How the King Kothi got its name

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 33

How the King Kothi got its name
By Narendra Luther

The founder of Hyderabad, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah had constructed, amongst other 14 palaces in the new city. His successors added to them from time to time. However, during the prolonged siege of the fort and occupation of the city by Aurangazeb in 1687 and the years that followed, most of those palaces were destroyed. When the foundations of the High Court building were dug in 1915, ruins of two of the palaces built by the founder, namely Hina Mahal and Nadi Mahal were unearthed.

When the Asaf Jahi rule started in 1724, Aurangabad was made the capital of the Deccan province of which Hyderabad was a part. However, after the demise of Asaf Jah I, due to internecine warfare amongst his immediate three successors, quite a good deal of the territory of the Deccan province was lost first to the French and then to the English. The Second Asaf Jah, Mir Nizam Ali Khan shifted his capital to Hyderabad in 1763. That necessitated the use of a palace by the Nizam and also a number of deodies and mansions for the nobles. The city then began to regain its earlier glory.

There used to be a palace where the present ‘Chow Mohalla’ palace complex stands. It was built by the Qutb Shahis. Asaf Jah II selected that place for his residence and a number of buildings were added to it. There were four principal palaces in that area viz., Afzal Mahal, Aftab Mahal, Mahtab Mahal and Tahniyat Mahal. It is said that they were a replica of the palaces of the Shah of Iran. Besides, there were the Jilo Khana, Khilwat Mubarak, Chandini Begum ki Haveli, Bakshi Begum ki Haveli, Manjli Begum ki Haveli, Moti Bangla, Shadi Khana etc. The third Nizam also stayed here as also the fifth Nizam.

The British did not want the sixth Nizam as a young man to live within the female quarters but to stay independently so as to devote his attention to his education. He therefore moved to what is called Purani Haveli. He was allowed to pay weekly visit to the old palace to see his mother and others. According to some this mansion was the palace of Mir Momin, the prime minister of Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah and later came into the possession of Ruknuddin, finally becoming the property of the Nizams. A number of buildings on both sides of the main palace were added to it for Mir Mehboob Ali Khan.

The seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan was born there in 1886 and also stayed there during his early life. However, by that time the city had expanded a great deal; towards the north and east and he wanted to stay in the newer part of the city. When he was looking around for a suitable building he came upon one built by one of the Jamedars, Kamal Khan. The mansion was purchased from Kamal Khan and used as his residence. There was however, one hitch. Kamal Khan had put his initials ‘KK’ all over the building and its furniture and fittings. It was therefore a problem to remove those initials without disfiguring the building and furniture. At that time some clever courtier suggested to the Nizam that instead of removing those initials, a suitable name to the new residence of the Nizam which could make appropriate use of the initials. The name suggested was King Kothi. It was a hybrid name half English and half Urdu and sounds rather strange to Indian ears. Also, we associate ‘palace’ with the residence of a ruler and nor merely a ‘kothi’ which means a bungalow or at best a mansion.

The King Kothi complex had several buildings in two groups. The western half of the building was known as ‘Nazri Bagh’. The Nizam used to stay there. The entrance to that had always a thick tarpaulin curtain draped on it. It therefore came to be known as the ‘Purdah Gate’. In course of time, the purdah (curtain) became to look quite shabby but it wasn’t replaced. One couldn’t imagine that the ruler of the largest Indian State and the richest man of the world had his residence behind that shabby curtain.

Incidentally, it is interesting to note that no Nizam ever sat on the throne, or wore a crown. Also unlike most rulers, they were buried unostentatiously in simple graves - most of them in the compound of the Mecca Masjid and only two of them outside. It is therefore not surprising that residence of the last Nizam was a ‘kothi’ and not a palace.

Though he stayed in King Kothi, the seventh Nizam religiously visited the Purani Haveli every evening to pay his respects to his mother. When he drove in the old car, the traffic on the route was stopped by the blow of four whistles of policemen on duty and people had to either to prostrate to pay their respects to him, or to disappear into the adjoining streets.

The Nizam died in 1967. In 1980 the Government of Andhra Pradesh converted the eastern half of the building into a general hospital and named it The King Kothi Hospital. The Nazri Bagh area has been walled of and continues to belong to the private estate of the Nizam.

