Chloroform, Malaria And The Nizam

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 23

Chloroform, Malaria And The Nizam
by Narendra Luther

The Sixth Nizam was a popular ruler. There are numerous stories and legends about his indulgences and his nocturnal rounds of the city to find out what people felt and talked about him and his rule. He claimed power to cure people of snake-bites and people were free to call for his help at any time of the day or night. Even today you can find people at his grave in the Mecca Masjid offering him floral tributes because someone in the family has been cured of a snake-bite by invoking his name - `Mehboob Pasha ki duhai'.

Two unusual events occurred during his reign. Both related to the field of medicine and for one of them credit must go in a large measure to the interest taken by that otherwise merry ruler.One of them reveals a hitherto unknown aspect of his personality - a patron of the advancement of science.

Chloroform
The first concerned the use of chloroform as an aid to surgery. Chloroform was discovered in 1831 but was first used in 1847 by Dr.James Simpson in Edinburgh. While hailing its advent, the medical men of London expressed a caution that its use constituted a risk to the heart of the patient. The Edinburgh School, on the other hand, held that it was entirely safe for the heart and that the risk of its use was to respiration. If care was not taken of that aspect, it might cause a choking of the breath.

Surgeon Major Edward Lawrie of Indian Medical Service was appointed principal of the Hyderabad Medical School and Superintendent of Afzalgunj Hospital (now Osmania General Hospital) in 1885. He was also concurrently the chief medical officer of the British Residency and personal physician to the Nizam. He served in that capacity upto 1901 when he retired. About 40,000 operations were performed in the Afzalgunj Hospital under his supervision by using chloroform as a general anesthetic. Lawrie was a believer in the theory of Dr. Simpson and was keen to prove its correctness. He persuaded the Nizam to pay for a scientific investigation into the controversy regarding the safety of the use of Chloroform. A Commission was accordingly set up. It consisted of Lawrie and three of his colleagues. They conducted a number of experiments on dogs and they confirmed Simpson's theory.Lawrie publicized the results enthusiastically.

The `Lancet', the renowned journal of the British Medical Association, London, pulled up Lawrie for rushing to conclusion on inadequate evidence.

Thereupon, Lawrie, with the approval of the Nizam, announced that a second Commission would be set up and he invited the editor of the `Lancet' to nominate an expert of his choice to serve on the Commission. The Nizam gave a grant of 1,000 pounds sterling to meet the travel expenses of the expert. The expert was also made a guest of the government during his stay in Hyderabad. The `Lancet' nominated Dr. T.L.Brunton as its representative to serve on the Commission which comprised, besides the members of the first Commission, three new members, one of whom was an Indian, Dr.Rustomji Hakim. The Commission sat for three months and conducted, in all, 600 experiments on different animals.

Such was the keenness of the interest of the Nizam in the project that on 29th November 1889, he himself visited the Afzalgunj Hospital and witnessed the administration of chloroform to three different animals -- a goat, a horse and a monkey.

The second Commission confirmed the findings of the first Commission that it was the care of respiration and not of heart that was crucial in the administration of chloroform. These findings were published in the `Lancet' and, in its issue of 21st June 1890, its editor expressed the gratitude of the medical profession to Nizam Mehboob Ali Khan `for the opportunity of scientific progress which his unbounded liberality has afforded'.

Later, in 1894 Lawrie proceeded to London along with some of his distinguished students - Dr.M.G.Naidu who incidentally, was the husband of Mrs.Sarojini Naidu, the `Nightingale of India', Dr. Mohammed Abdul Ghani and Dr.S.Malanna. The last was the father of General Srinagesh who later rose to become a Chief of Army Staff of India. After his retirement he became Principal of the Administrative Staff College of India and Governor of Andhra Pradesh. This team proceeded to England on 25th May, 1894 when the Hyderabad Chloroform Technique was demonstrated in a London hospital.

Dr. Lawrie retired from service in 1901 and returned to England. He died there in 1915. Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan sanctioned a life pension of 200 pounds per month to his widow as a gesture of good will and gratitude towards the yeoman's service rendered by the late Dr.Edward Lawrie to the citizens of Hyderabad and to the family of the Nizam.

Malaria Virus
The other event was of far greater significance and the man responsible for that was a multi-faceted genius. He was a poet, a novelist, a musician, a mathematician -- and a reluctant man of medicine. And it was in that last field that he made his great discovery.

