Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII
Encyclopedia
Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi MP
, GCSI, GBE
Asaf Jah VII , born Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur , was the last Nizam
(or ruler) of the Princely State
of Hyderabad and of Berar
. He ruled Hyderabad between 1911 and 1948, until it was merged
into India
. He was styled His Exalted Highness The Nizam of Hyderabad.
During his days as Nizam
, he was reputed to be the richest man in the world, having a fortune estimated at US$2 billion in the early 1940s or 2 per cent of the US economy then. At that time the treasury of the newly independent Union government of India reported annual revenue of US$1 billion only. He was featured on the cover of TIME
magazine, portrayed as such. The Nizam is widely believed to have remained as the richest man in South Asia until his death in 1967, though his fortunes fell to US$1 billion by then and became a subject of multiple legal disputes between bitterly fighting rival descendants. His wealth include a vast private treasury. Its coffers were said to contain £100m in gold and silver bullion, and a further £400m of jewels. Among them was the fabulously rare Jacob diamond, valued at some £60m today, and used by the Nizam as a paperweight. There were pearls, too – enough to pave Piccadilly – hundreds of race horses, thousands of uniforms, tonnes of royal regalia and Rolls-Royces by the dozen.
He built the Hyderabad House
in Delhi
, now used for diplomatic meetings by the Government of India.
in Hyderabad
, the second son of Nawab siraj ud doalah Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VI, by his first wife Amat-uz-Zahrunnisa Begum. The death of his elder brother in 1887, rendered Osman Ali the heir apparent
of Hyderabad.
Great attention was paid to his education, and eminent scholars were engaged to teach Osman Ali English
, Urdu
and Persian
. He was also tutored in Islamic studies by Hafiz Anwarullah Faruqi of the Jami'ah Nizamiyyah of Hyderabad.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi was a great scholar and wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian.
and Moazzam Jah
. His second wife was Iqbal Begum daughter of Nawab Nazir Jung Bahadur (Mirza Nazir Beg)
The first brother-in-law of Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was Nawab Khudrath Nawaz Jung son of Nawab Jahangir Jung,Sahebzada Mir Jahangir Ali Khan and younger brother of Dulhan Pasha Begum first wife of Osman Ali Khan
Their eldest son, Azam Jah
, was married to Durru Shehvar, daughter of Abdul Mejid II (the last Ottoman Caliph
and cousin and heir of the last Sultan
of the Ottoman Empire
). Moazzam Jah
married Princess Niloufer
, a princess of the Ottoman empire
.
It has been suggested that through these dynastic marriages, Osman Ali hoped to acquire the Caliphate for his descendants.
In total,Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur sired at least 40 children, including:
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur acceded as Nizam of Hyderabad upon the death of his father in 1911. The state of Hyderabad was the largest of the princely states in pre-independence India
. With an area of 86,000 square miles (223,000 km²), it was roughly the size of present-day United Kingdom
. Its ruler was the highest-ranking prince in India, was one of only five princes
entitled to a 21-gun salute, held the unique title of "Nizam", and was created "His Exalted Highness" and "Faithful Ally of the British Crown" after World War One due to his financial contribution to the British Empire's war effort. (For example, No. 110 Squadron RAF
s original complement of DH.9As were Osman Ali's gift. Each aircraft bore an inscription to that effect, and the unit became known as the Hyderabad Squadron.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was the absolute ruler of this principality. In some accounts, he is held to have been a benevolent ruler who patronized education, science and development. His 37-year rule witnessed the introduction of electricity, railways, roads and airways were developed, the Nizamsagar lake in Hyderabad state was excavated and some irrigation projects on the Tungabhadra river were undertaken.
In 1941, Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur started his own bank, the Hyderabad State Bank (now State Bank of Hyderabad
) as the state's central bank, which managed the Osmania sikka, the currency of the Hyderabad state. It was the only state which had its own currency, the Hyderabadi rupee, which was different from the rest of India. Banknotes of Hyderabad
gives a good reference of the banking of that period.