The Nazri Bagh is closed and is not open to the public.

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The Hill Fort Palace

Legends and anecdote of Hyderabad : 29

The Hill Fort Palace
by Narendra Luther

The eldest son of Nizam VII, Prince Azam Jah- the Prince of Berar stayed in the ‘Bella Vista’ (described in the last issue). The younger son, Prince Moazzam Jah, generally referred to as the Junior Prince, stayed in the ‘Hill Fort Palace’. Both buildings commanded a beautiful view of the Hussain Sagar Lake almost at right angles to each other. Incidentally, while the ‘Bella Vista’ was originally built by Nawab Hakim-du-dowla in 1905, the ‘Hill Fort Palace’ was built by his cousin, Sir Nizamat Jung ten years later. Both were chief justices of the State in their time. Sir Nizamat rose to be a minister later.

Sir Nizamat Jung suffered from asthma in 1915 and he was advised to stay in an open place with fresh air. Thereupon he bought a piece of five acres of land for Rs.100 and proceeded to built a residence for himself. Its architectural style was based on the Trinity College in Cambridge where he had studied, and the castles described in the novels of Sir Walter Scott. The building was completed in 1915 and named the ‘Hill Fort Palace’. He lived in it for 15 years. After a visit to Mecca on his retirement in 1929, he decided to live a simpler life and so decided to sell the property. The Nizam then bought the building. as he had earlier bought the ‘Bella Vista’. Sir Nizamat asked for a price of Rs.1,00,000 - the amount which he had spent and refused to take any appreciation. Out of that amount, he requested for adjustment of the amount of two loans which he had taken for building the house and for the purchase of a car. The net price was Rs.67,000.

The ‘Hill Fort Palace’ was then allotted to the Junior Prince as his official residence in his capacity as the chairman of the City Improvement Board. He was married to Princess Niloufer who was the first cousin of the wife of the Prince of Berar, who, in turn, was the only child of the last Caliph of Turkey.

The Prince who was a poet sported the pen-name of ‘Shajih’. He used to live lavishly and held his ‘court’ at night, sleeping during the day. Every evening a selected gathering of nobles and some poets was invited to dine with him. After that a mehfil was arranged which lasted throughout the night. At that mehfil mostly poetry composed by him was sung by professional singers. Early in the morning the ‘court’ would be dismissed and the Prince would take two sleeping pills and go to bed. Some well known poets came to be associated with his ‘court’.

On every Idd he used to buy a new suit of clothes consisting of a sherwani and a pyjama which was presented to all his courtiers. For himself when he made a purchase, Burton’s Shop in Secunderabad was closed to all other customers except the wives of European military officers. The Prince never purchased a piece. He would buy a whole roll. The idea was that nobody else should wear a sherwani made of a cloth similar to the one that he had purchased.

For Idd, agents were sent to different parts of the country to select and invite singers and dancers. Amongst them was also Begum Akhtar who at that time was known as Akhtari Bai Faizabadi. Valuable gifts were given to them and on their departure. There is an account of the gifts given to her by Sidq Jaisi. The lavish lifestyle of the Prince landed him in debts from all and sundry. Ultimately, the Nizam had to bail him and his elder brother out of the huge debts which they had incurred.

Due to different lifestyle and values, the Prince and Princess Niloufer could not live together for long. In 1948, they had a divorce. The Nizam created a trust for her maintenance and Niloufer then left India and settled in France where she died some years ago. The Prince used mostly to compose lyrical poetry of a lighter type. It is still sung in many mehfils of Hyderabad by ghazal singers.

After the Police Action, the mansion became the property of the government and the Prince moved out to stay in the ‘Fern Villa’ - the former residence of the former Superintendent of Public Gardens and the legendary wit of Hyderabad, Jamaluddin.

The Hill Fort Palace was used for some time as an office by the newly-appointed Development Commissioner of the State, the late Zahir Ahmed.

In 1955 the building was leased to the Ritz Hotel company for running a hotel there. For many years the Ritz Hotel was the most modern and the best hotel in Hyderabad. Its retained its old word charm till the very end and many old-timers still used to prefer to stay there rather than the more modern hotel which came up later in the city.