Dr. Ronald Ross also a member of the Indian Medical Service isolated the malaria virus and discovered the process of its transmission in 1897. Had a ramshackle laboratory in Begumpet. For this he was awarded a Nobel prize in 1902. We have dealt with his story in earlier instalment (November, 1996 issue).

Mehboob Ali Khan's period thus came to identified with two important steps in the march of man to control disease. Dr. A. Ramachari has done considerable research and work to bring these two cases to the notice of the public.

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A Formidable Noble

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 22

A Formidable Noble
by Narendra Luther

Mir Yawar Ali Khan, better known as Nawab Shahab Jung was the minister for police under the sixth Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan. He was a favourite of his and lived close to the Nizam's palace the `Purani Haveli'.

In the evening the Nawab's palace was lit by hundreds of candles and lamps which would turn night into day. There were two costly chandeliers in the drawing room, each with thirty-two lotuses engraved in gold and silver. They cast enormous light. The reason for such lavish lighting was that Shahab Jung did all his work at night. He received callers, gave interviews, instructed his offices and the managers of his estates only at night. The commissioner of police also briefed him and received his orders at that time.

With such a rush of all sorts of people - applicants, petitioners, respondents, lawyers, job-seekers - the atmosphere in the compound of his haveli resembled a fair. Petty vendors had opened stalls in the compound to cater to the needs of the people. But the thing for which Shahab Jung became a legend was the relay of liveried attendants from his office room to the private apartments to meet his needs. If for example, he asked for water, the order would travel from mouth - to - mouth loudly and in a sing-song manner to finally reach the pantry. The cook would fill a silver tumbler with water, put it on a silver tray and pass it on to the man next to him, announcing : "Water, Sir". This tray would then be relayed back with a loud declaration from each servant right upto the Nawab. The announcement was shrill enough to wake up the dozing lawyers.

After a while, Shahab Jung would ask for a paan. This time the demand would be relayed to the private apartments form where a lady would prepare the special paan and relay it back to the master. A demand for a cigar would be fulfilled similarly. This commotion continued throughout the night.

Early one morning, the Nizam happened to come up to his terrace to enjoy the cool breeze. Suddenly, he heard the shrill announcement: "Water, Sir" being repeated endlessly. The Nizam asked what this racket was all about. Nawab Shamsher Jung explained : "My Lord, Nawab Shahab Jung must have asked for water". The Nizam just smiled and kept quiet.

The next day, the Nizam summoned Shahab Jung. "Because of the din and pother in your mansion throughout the night, I can't sleep. Why don't you shift your residence ?", asked the ruler.

Shahab Jung got up and submitted with folded hands, "This slave has only one humble abode, Sire. If he leaves it, where will he take shelter ? My Lord, on the other hand, has scores of palaces. If this servant of his was in that situation, he would have instantly complied with the orders of His Highness." The Nizam caught the hint and kept quiet.

A Matter of Dignity :
Once a committee of the nobles of the state was slated for meeting under the Nizam. Unable to go, he asked his chief secretary, Moulvi Ahmed Hussain to deputize for him. The Moulvi informed all members of the committee about the Nizam's orders and proceeded to conduct the meeting.

Thereupon Nawab Shahab Jung got up and said it was inconceivable that a paid servant of the State should preside over a committee of nobles. Turning to the chief secretary , he said : "This committee comprises all the leading nobles of the State. You may be getting a salary of three thousand rupees but you are nevertheless an employee. You can't therefore preside over this meeting." The chief secretary protested that he was merely carrying out the orders of His Highness. Shahab Jung said he would answer the Nizam suitably but the chief secretary should withdraw.

The Nizam was incensed on hearing about the incident. He asked the delinquent Nawab in great anger : "What audacity? You did not care for my orders and sent away my representative !"

Bending low, the minister submitted , "My Lord, that committee consisted of all the nobles of Hyderabad. How could this slave allow the indignity of letting a paid employee sit amongst them ?"

The Nizam said, "The nobles are all my creatures. I can put my shoe on anyone's head."

The Nawab persisted, "This humble servant is fully aware of that. But My Sovereign, the only fit place for the blessed shoe is the head of Shahab Jung. Your Highness can't place it anywhere else."

