

The Nizam of Hyderabad: Period of Rule and Achievements

• Mir Usman Ali Khan took over the command of the Asif Jahi kingdom in 1911 at the age of 25 and made his mark with outstanding acts of patriotism, foresight and generosity. Opponents of the regime were also convinced of his patriotism, character and tolerance.
• In 1937, Time magazine declared Mir Usman Ali Khan the richest man of his time and published his picture on the cover. However, despite being the richest man in the world, Nizam Hyderabad lived his life with simplicity.
• During the reign of Mir Usman Ali Khan, the population of Hyderabad was 1 crore 64 lakh. The Muslim population was only 12 percent.
• Institutions and innovative projects established by Nizam Hyderabad such as Nizam State Railways, Radio Station, Underground Drainage Management, Thousand Bed Osmania Hospital, Unani Hospital, ENT Hospital, TB Hospital, Nizam Orthopedics Hospital, Princess Isra Hospital and Nilufar. Hospitals, major projects for drinking water supply like Sahak Sagar, Usman Sagar, Nizam Sagar, besides Asafia Library, High Court Building, Town Hall, City College, Hyderabad Public School, Women’s College Kothi, Hyderabad House Delhi, State Bank of Hyderabad, Begumpet Airport and Assembly Building are still in use today.
• Hyderabad’s independence can be inferred from the fact that Hyderabad was the only state among the princely states or desi states in united India that had the power to mint its own coins. Other rajas of Rajwade also had their own coins, but it was also stamped by the Government of India or the Government of Great Britain. The Hyderabadi coin bore only the seal of the Nizam.
• In 1917, Mir Usman Ali Khan established Osmania University. The establishment of Osmania University was a challenge because on one hand the agenda was set to ensure the application of the curriculum of European universities and on the other hand teaching in Urdu became a condition. Dar-ul-Tarjama was established to translate science and arts books into Urdu. As much money was spent on the construction of Osmania University, more money was spent on translation.
• Nizam’s Urdu friendliness can also be estimated from the fact that not only Urdu language was the official language, but the writings on the currency were also in Urdu language. All the people in Hyderabad at that time, regardless of religion or nationality, spoke and understood Urdu. All possible support was given to the development of other local languages ​​like Marathi, Telugu and Kannada.
• Among the princely states, Hyderabad Deccan was the only state to have its own airline named ‘Deccan Airlines’. Not only that, where Madras (Chennai) got electricity in 1933, Hyderabad got electricity six years earlier, i.e. in 1927.
• During the rule of Nizam, lower castes and untouchables were given free basic education as well as higher education. Officials responsible for the maintenance of temples and other places of worship were paid reasonable salaries. The Nizam used to give financial support to the Gurdwaras of Amritsar, the Minadars of Banaras and especially the Banaras Hindu University.
• The Nizam of Hyderabad donated thousands of acres of land to the Gurdwara of the tenth Guru of Sikhism, Sri Guru Gobind Singh, at Nanded. Special attention was paid to the education of Sikh children and various privileges were also given.
• It was a sign of religious tolerance that cow sacrifice was prohibited by the Nizam government for the sake of religious sentiments of Hindus.
• After the fall of Hyderabad, Mir Usman Ali Khan continued to serve the needy in King Kothi instead of going to Pakistan. 300 such poor and destitute children were being brought up in his palace and ‘Khanazars’ whom he supported himself. By forming a trust, he provided all kinds of help to the poor, regardless of religion and caste, and kept the employees whose livelihood depended on the work of the royal palace until the end, so that they Don’t let bad times come.

(Note: Discussions with historian Allama Ejaz Farrukh and a few books including ‘Police Action’, ‘Fall of Hyderabad’, ‘Fall of Hyderabad’ have been consulted in preparation of Nizam Hyderabad: Reigns and Achievements section.)