In 1989 the government decided to terminate the lease and after protracted legal battles, ultimately the building reverted to government in 1997. There were various proposals about the use to which it should be put - as a State guest house, or as a residence for the chief minister. Finally, it was decided to run it as a Heritage Hotel. International consultants are being appointed for that purpose for selecting a private party to run it. The building is now nearly 85 years old and has been witness to so much history and has generated so many legends and anecdotes. Hopefully, they will be kept in mind before its renewal and reuse.

Buildings, like individuals, undergo changes. The only difference is that whereas individuals have a limited lease of life, if properly cared for, buildings can last a long long time. One therefore wishes the Hill Fort Palace a long and prosperous life in the next stage of its career.


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The Story of Bella Vista

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 29

The Story of Bella Vista
by Narendra Luther


On the junction of the roads leading to Raj Bhavan and to Punjagutta is a stately building called ‘Bella Vista’. It houses the Administrative Staff College of India. It has a very interesting and chequered history and has seen many changes in its life of over 9 decades.

It was built in 1905 by Muslehuddin Mohammed, Bar-at-law who rose to be the Chief Justice of the High Court of Hyderabad. He was given the title of Hakim-ud-dowla. The building had no columns. it stood on walls which were 2 feet thick. Hakim-ud-dowla lived in Bella Vista from 1905 to 1914 when he died due to plague at the age of about 57. Incidentally, he was the cousin (father’s sister’s son) of Sir Nizamat Jung who built the Hill Fort Palace which till recently was the Ritz Hotel. It is also a co-incidence that the Prince of Berar, the elder son of the Nizam VII lived in ‘Bella Vista’, while the junior prince came to live in the Hill Fort Palace after they were sold by the original builders.

In the compound of ‘Bella Vista’ another smaller house was built for the younger brother of Hakim-ud-dowla, Jalaaluddin Sad Jung, Bar-at-law. On his death in 1916 the family decided to sell the mansion. The Nizam bought it with furniture in 1917 for Rs. 60,000 The original cost of the construction was Rs.45,000.

The building was occupied by Sir Ali Imam who became the Prime Minister of Hyderabad in 1919. He used the building next door now known as the ‘Lake View’ guest house as his office. On the departure of Sir Ali Imam from Hyderabad in 1922. The building was renovated and made the official residence of the Prince of Berar in his capacity as the commander- in- chief of the State armed forces.

During his occupation lasting more than two decades, night was day and day was night. Revelries lasted throughout the night and as the sun rose the principal occupant and his protégés retired to their beds.

The Prince was married to Durreshawar who was the only child of the deposed Caliph of Turkey. She was one of the most beautiful women of her times. The marriage didn’t work and she moved to England where she still stays visiting Hyderabad occasionally.

The Prince of Berar had a monthly allowance of Rs.25,000 and lived such a lavish life that he could not manage within that amount. He therefore incurred debts from all and sundry. Very often he would give a promissory note for Rs.30,000 when he actually took Rs.10,000 which he urgently needed. These notes were preserved carefully by the creditors and at one time the Nizam cleared the debts of the two princes which reportedly amounted to about 4.5 crores of rupees.

The site at which the A.P.State Electricity Board is located was used as the stables of the Prince of Berar.

‘Bella Vista’ swarmed with womens of all types. At one time the Nizam became so disgusted with them that he issued a firman ordering them to quit and set up a committee to settle their claims.

The Prince of Berar also was keen to succeed to the gaddi of Hyderabad and felt frustrated that whereas his father had become Nizam at the age of 25, he going on 50 was still waiting. He therefore organized black magic and secret prayers and mannats seeking the early demise of the Nizam. One Moulana Abdul Qadeer Badayuni was sent every year for a special prayers to Baghdad. His ADC was sent to all the holy Muslim places in India with the same objective.

The news reached and upset the Nizam. In 1964 the Nizam was taken seriously ill. The Prince wrote to the Government of India asking them to declare him the Nizam. This was the last straw and the Nizam decided to supersede him as his successor nominating instead his grandson, Prince Mukarram Jah as his heir. This naturally created hostility between the father and the son and they never spoke to each other.