The explanation pacified the Nizam. The Nawab returned home triumphant.

The Police Commissioner Fined

Once, for some infraction on the part of Akbar Jung, the Police Commissioner, the Minister imposed a fine of one rupee on him. The Nizam, on coming to know about it, asked Shahab Jung why he had done that when he knew that the Police Commissioner was his trusty and well-wisher. Shahab Jung said he would reconsider his orders. Coming back to the office, he ordered: " Half the fine remitted. Let him pay half-rupee." And the Commissioner had to comply.

The Fall of Shahab Jung :

Shahab Jung's preeminence did not survive the accession of Nizam VII. The story goes that some of the nobles showed reluctance to acknowledge the authority of Nizam VII. He mentioned about this to Shahab Jung. The latter said not to worry. "I will come to the court late tomorrow. Your Highness may rebuke me for that. That would serve as a deterrent to others." But when, the Nizam started mock-reprimanding him, he really lost his temper and used foul language. Nawab Shahab Jung felt so humiliated that he withdrew completely and never ever came out of his mansion. Having lived out his life in reclusion, he emerged from his mansion enclosed in a coffin and nobody could see his face !

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'JOSH' in Hyderabad

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 21

'JOSH' in Hyderabad
by Narendra Luther

Dagh was the first poet of note to come to Hyderabad. He became the poetic preceptor of the Sixth Nizam. Jaleel Manikpuri succeeded him and had the unique distinction of being the `ustad' of two Nizam. Urdu poets and men of letters from `Hindustan', as the British India was then called by the people of Hyderabad, flocked to the city in search of fortune.

That was especially so after the establishment of the Osmania University in 1918 which had Urdu as its medium of instruction. That gave rise to the need for large-scale translation of books from English into Urdu in various subjects. For that purpose a Bureau of Translation was set up in the University.

The last Nizam and Maharaja Kishen Pershad, twice premier of the State, besides being poets themselves, were also patron of letters.So was the Junior Prince, Muazzam Jah. Many poets and literatures were therefore attracted to the city which was referred to as `the bride amongst the cities of India. Some other nobles also vied with each other in extending their patronage to literary figures. In the early part of 20th century Hyderabad could boast of the best roll of honours amongst poets in India.

One of the most famous and interesting poets to come to Hyderabad was Shabir Hasan Khan `Josh Malihabadi'. Born in U.P. in 1898 in a well-to-do landed family, he was descended from a line of poets. He had socialist leanings and was fiercely anti-British. He was known as the `poet of the revolution' in India. He was a fire - brand poet with a rare mastery of vocabulary which he employed to protest against cant and oppression. Given below are two samples from his famous poems :

Ek dil, aur yeh hajoom-e-sogawari, haae, haae!

Yeh sitam, ai sangdil sarmayadari, haae, haae!

(One poor heart, and a flood of sorrows, alas, alas, O God !

How despotic is your reign, O Capitalism, alas !)

Ai khuda, Hindustan par yeh nahusat ta kuja ?

Aakhir is jannat pe dozakh ki hakoomat ta kuja ?

(How long, O Lord, will this land lie under an evil spell ?

How long, will this paradise bear the yoke of hell ?)

(Translation by Prof. K.C.Kanda)

According to his autobiography, `Yadon ki Baraat,' Josh had a dream in 1922 in which Prophet Mohammed, pointing towards the Nizam, told him that he would live under his patronage for 10 years. When his wife heard about his dream, she started coaxing him to go to Hyderabad. In 1924 Josh, armed with letters of recommendation from the leading poets of India, like Dr. Iqbal and Akbar Allahabadi addressed to Maharaja Kishen Pershad landed in Hyderabad. The Maharaja was out of job at that time but he recommended him to Akbar Hydari, then finance minister who had worked under him. When Josh went to see him, Hydari showed him a number of panegyrics which poets had composed on his getting knight-hood. Sir Akbar asked him whether he could also show his poetic skills likewise. Josh was enraged and made a very offensive remark about those who were honoured thus by the British. That killed his chances. But he was able to meet the Nizam through the efforts of Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk who told the Nizam about Josh's dream. Flattered by that, the Nizam appointed him in the Bureau of Translation of the Osmania University. He served there for about 10 years and according to him and contemporary accounts, enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Once, on a birthday of the Nizam, an editor of a local paper asked Josh to write a poem for the occasion. Instead of eulogizing the Nizam, as was expected, Josh concluded the poem by suggesting that he (Josh) should be hailed. This was followed by a poem against the feudal system which was recited in a gathering of some of the leading nobles of Hyderabad. The report of that recitation reached the Nizam. Because of these acts of insolence, Josh was sacked and asked to leave the state within 15 days.