Nearly all the major public buildings in Hyderabad city, such as the Osmania General Hospital, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Asafiya Library now known as State Central Library, Town Hall now known as Assembly Hall, Jubilee Hall
, Hyderabad Museum, now known as State Museum, Nizamia Observatory
and many other monuments were built during his reign. Up to 11% of the Nizam's budget was spent on education. Osmania University
was founded while schools and colleges and even a "Department for Translation" were set up. Primary education
was made compulsory and provided free for the poor. The Nizam (as well as his predecessors) have been criticised for largely ignoring the native languages in favor of Urdu
.
MIr Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur donated to many institutions in India and abroad. Recipients included educational institutions such as the Jamia Nizamia
, the Darul Uloom Deoband
, Banaras Hindu University
and Aligarh Muslim University
.
Hyderabad was the only state in British India where the ruler was allowed to issue currency notes. A 100 rupee note was introduced in 1918.
He also paid for a Royal Australian Navy
vessel, N-class
destroyer
, HMAS Nizam (G38)
in.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur lived at King Kothi Palace
—bought from a nobleman— during his entire life, after age 13. He never moved to Chowmahalla Palace
not even after his accession
to the throne.
was established as a Muslim nation. The princely states were left free to make whatever arrangement they wished with either India or Pakistan. The Nizam ruled over more than 16 million people and 82698 square miles (214,186.8 km²) of territory when the British withdrew from the sub-continent in 1947. The Nizam refused to join either India or Pakistan, preferring to form a separate kingdom within the British Commonwealth of nations.
The proposal for independent state was rejected unambiguously by the British government. The Nizam then resolved upon exploring the possibility of independence. Towards this end, he kept up open negotiations with the Government of India regarding the modalities of a future relationship while opening covert negotiations with Pakistan on a similar vein. He also concurrently encouraged the activities of the Razakars
. The Nizam cited the Razakars as evidence that the people of the state were opposed to any agreement with India.
Many peasants of the Hyderabad state revolted against the Nizam under the leadership of State Congress and Communist Party of India. Swami Ramanand Teerth and his team fought the battle of freedom on the streets of Hyderabad and other regions. The Telangana peasant armed struggle was successful in driving out local landlords (zamindar
s), and distributing their land to the landless. Nizam was able to suppress the armed struggle.
However, majority of his subjects were Hindus and his territory was surrounded on all sides by Indian territory. As a result the new Indian government decided to invade and annex
Hyderabad in 1948 to support the demand of people of the state.
Indian Forces invaded the state (Operation Polo
) in September 1948 after the negotiations failed. After 5 days of fighting when the Indians were knocking at the doors of the capital, he agreed to accede to the Indian Union and received the ceremonial post of Rajpramukh
in 1950. But he resigned from this office when the states were re-organised in 1956. Hyderabad was then split along linguistic lines.
.
Mir
Sir
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Saula, Fateh Jung, Nizam of Hyderabad and of Berar
, Knight Grand Commander of The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
, Royal Victorian Chain
, Honorable General
in the Army, Faithful Ally of the British Government.
His Exalted Highness was the honorary Colonel of the 20 Deccan Horse. In 1918, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was elevated by King George V
from His Highness to His Exalted Highness. In a letter dated 24 January 1918, the title Faithful Ally of the British Government was conferred on him.
The titles during his life were:
His Exalted Highness Rustam-I-Dauran, Arastu-I-Zaman, Lieutenant General, Muzaffar-ul-Mulk WalMamalik, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, Fateh Jung, Nizam-ud-Daula, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah, G.C.S.L, G.B.E., Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar.
As per sir Haidari, the original protagonist of scheme of Osmania University, the state always patronised learning and crafts. While agreeing the draft scheme for Hyderabad university the seventh Nizam in his farmen put forth the objectives for the proposed university. In the forman it was declared that in this university the modem, the ancient, the oriental, and western arts and crafts should be combined to remove the defects of the modern system of education so that one should draw full benefits from the ancient and modern system of education in the physical, intellectual and spiritual fields, and the university with the spread of education there should be a scope of improvement and reforms of the morals of the students. Further in this university there should be provision of real research facilities in all different sciences. Lastly, the basic principal of this university should be that Urdu should be the medium of instruction for higher education; but the study of English as a compulsory subject should be must for every student.