On the integration of the state with India in 1948 the Prince ceased to be the commander-in-chief of the State Forces and so he had to vacate his official residence. The mansion was then converted into the State Guest House. I have stayed in the luxurious guest house at a very nominal cost. The staff had very juicy stories to tell the guests.

In 1955 it was decided to establish the Administrative Staff College of India. The state government then sold the building for 10 lakhs rupees to be paid in 10 annual installments. General S.M. Srinagesh who had retired as Chief of Army Staff in 1957 was appointed the first principal of the college. The building had to be subjected to considerable changes to be converted from a palace to a college. The ball room was converted into dinning hall and the drawing room into a lecture hall. The college was run on military lines by the first principal but later on the discipline softened under civilian and academic principals. Amongst the recreational facilities for the participants there was also a bar and the joke was that the college was attached to a bar.

The College, started in 1957 has grown from strength to strength and has had nine principals so far. In 1996 it had a faculty of 50 out of which 7 are women. It trains India’s senior managers both in the public and the private sector. It has also organized high level ‘retreats’ for central and state ministers and senior civil servants. It is interesting to see how the career of a building like that of a human being has undergone so many changes in a span of nine decades.

There are numerous legends and anecdotes associated with this building, which can be read in my small book : ‘The Nizam Who Wasn’t’.


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The Story of Bella Vista

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 29

The Story of Bella Vista
by Narendra Luther

On the junction of the roads leading to Raj Bhavan and to Punjagutta is a stately building called ‘Bella Vista’. It houses the Administrative Staff College of India. It has a very interesting and chequered history and has seen many changes in its life of over 9 decades.

It was built in 1905 by Muslehuddin Mohammed, Bar-at-law who rose to be the Chief Justice of the High Court of Hyderabad. He was given the title of Hakim-ud-dowla. The building had no columns. it stood on walls which were 2 feet thick. Hakim-ud-dowla lived in Bella Vista from 1905 to 1914 when he died due to plague at the age of about 57. Incidentally, he was the cousin (father’s sister’s son) of Sir Nizamat Jung who built the Hill Fort Palace which till recently was the Ritz Hotel. It is also a co-incidence that the Prince of Berar, the elder son of the Nizam VII lived in ‘Bella Vista’, while the junior prince came to live in the Hill Fort Palace after they were sold by the original builders.

In the compound of ‘Bella Vista’ another smaller house was built for the younger brother of Hakim-ud-dowla, Jalaaluddin Sad Jung, Bar-at-law. On his death in 1916 the family decided to sell the mansion. The Nizam bought it with furniture in 1917 for Rs. 60,000 The original cost of the construction was Rs.45,000.

The building was occupied by Sir Ali Imam who became the Prime Minister of Hyderabad in 1919. He used the building next door now known as the ‘Lake View’ guest house as his office. On the departure of Sir Ali Imam from Hyderabad in 1922. The building was renovated and made the official residence of the Prince of Berar in his capacity as the commander- in- chief of the State armed forces.

During his occupation lasting more than two decades, night was day and day was night. Revelries lasted throughout the night and as the sun rose the principal occupant and his protégés retired to their beds.

The Prince was married to Durreshawar who was the only child of the deposed Caliph of Turkey. She was one of the most beautiful women of her times. The marriage didn’t work and she moved to England where she still stays visiting Hyderabad occasionally.

The Prince of Berar had a monthly allowance of Rs.25,000 and lived such a lavish life that he could not manage within that amount. He therefore incurred debts from all and sundry. Very often he would give a promissory note for Rs.30,000 when he actually took Rs.10,000 which he urgently needed. These notes were preserved carefully by the creditors and at one time the Nizam cleared the debts of the two princes which reportedly amounted to about 4.5 crores of rupees.

The site at which the A.P.State Electricity Board is located was used as the stables of the Prince of Berar.

‘Bella Vista’ swarmed with womens of all types. At one time the Nizam became so disgusted with them that he issued a firman ordering them to quit and set up a committee to settle their claims.