Here the account given by Josh differs from that contained in the archives of the State as revealed by Dr. Dawood Ashraf a former Research Officer in the State Archives. According to Josh, the Nizam was keen to pardon him and sought a formal apology from him. This, the latter declined to tender. The Archives, however, show that though Josh submitted abject apologies and offered what the Nizam called a `lame excuse' of high fever for his impertinence. However, the Nizam did not relent. It was a rule in Hyderabad that those who were expelled from the State were given a pension of Rs.100 a month for life. Josh was also given the benefit of that. However, since he did not have enough money even to meet his travel expenses, an advance of Rs.1000 was sanctioned by the same Sir Akbar Hydari to whom he had been so rude and insulting when he had come to the State a decade earlier.

In 1943 Josh petitioned the Nizam to be permitted to visit Hyderabad. This request was rejected. In November, 1947 he repeated the request in order just to "see his friends and visit places which haunt me in my dreams". This too was rejected. In a `grapes-are-sour' vein, Josh wrote back saying it was all to the good. "In any case a visit before the revolution wouldn't have been enjoyable"

Nehru and Azad were amongst the admirers of Josh. He was given the job of editor of `Aajkal' Urdu monthly of the directorate of publication of the Government of India. He was also awarded Padma Bhushan.

In 1956 he migrated to Pakistan but was disillusioned there since he didn't get the material favours and honours which were presumably promised to him.

He died a frustrated man in Pakistan in 1982 missing both the country of his birth, and his adoption.

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Ustad To Two Nizams

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad : 20

Ustad To Two Nizams
by Narendra Luther

Dagh was the first to become the `ustad' of Nizam VI. His story has been narrated earlier. Dagh died in 1905, but none was appointed to fill his vacancy. Hafiz Jaleel Hassan `Jaleel' Manikpuri came to the city in 1900, and like Dagh had to wait for a long time before fortune smiled on him. The story of his appointment in 1909 is interesting.

Maharaja Kishen Pershad, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad, had organized a mushaira on the occasion of the jubilee of Nizam VI in 1905. The Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan himself attended it. All the leading poets attended it.

Since it was a special jubilee mushaira, only qasida, that is odes of praise in honour of the Nizam, were to be recited. The length of each poem was restricted to 12 couplets. A tall candle in a gold stand with the personal emblem of Kishen Pershad was brought by a liveried attendant and kept in the centre. Overhead hung a giant chandelier. The walls of the hall had life-size mirrors in gilded frames. The host said a few words of welcome to his ruler, congratulated him on his silver jubilee and wished him many more. After that the master of ceremonies gave a brief introduction of all the poets. As each poet was introduced, he got up and made seven salaams to the royal guest. Then, the proceedings began.

Normally, a mushaira is a loud affair and there is no dearth of praise even from rival poets by way of professional courtesy. But somehow this session was going flat. There was no special applause; no shouts for encore. After a while the Nizam who sat impassively reclining against a bolster, whispered something to the host. Kishen Pershad, in an attempt to enliven the proceedings, broke the order of roll-call and invited the new-comer Jaleel to recite his poem. He was an instant success. The Nizam who was almost dozing off with boredom sat up and uttered an exclamation of praise "Wah. Well done." Everyone else followed him vociferously.

Jaleel could not cope with shouts of praise and he had to stop mid-way at every line to acknowledge the cheers by salaaming with his right hand and in response to shouts for reiteration, he had to repeat his lines - some, many times. When the sitting was over at 4 a.m., and the poets started leaving, Jaleel was asked to stay back. The Nizam wanted to hear the poem again. He liked it very much.

After about a year, at a ceremony in his palace for the start of teaching of the holy Quran to a prince, Mehboob had composed a poem but wasn't satisfied with it. He was stuck on some word. He asked Jaleel for help. Many drafts were made. Only the fourth attempt satisfied him.