Before the establishment of the Osmania University
, Hyderabad had lagged much behind in other British Indian Provisions in field of education,but at the same time it must be remembered that under the last nizam, Mir Mahboob ali khan the Nizam college affiliated the University of Madras had already started to function, although the number of graduates it had produced since the inception was very few. Moreover leaving aside the Madarsas, there existed two other prominent education centers in addition to Nizam College
. Taking the things into consideration, members of other communities were included in the Academic faculty and in the senate of Osmania university.
Finally, Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur believed that Osmania University besides providing higher education, should also be recognised universally as an important center of research, both in humanities as well as the sciences. Accordingly in 1936 Osmania University established post graduate courses and research facilities in all the sciences: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, Engineering, Metallurgy as well as Law, Education and Teacher training courses. Also, with a view of reaching a high standards of proficiency in all these courses, the seventh Nizam was very vigilant that the professor and lecturers in these faculties should be men of high caliber and good character.
Thus Osmania university by 1948 had reached its full stature, at both graduate and post graduates levels. Its degrees were accepted not only by the other Indian universities but by the British universities. Alumni of this University hold key roles in India as well as globally.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, GCSI, GBE
GBE
GBE or Gbe may refer to:* Gbe languages, a group of languages in West Africa* Gigabit ethernet, a term for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second* Government business enterprise...
Asaf Jah VII , born Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur , was the last Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
(or ruler) of the Princely State
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Hyderabad and of Berar
Central Provinces and Berar
The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India. The province comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered much of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. The Central Provinces was formed in...
. He ruled Hyderabad between 1911 and 1948, until it was merged
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
into India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was styled His Exalted Highness The Nizam of Hyderabad.
During his days as Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
, he was reputed to be the richest man in the world, having a fortune estimated at US$2 billion in the early 1940s or 2 per cent of the US economy then. At that time the treasury of the newly independent Union government of India reported annual revenue of US$1 billion only. He was featured on the cover of TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine, portrayed as such. The Nizam is widely believed to have remained as the richest man in South Asia until his death in 1967, though his fortunes fell to US$1 billion by then and became a subject of multiple legal disputes between bitterly fighting rival descendants. His wealth include a vast private treasury. Its coffers were said to contain £100m in gold and silver bullion, and a further £400m of jewels. Among them was the fabulously rare Jacob diamond, valued at some £60m today, and used by the Nizam as a paperweight. There were pearls, too – enough to pave Piccadilly – hundreds of race horses, thousands of uniforms, tonnes of royal regalia and Rolls-Royces by the dozen.
He built the Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House earlier known as Palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad is a former princely residence of Osman Ali Khan, Nizam VII located at New Delhi. This house was built in 1926 by eminent architect Edwin Lutyens. It was the Delhi palace for the last Nizam of Hyderabad state.It is currently used...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, now used for diplomatic meetings by the Government of India.
Early life and education
Nawab Bahadur Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi was born on April 6, 1886, at Purani HaveliPurani Haveli
Purani Haveli is a palace located in Hyderabad, India. It was the official residence of the Nizam. It was also known as Haveli Khadeem, which means old mansion, was constructed for Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III by his father Ali Khan Bahadur, Asaf Jah II.-The Palace:The Haveli is "U" in shape, with...
in Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
, the second son of Nawab siraj ud doalah Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VI, by his first wife Amat-uz-Zahrunnisa Begum. The death of his elder brother in 1887, rendered Osman Ali the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
of Hyderabad.
Great attention was paid to his education, and eminent scholars were engaged to teach Osman Ali English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. He was also tutored in Islamic studies by Hafiz Anwarullah Faruqi of the Jami'ah Nizamiyyah of Hyderabad.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi was a great scholar and wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian.
Marriages and Children
On April 14, 1906,Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur married Dulhan Pasha Begum (1889–1955), daughter of Nawab Jahangir Jung, at Eden Bagh at the age 21. She was the first of his seven wives and 42 concubines, and the mother of two eldest of his sons Azam JahAzam Jah
Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to...
and Moazzam Jah
Moazzam Jah
Muazzam Jah, Walasham Sahebzada Nawab Mir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Bahadur , was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum....