The Prince of Berar also was keen to succeed to the gaddi of Hyderabad and felt frustrated that whereas his father had become Nizam at the age of 25, he going on 50 was still waiting. He therefore organized black magic and secret prayers and mannats seeking the early demise of the Nizam. One Moulana Abdul Qadeer Badayuni was sent every year for a special prayers to Baghdad. His ADC was sent to all the holy Muslim places in India with the same objective.

The news reached and upset the Nizam. In 1964 the Nizam was taken seriously ill. The Prince wrote to the Government of India asking them to declare him the Nizam. This was the last straw and the Nizam decided to supersede him as his successor nominating instead his grandson, Prince Mukarram Jah as his heir. This naturally created hostility between the father and the son and they never spoke to each other.

On the integration of the state with India in 1948 the Prince ceased to be the commander-in-chief of the State Forces and so he had to vacate his official residence. The mansion was then converted into the State Guest House. I have stayed in the luxurious guest house at a very nominal cost. The staff had very juicy stories to tell the guests.

In 1955 it was decided to establish the Administrative Staff College of India. The state government then sold the building for 10 lakhs rupees to be paid in 10 annual installments. General S.M. Srinagesh who had retired as Chief of Army Staff in 1957 was appointed the first principal of the college. The building had to be subjected to considerable changes to be converted from a palace to a college. The ball room was converted into dinning hall and the drawing room into a lecture hall. The college was run on military lines by the first principal but later on the discipline softened under civilian and academic principals. Amongst the recreational facilities for the participants there was also a bar and the joke was that the college was attached to a bar.

The College, started in 1957 has grown from strength to strength and has had nine principals so far. In 1996 it had a faculty of 50 out of which 7 are women. It trains India’s senior managers both in the public and the private sector. It has also organized high level ‘retreats’ for central and state ministers and senior civil servants. It is interesting to see how the career of a building like that of a human being has undergone so many changes in a span of nine decades.

There are numerous legends and anecdotes associated with this building, which can be read in my small book : ‘The Nizam Who Wasn’t’.


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Mutiny and the Astrologer

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad - 28

Mutiny and the Astrologer

by Narendra Luther

When Afzal-ud-dowlah became the fifth Nizam on 18th May, 1857 he did not know about the outbreak of the rebellion amongst the Indian soldiers against the British in the North a week earlier.

While the ‘Mutiny’ as it was called was wide-spread and was strongly backed by the Marathas, it did not acquire adequate support in Hyderabad. Part of the reason for that was the traditional animosity between the Nizam and the Marathas since the days of the first Nizam who had advised his successor in his will not to trust the Marathas.

By June, 1857 the anti-British sentiment penetrated Hyderabad and inflammatory placards appeared all over the city exhorting people, specially Muslims , to rise in the name of God and his Prophet. They ridiculed Nizam for not coming forward and warned him and his Dewan, Salar Jung I that if they did not join the movement, they would be over thrown. They asked moulvis to issue fatwas in favour of their ‘jehad’, threatening them with a curse on their progeny if they did not do so. The Nizam was urged to march to Delhi after doing away with Christians in Hyderabad.

The Resident, Col. Davidson was advised by his friends and well-wishers to either leave Hyderabad or take refuge in the cantonment at Bolarum. He brushed these suggestions aside and said that he would stick to his job. He also warned that the British government would hold the Nizam responsible if any harm came to him. However, he took precautions to strengthen the defenses of the Residency.

Reports about the disaffection spreading amongst the Indian soldiers of the Hyderabad Contingent stationed at Secunderabad were also received by him. A moulvi was caught preaching the doctrine of ‘jehad’ amongst the Indian troops.

There was an uprising amongst the Indian troops of Hyderabad Contingent on their way to Aurangabad. The troops refused to go further fearing that they would be asked to the North to fight against their fellow Indian soldiers. This uprising was overcome tactfully and a number of soldiers were arrested, put on court-martial, and given deterrent punishments including execution and transportation.

In July, 1857 when the Imam rose to deliver his Friday khutba in the Mecca Masjid, he was heckled by some members of the congregation. The crowd was about to break into a riot but the kotwal managed to arrest the ring leaders and also make good his own escape. Salar Jung sent a message to the Resident that the trouble had been nipped in the bud.