A few days later Jaleel was appointed royal tutor on a salary of five hundred rupees a month. He was also appointed a royal companion and given the title of `Fasahat Jung'.


When Mehboob passed away in 1911 and Mir Osman Ali Khan succeeded him, Jaleel's appointment was renewed. So he became the new ruler's tutor and companion as well.

As the official poet, Jaleel was required to attend the court daily and had to compose at least one poem every day and some times more on different occasions of all sorts. The Nizam used to send his compositions to Jaleel's house through a special messenger in a sealed cover. They had to be returned corrected the same day. The bearer would wait on till they were corrected. Some days a dozen poems would come one after the other. The ustad had to be available from around 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. because the special courier could come any time.

The Nizam used to write with a pencil, on scraps of paper and on both sides. Sometimes he wrote on the flap of a cigarette packet if that was the only thing handy at that time. Apart from the needed corrections which had to be made in very respectful terms, the ustad's opinion had also to be given on each couplet and all possible praise showered on those which needed no amendment. Remarks like "Excellent, Congratulations." "Superb. What an idea!" "One in a million; My humble praise", etc. were made in the margin or below a given word or phrase. In addition, a general assessment had to be given on the poem as a whole and it had better be positive. While the poem was written in pencil, the amendments were made in red ink. They were published in the front page of local Urdu papers - corrections and all.

The ustad could not give instructions to anybody else except Kishen Pershad.

In the royal sittings, only the Nizam's poetry was recited and the ustad was expected to make instant corrections, if necessary. Jaleel had also to help Nizam compose chronogram in verse wherever the occasion demanded. Sometimes he would give a line and the ustad had then to compose one or more poems on the basis of the meter and rhyme of the given line.

The job of the ustad was therefore not easy and required perhaps more than the mastery of prosody, a degree of astuteness to survive. But Jaleel did well and served successfully two Nizams from 1909 till his death in 1946. In due course his salary was increased from five hundred to one thousand rupees a month. By a strange accounting procedure, the salary was paid from the State exchequer but routed through the personal estate office of the Nizam -- the Sarf-e-khas. Once, as a measure of economy, the salaries of all Sarf-e-khas employees were reduced by half. Jaleel too suffered the cut. Then, some auditor pointed out that the cut would not apply to Jaleel because he was being paid by the State. The Sarf-e-khas was only a disbursing agency and all the while it was receiving the full amount from the State exchequer. The cut was restored but the arrears were not paid to him. The Nizam told Jaleel not to worry; the arrears some one lakh rupees - were intact; they were with him as his trust, and would be paid to him whenever he needed them. Jaleel never got the amount.

One of his famous couplet is :

Baat saaqi ki naa taali jaayegi,
Ki hai taubaa tod daali jaayegi
(The cup-bearer's offer won't be disregarded My resolve not to drink, shall be violated)

One of Jaleel's sons, Ali Ahmed `Jaleeli' is a respected poet of Hyderabad and has done a doctorate on his father's life and work.

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The Rambagh Temple

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad - 18 :


The Rambagh Temple
by Narendra Luther


We have seen (The Legend of Ramdas - November, 1995 issue) how the temple at Bhadrachalam was built during the rule of last Qutb Shahi ruler, Tana Shah. The Tahsildar of Bhadrachalam had misappropriated some of the state revenues to supplement his resources to build the now famous temple. For this he was imprisoned. But, according to a legend, the dues against him were cleared by Rama and Lakshmana during a nocturnal visit to the Sultan. He therefore, pardoned and released him and also offered to reinstate him. After that a presentation of jewels used to be made to the temple on every Ram Navami day. This practice continued under the Nizams also and even today the chief minister of the State presents the jewels to the deities.

An interesting and indeed surprising incident occurred during the rule of the third Nizam, Nawab Sikandar Jah (1803-29).

The Kayasths were the trusted and prominent civil servants of the Nizams. The Kayasths had come with the first Nizam from the North and settled down in Hyderabad. They adopted the ways of the ruling elite and served as a bridge between the rulers and the subjects in all matters. They made good in their career and some of them rose to high civil and military positions and even to nobility.

One such who rose to nobility in the 19th century was Bhavani Pershad. He was in charge of the salaries of the employees of the royal palaces. When he became prosperous, and was given the title of Raja, he decided to celebrate it by constructing a temple dedicated to Rama. It was constructed near Attapur about 15 kms from the city (off the road which leads from near the Nehru Zoological Park to Rajendra Nagar).