Later in the afternoon, an urgent message came from Salar Jung warning the Resident that some 500 Rohillas had broken loose from the walled city. They were lead by Moulvi Alauddin and Turrebaz Khan and were followed by a large mob. They were headed for the Residency. The Resident had already taken precautions to defend it. The rebels occupied two buildings near the Residency belonging to two merchants, Jai Gopal Das and Akbar Saheb. When the insurgents attacked the Residency, they were met with a volley of canon fire which continued till dawn. Unable to face this onslaught the Rohillas withdrew under the cover of darkness leaving behind four bodies of their comrades. The uprising thus came to an end.

The leaders of the rebellion, Turrebaz Khan and Moulvi Alauddin were declared offenders. A prize of 5,000 rupees each was announced for their capture. Both of them were captured. Turrebaz Khan was sentenced to life. Trying to escape while under arrest, he was shot dead by English soldiers. His body was brought to the city and hung by chains in a public place to serve as a deterrent to the people at large. Moulvi Alauddin was captured in Bangalore and transported for life to Andaman Islands where he died in 1884.

It is said that it was Hyderabad which saved the British from extinction India. A nervous telegram of the Governor of Bombay to the Resident said that “if Hyderabad goes, everything goes”. The rebellion fizzled out because it was not properly organized or led. It proved to be a flash in the Pan.

The disaffection against the English manifested itself in other places too. There is the tragic story of the rebellion of Raja Venkatappa Naik of Shorapur in which the astrological prediction about the death of the Raja made to Col. Meadows Taylor confidentially 20 years before the event found its fulfillment. When Taylor was the regent at Shorapur, a pundit had shown him the horoscope of the infant prince and gave his prediction that he would die in his 24th year and his estate would be forfeited. At that time Taylor simply laughed it off and in course of time even forgot about it. The young boy had been brought up by Taylor and had shown promise of becoming a good ruler of his estate, and loyal to the British. But he was abetted by his tribe of Beydurs, who attacked a small force of the English sent to reinforce Captain Campbell's garrison. This attack was repulsed and thereupon the Raja fled to Hyderabad. For his part in the rebellion, the Raja was sentenced to death.

On Taylor's appeal, the Resident, in the maximum exercise of his authority, commuted it to transportation for life. On further consideration the Governor-General reduced it to confinement for four years. The Raja's wives celebrated this show of mercy by the English, and, since he was permitted to keep them with him, they made ready to join him. However, the Raja after only one day's journey towards his destination, shot himself dead.

The gloomy predictions of the astrologer of Shorepur was thus fulfilled.


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The Father of Banjara Hills

Legends and anecdotes of Hyderabad : 27

The `FATHER’ of BANJARA HILLS
By Narendra Luther

Syed Mohammed Mehdi, popularly known was Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung is a person whom the people of Hyderabad can’t forget. He was born in 1894 and married the eldest daughter of Nawab Akeel Jung Bahadur, a minister of the Nizam.

After his graduation, Mehdi was selected for the Revenue Department and served in Bellary, Gulbarga and Nalgonda districts. In each of these placed he took keen interest in the welfare of women and the weaker sections of society. He visited Europe to study the cooperative movement there. In 1926 when Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad became President of the Nizam’s Executive Council (Prime Minister) he was appointed as secretary to the Council and remained in that job for 11 years. At the end of that he earned the title of ‘Jung’ and so became known as Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung Bahadur.

In 1927 he bought about 200 acres of lands in Banjara Hills from one Moin Yar Jung who was glad to get rid of this waste land. Mehdi Nawaz Jung built a `cave’ house largely made of the existing rocks in 1930 and named it ‘Kohistan’. He exhorted his friends do likewise offering them land at a nominal price in lots of five to six acres each. Free water supply and electricity were also provided for six months. When Rabindranath Tagore visited Hyderabad in 1933, he stayed at the ‘Kohistan’ as a guest of Mehdi Nawaz Jung. He liked it so much that he said that if he did not have his `Shanti Niketan’ to look after, he would have liked to settle down there. He also composed a poem on ‘Kohistan’ and Banjara Hills and translated it into English himself:

‘From the distance thou didst appear
barricaded in rocky aloofness,
Timidly I crossed the rugged path
to find here all of a sudden.
An open invitation in the sky,
and friends embrace in the air,
In an unknown land the voice that seemed ever known,
Revealed to me a shelter of loving intimacy.’