The story goes that the idol of Rama installed there was originally commissioned by Raja Som Bhopal of Gadwal for his own temple. Gadwal was a Hindu samsthan or a tributary estate in Raichur district of the old Hyderabad State. It consisted of the town Gadwal and 214 villages spread over an area of 1384 sq. kms. It is now part of the Mahboobnagar district of A.P. The Gadwal estate had been in existence long before the Hyderabad State came into being. While the idol was being sculpted, the Raja had a dream in which he was told to retrieve an idol from the bottom of a well and install it in the temple.

At the same time, Raja Bhavani Pershad also dreamt of the idol commissioned by Raja Som Bhopal. He told the latter about his dream and made a request for the gift of the idol for his temple. Som Bhopal readily obliged since in his own temple, he had installed the idol which he had been retrieved form the bottom of the well.

When the temple was ready, Raja Bhavani Pershad invited the third Nizam, Nawab Sikandar Jah to perform the ceremony of the installation of the idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshamana. The Nizam agreed and the ceremony was performed in 1812. From then on a regular annual `yatra' takes place there on the Rama Navami day. Not only that, the Nizam also granted a jagir for the maintenance of the temple and sanctioned regular payment for persons who looked after the temple.

The archives of the A.P. Government contain two documents relating to this temple. One is from Daftar-e-Istifa dated 6th Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1231 Hijri corresponding to 1816 A.D. This sanctions a daily grant of two rupees to the persons who looked after the temple. The other, issued on 28th Safar, 1239 Hijri corresponding to 1822 A.D. is in favour of Raja Bhavani Pershad and is for the amount of Rs. 2,093, eight annas and four pies (a little more than Rs. 2,093.50 in today's currency) to meet the expenditure for maintenance on the temple.

Farkhunda Buniyad :

Both these documents refer to Hyderabad as the Farkhunda Buniyad suba (province). This was the title given to the city after it was founded by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 A.D. The original name of the city was Bhagnagar, `Farkhunda Buniyad' was the chronogrammatic title in Persian which connoted the year of its completion - 1596 A.D.Incidentally, both `Bhagnagar' and `Farkhunda Buniyad' mean the same thing - `The Fortunate City'.

It is both surprising and inspiring that a Hindu temple should have been inaugurated by a Muslim. Incidentally, this was not held to affect the faith of either the idol - worshippers (Hindus) or those who professed to be breakers of idols (Muslims). This sort of harmony between the two communities was quite common. This and similar acts reinforced the spirit of tolerance and communal harmony bequeathed to the city by its founder, the poet-king Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah who, in one of his poems, said :

There is no kafir or Muslim;
The basis of all religions is love.

Tana Shah, the last ruler of the Qutb Shah dynasty had a Hindu prime minister. He also granted a jagir for the preservation of the Kuchipudi dance form. That is another story.

This spirit became so characteristic of the city that it was widely cited everywhere. In dress, manner of speaking and general behaviour, one could not make out whether a person was a Hindu or a Muslim. This harmony was disturbed only towards the later part of the first half of the 20th century when some communal riots took place and later the Razakar movement raised its ugly head. That however, is to be seen as an aberration in the harmonious flow of history of this city founded on love and built, in the words of its founder, "as a replica of heaven".

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Some Eccentric Orders

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad – 17

Some Eccentric Orders
by Narendra Luther


Governments all over the world are sometimes found in awkward situations for issuing eccentric or amusing orders. Sometimes what appears to be absolutely normal in one age , may look amusing or eccentric to succeeding generations. In the feudal order there were many practices which in the democratic and constitutional setup of today may seem rather amusing.

We have seen how Dagh was appointed as the poetic preceptor of the sixth Nizam. Given below are some of other orders in the last and early part of this century which may appear to the reader of today as odd eccentric and amusing.


Punishment of an Apprentice :

In the 19th century there was a custom that many persons used to enroll themselves as `candidates' for jobs in government. These `candidates' were not paid any salary till a regular vacancy arose to which they could be appointed. But they did all the work assigned to them. Once such a candidate wrote a note on a file which turned out to be misleading. Salar Jung I ordered on the file that the author of the note should be fined 10 rupees. It was submitted to him that since the `candidate' did get any salary, he could not be fined.