Nizam VII suggested that the Banjara Hills should be named after the Nawab since he was responsible for its development. The latter replied that the original inhabitants of the area were Banjaras and so it was only fair that it should be called Banjara Hills. I was fascinated by a visit to the ‘Kohistan’ and came to develop a great respect for ecology as a result of that. Consequently, when I built my own house in Banjara, I did not disturb any rock in the compound. In 1987 I proposed that the ’Kohistan’ should be made into a museum at Banjara. The then chief minister, NTR agreed to the proposal but by that time, the house had been sold away.

From 1937, for five years as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad Nawab Saheb improved the civic amenities a great deal. He also established a home for lepers at that time. Later he was appointed successively Secretary of the Development of Commerce and Industry and Agent General of the Nizam in the Berars.

During the Razakar period, 1947-48, he took long leave and remained aloof. He retired from government in 1949.

To merely call him the `father’ of Banjara Hills won’t be doing justice to his multifaceted personality and his manifold services to society.

After retirement he took up social work with great gusto. He was instrumental in establishing the Niloufer hospital for Women and Children in 1953 for which he collected donations of Rs. 35 lakhs.. Similarly, in 1955, he collected donations of Rs.18 lakhs and established the Cancer Hospital in the city which bears his name. Both are now Government hospitals.

He was the founder president of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute at Hyderabad.

On the integration of Hyderabad with India in 1948, he was sucked into politics. In the first popular elections in Hyderabad in 1950, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. From 1950 to 1960 he remained a minister. He was appointed Governor of Gujarat in 1960. On the completion of his term he was awarded Padma Vibushan.

One remarkable thing about the Nawab was his compassion unrestrained by religion, community or caste. He brought up one Hindu boy from a village as a member of his family. Madhusudan rose to become an I.A.S. officer later.

As a junior officer, I was struck by his courtesy and kindness. In the old days, the photographers of the Department of Information and Public Relations used to cover all types of functions even at the residence of ministers and high officials. On my appointment as Director of the Department, I forbade that and laid down a rule that only official functions would be covered. Once, without my knowledge some private function was covered at the residence of Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung. His son, the late Hashim Mehdi rang up to ask me to send some extra copies of the pictures taken. I said that the coverage was irregular but I could consider sending copies of photographs on payment. Hashim was aghast and explained that his father was a minister. I replied that I knew that but the Department was not a private studio! I was not pulled up for that ‘discourtesy’. Instead, a messenger came, made the payment and took the copies. Nawab Saheb later complimented me on taking such a stand.

Nawab Saheb had another very noble trait -- utter simplicity and a sense of occasion. Once when he was going to a function in an orphanage he was seen dressed in clothes which were darned and had patches. His Begum too wore a very ordinary saree. A niece of his asked why they were dressed so ‘poorly,. He explained to her that he was going to an orphanage and did not want the inmates to feel any complex.

It was typical of him that he should serve people even after his death and so in his will he donated his eyes. They served to give sight to two blind boys.

He expired in 1967. Now, to commemorate such a rare person, a Trust has been established and in keeping with his high ideals on his birthday every year it will be giving an award for human rights which includes ‘empowerment’ of the disadvantaged sections of society. The first award was given by the Governor on the birthday of the Nawab Saheb on 23rd May, 1997 to Mrs. Kumudini Devi for her outstanding work for the relief and rehabilitation of patients of leprosy.

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Poet, Barrister and Administrator

Poet, Barrister and Administrator
By Narendra Luther
Friday, May 09, 1997 Channel 6


One of the notable figures of Hyderabad during the first half of 20th century Hyderabad was Nizamuddin Ahmed. He was born in 1871, to Rafat Yar Jung I, a noble of Hyderabad who served as subebdar (commissioner) of various divisions of Hyderabad. Nizamuddin Ahmed later became famous as Sir Nizamat Jung.

After matriculating in Hyderabad, he went to England where he graduated from the Trinity College, Cambridge, took a degree in law in 1891 and was later called to the Bar from the Inner Temple in 1895 when he was barely 24. On return, he set up practice in Chennai (then Madras) but had to return to Hyderabad because the State government wanted him to serve the State accordingly to the terms of the loan granted for his studies. In Hyderabad , he joined the Hyderabad Civil Service in 1893 and rose to the positions of eminence like the Home Secretary, Judge, and later Chief Justice of the State High Court.

At the time of the accession of Mir Osman Ali Khan as Nizam VII, he along with Maharaja Kishen Pershad was accused of conspiring against him. Nizamuddin was asked to become an approver but he turned down the offer scornfully and had the facts of the case conveyed to the Nizam. Later, it was discovered that the signatures had been forged. In 1920 he became the Political Secretary and later a member of the Executive Council of the Nizam till he retired in 1929. He was given the title of Nizamat Jung by the Nizam and was knighted by the British.

. His great merit is that besides being a distinguished civil servant he was also an outstanding poet in English who was first published abroad and in the Times Literary Supplement and the Poetry Quarterly of England.

Besides writing himself, he also translated some of the ghazals of Nizam VII and the samples given in D.F.Karaka’s book on the last Nizam called ‘The Fabulous Mughal’ were rendered into English by Sir Nizamat. In his Rural Lyrics he says :


“The little bird that made his nest
With its own little beak,
Has taught me more than learning’s lore
And gives me what I seek.

By instinct taught the builder’s art
To use with native skill,
It tells me of the wondrous powers
That God’s creation fill”.


He however, wrote poetry for pleasure not for publication :


“‘Twas not for fame, ‘twas not for praise
I poured my spirit into song.”


Sir Nizamat Jung was the first president of the poetry of Hyderabad which was established in the year 1921 and remained its president for many terms. Incidentally the Society is still alive and holds monthly meetings regularly. It not only encourages local poets but also discusses poems of poets from all over the world.

In 1915 he had an attack of asthma and it was suggested that he should stay in an open and elevated place like the Noubat Pahad which at that time was called ‘Kali Tedki.' Nizamat Jung bought about 5 acres of land from the Nizam for a sum of Rs.100 and started constructing a mansion for himself. It incorporated a combination of the architectural features of the of his college at Cambridge and the castles in Sir Walter Scott’s novels. For that he took a loan of Rs.100,000 from the government. He named it ‘Hill Fort’

In 1931, on retirement Nizamat Jung performed Haj and this caused a deep change in his outlook. He felt that he should not live in such a big mansion. The Nizam, on coming to know of his intention, offered to buy the property and asked about its price. Nizamat Jung replied that he had spent an amount of Rs.1 lakh. The Nizam asked what appreciation he would like to add to that. Nizamat Jung replied that there was no question of making a profit from his master. He further stated that out of the amount of one lakh rupees, a loan of Rs.30,000 for house building and Rs.3,000 for the purchase of the car should be deducted and the balance of Rs.67,000 might be paid to him. The building was therefore bought by the Nizam in 1932 at a cost of Rs.67,000 only.

It was converted into the official residence of the Junior Prince Maozzam Jah, who was the chairman, of the City Improvement Board set up in 1912.

During the period of the occupation of the building by the Junior Prince, the Hill Fort -- now called ‘Palace' became known for the extravagances and indulgences of the Prince which were later documented by Sidq Jaisi in his Urdu book ‘Darbar-e-Durbar’. I have translated it into English and called it ‘The Nocturnal Court’ since the Prince used to hold his ‘court ‘throughout the night and went to sleep early in the morning to wake up again in the evening. Incidentally, the Prince was also a poet in Urdu and sported the pen-name of ‘Shajih’. His poems are very popular and are often sung in evening parties even today

The building was taken over by government in 1948. After the formation of A.P. in 1956, it was leased to Ritz Hotels which has been running a hotel in it till recently when the lease expired. Not much changes have been made in the building after Prince Maozzam Jah left it in 1948.

Sir Nizamat, apart from his official position is known for his interest in poetry, philosophy and religion, his uprightness and austere living.

Sir Nizamat Jung died in 1954. A family wakf was established by him in 1940 and now it runs a library mainly comprising his books in a building in Barkatpura.


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