Thereupon Salar Jung ordered that he should be appointed to some post with salary and the fine of ten rupees be deducted from his first salary.


Enhanced Pension by Mistake:

The Sixth Nizam, Mehboob Ali Khan was a very generous ruler. Once his personal attendant requested for superannuation on account of old age and ill-health. While granting the request, the Nizam ordered that he be paid a pension of eight rupees per month for life. In the draft order, due to a mistake, instead of 8, the figure of 80 came to be written. When the Nizam was about to put his signature to the order, the clerk detected the mistake, apologised, and came forward to correct the figure. The Nizam stopped him and observed : "If it was ordained that he would get this fortuitous benefit, how can you or I prevent it ?" He then signed the order and the lucky attendant enjoyed the bounty till the end of his life.


Special Allowance for Beard :

Rehman Khan was a Risaldar Major in the Third Lancers of the Hyderabad Army and worked in the private secretariat of Nawab Afsar Jung, Commander-in-Chief under the Sixth Nizam. He used to accompany Afsar Jung to the Purani Haveli which was the residence of the Sixth Nizam. Once he was riding a horse at great speed within the premises of the palace. He sported a thick long beard which swayed in the air because of the speed at which the horse was galloping. The Nizam watched this spectacle and was very impressed by the flowing beard.

He ordered a special allowance of ten rupees a month for its maintenance. Rehman Khan received this allowance along with his pension till his death.


When The Police Commissioner Was Fined :

Nawab Shahab Jung was the minister for police under the Sixth Nizam. Once due to some reason, he was cross with the commissioner of city police, Akbar Jung. He imposed a fine of one rupee on him. Akbar Jung was naturally very upset at this humiliation. He appealed to the Nizam against the punishment. When Shahab Jung went to pay his respects to the Nizam the nest day, the latter told him that the commissioner was his trusty and a well-wisher. "You have imposed a fine of one rupee on such a person !" Shahab Jung apologised and said that he would reconsider the matter. On return to the office he recalled the file and minuted on it : "Half the fine remitted. Let him pay only half-a-rupee".

And the highest police officer of the city getting a salary of two thousand rupees a month had to pay that fine.


Princesses Barred from the Mosque :

The Seventh Nizam always took two or three of his daughters along with him wherever he went. They accompanied him even to his favourite mosque the Moti Masjid in the Public Gardens for his Friday prayers. The princesses used to sit quietly in the front row till the end of the namaz. Once the Nizam went to the Mecca Masjid. As usual, the princesses also were with him. The famous preacher of Pakistani Punjab, Jamat Ali Shah was present in the mosque. As soon as he saw the Nizam with the princesses he exclaimed agitatedly in Persian : "Kufr az Kaaba bar khezad, kuja manad Musalmani" meaning that if paganism sprang from Ka'aba, what would happen to Islam ? The implication was that the entry of women in mosques without veil being impermissible in Islam, of all the people, Nizam should not commit that infraction. The Nizam on hearing this, turned to his daughters and whispered to them, "Go back. Go and sit in the car and wait".


Transfer of "Sawab" :
Like most nobles Maharaja Kishen Pershad was a great spend thrift. He spent quite a good deal of his income on charity. Consequently he ran into debts and his creditors started pestering him. Thereupon he petitioned to the Nizam for a loan of 200,000 rupees. The Nizam knew the reason for Kishen Pershad's indebtedness. He told him that he would give him the loan on one condition. He would have to give him a promissory note transferring the sawab, for his charity (that is, the reward in the next world for good deeds done in this world) to the Nizam. Maharaja Kishen Pershad signed the deed and thus was able to release himself from the clutches of his creditors.

There were many such instances which appear strange to us today. One day some of the perfectly reasonable orders of today will amuse our grand children.

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Poetic Tutor of Nizam VI

Legends and Anecdotes of Hyderabad - 16 :

Poetic Tutor of Nizam VI
by Narendra Luther

The ideal ruler in Islam is a combination of a warrior and a poet. Since every ruler can't be a poet, it was quite common for rulers to appoint a poetic preceptor an ustad - to teach them how to compose poetry, and if necessary, to ghost - write it for them.

In Hyderabad the first Nizam and his son Nasir Jung were poets in Persian. The sixth and the seventh Nizams composed poetry both in Persian as well as in Urdu.

After the fall of the Mughal empire, the annexation of Avadh (Lucknow) and the eclipse of Rampur, Hyderabad became the main magnet to attract Urdu poets in search of fortune from all over the country. Apart from the sixth Nizam, his prime minister, Maharaja Kishen Pershad was also a poet and a patron of letters and arts. It was therefore only natural that poets from all over the country flocked to Hyderabad with great hopes.

The story of the appointment of the first tutor of poetry of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, is very interesting. He was Nawab Mirza `Dagh', the celebrated Urdu poet (1831-1905). He was born in Delhi and received his education in the Red Fort. After the Mutiny he moved with his family to Rampur where he was treated with special consideration. After the death of Nawab Kalb Ali Khan, he moved to Hyderabad. Though he was greatly admired, he could not get any job. His one great wish was somehow to have an opportunity of an audience with the Nizam.

Ten years passed and he cold not meet the Nizam. Meanwhile, his renown spread all over the State. In the city one special mushaira used to be held every month and in that Dagh used to cast a spell on the audience with the recitation of his compositions.

When the whole city was resounding with the praise of `Dagh', Maharaja Kishen Pershad, the prime minister, one day mentioned about him to the Nizam. The latter sent for him and heard him. He was swept off his feet and was effusive in his praise. From then on Dagh was often invited to join the Nizam at dinner. He would stand for hours in front of the Nizam but did not get any job - nor even a gift. However, he believed strongly that one day Lady Luck would smile on and he would get his due.

One day, the Nizam went for a hunt. There, in the middle of a jungle, all of a sudden, he thought of Dagh. He asked the prime minister, Kishen Pershad to have Dagh fetched immediately. Within two hours, Dagh stood with folded hands before the ruler of the Deccan.

On the evening of the second day, the Nizam was sitting resplendent on a chair in a sprawling field. All the courtiers and members of the staff were standing respectfully on either side. Some riders were giving a demonstration of their horsemanship. The Nizam was watching each of them with great interest. One refractory horse was giving a lot of trouble to his rider but the latter was also an expert. He sat on the back of the horse like a nail riveted to a piece of wood.

All of a sudden the Nizam turned to Dagh and asked him : "Dagh, have you ever done any riding?" Dagh replied with folded hands that in his youth he had done so but years had gone by since then. The Nizam said: "Alright, show me your riding skills today." Dagh shivered at the thought, but had no alternative. On a signal from the Nizam, as if by a conspiracy, the same frisky horse was brought before Dagh. Poor Dagh got on to the horse nervously. As soon as he did that, the horse-trainer cracked his whip on the beast. In an instant Dagh was somersaulting on the ground and the horse bolted away towards the jungle. The entire gathering was rolling with laughter. Dagh was picked up. Fortunately he was not hurt. He dusted himself and came and stood before the Nizam who was still convulsing with laughter. When he recovered, he addressed the crest-fallen Dagh: "You are a good rider. I appoint you as my head syce." Dagh's heart sank. But according to the etiquette, he bowed gratefully and salaamed the Nizam seven times. The Nizam then asked him, "How long have you been in our State ?"

"Ten years, Sire"

The Nizam turned to his prime minister and said: "We appoint Dagh as the court-poet on a salary of one thousand rupees per month." "As His Highness pleases", Kishen Pershad said bowing.

"With retrospective effect. You understand ?"
"Yes, Sire".
"And", added the ruler, "his salary with arrears for the last ten years should be paid right away."

The Maharaja uttered : "Yes, My Lord", in disbelief and retraced his steps. A dispatch rider was rushed with orders to the treasurer in the city for compliance. The Nizam then retired to his tent and all the nobles in attendance swarmed around Dagh to congratulate him. At that time there was no paper money. So the next day the whole city saw carts loaded with silver coins carrying the arrears of ten years' salary of Dagh with police escort arrive at Dagh's house on Abid Road. Dagh then embarked on a life of ease and luxury.

In one of his later ghazals he wrote:

Urate hain maze duniya ke hum ai Dagh ghar baithe Deccan mein ab to Afzal Ganj apni aish manzil hai'

(I enjoy myself sitting at home, My abode is now in Afzal Ganj)

He died in 1905 and was laid to rest in Hyderabad.

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