. His second wife was Iqbal Begum daughter of Nawab Nazir Jung Bahadur (Mirza Nazir Beg)
The first brother-in-law of Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was Nawab Khudrath Nawaz Jung son of Nawab Jahangir Jung,Sahebzada Mir Jahangir Ali Khan and younger brother of Dulhan Pasha Begum first wife of Osman Ali Khan
Their eldest son, Azam Jah
Azam Jah
Azam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to...
, was married to Durru Shehvar, daughter of Abdul Mejid II (the last Ottoman Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
and cousin and heir of the last Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
). Moazzam Jah
Moazzam Jah
Muazzam Jah, Walasham Sahebzada Nawab Mir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Bahadur , was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum....
married Princess Niloufer
Princess Niloufer
Niloufer Farhat Begum Sahiba was one of the last princesses of the Ottoman Empire. She was married to the second son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad in India.-Birth:...
, a princess of the Ottoman empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
It has been suggested that through these dynastic marriages, Osman Ali hoped to acquire the Caliphate for his descendants.
In total,Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur sired at least 40 children, including:
- Sahebzadi Yawar un-nisa Begum Sahiba (d. in childhood)
- Sahebzadi Hidayat un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1901–1925)
- Nizam uddin bahadur (1903–1987)
- His Highness Azam JahAzam JahAzam Jah, Damat Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Sir Mir Himayat Ali Khan Bahadur Bey Effendi was the eldest son of the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII; In 1936 he was given the courtesy title of Prince of Berar, a territory of the Nizam then leased in perpetuity to...
Sahebzada Mir Himayath ali khan (1907–1970) - His Highness Muazzam JahMoazzam JahMuazzam Jah, Walasham Sahebzada Nawab Mir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Bahadur , was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum....
Sahebzada Mir Shujayath Ali Khan (1907–1987) - Sahebzada Mir Osman 'Ali Khan Bahadur (29 February-30 June 1908)
- Sahebzadi Ahmad un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1910–1985)
- Sahebzada Mir Ahmad 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Ahmed Jah (1912-)
- Sahebzada Mir Kazim Ali Khan, Kazim Jah (1912–1952)
- Sahebzada Mir Abid Ali Khan, Abid Jah (1913–1983)
- Sahebzada Mir Hashmat Ali Khan, Hashmat Jah (1913–1988)
- Sahebzada Mir Hashim Ali Khan, Hashim Jah (1913–1991)
- Sahebzada Mir Taqi Ali KHan, Taqi Jah (1913–1985)
- Sahebzadi Hurmat un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1913-)
- Sahebzadi Karim Osman Murat un-nisa Begum (1913-)
- Sahebzadi Jamal un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1913–1973)
- Sahebzadi Behbood un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1914-)
- Sahebzadi Mahmood un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1914–1984)
- Sahebzada Mir Basharat Ali Kha, Basharat Jah (1915–1991)
- Sahebzadi Mehar un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1915–1964)
- Sahebzadi Ghaffoor un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1915-)
- Sahebzadi Aleem un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1915-)
- Sahebzadi Nazeer un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1916–1975)
- Sahebzada Mir Rajjab Ali Khan, Rajjab Jah (1917–1968)
- Sahebzada Mir Saadat Ali Khan, Sa'adat Jah (1917–1988)
- Sahebzadi Faruq un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1918-)
- Sahebzadi Kabir un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1920-)
- Sahebzadi Masud un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1923–1980)
- Sahebzadi Asmat un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1924–1979)
- Sahebzaid Bashir un-nisa Begum Sahiba (1927-)
- Sahebzadi Ramzani Begum Sahiba (1931–1974)
- Sahebzada Mir Jawad Ali Khan, Jawad Jah (d. 1936)
- stillborn son (1938)
- Sahebzadi Mashadi Begum Sahiba (1939-)
- Sahebzada Mir Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Jah (1943-)
- Sahebzada Mir Imdad Ali Khan, Imdad Jah (1944-)
- Sahebzada Mir Nawazish Ali Khan, Nawazish Jah (1944–2010)
- Sahebzada Mir Fazal Ali Khan, Fazal Jah (1946-)
- Sahebzada Mir Bhojat Ali Khan, Bhojat Jah (1947–1982)
- Sahebzada Mir Shabbir Ali Khan, Shabbir Jah (1948–1985)
- Sahebzadi Sayida Begum Sahiba Malta (1949-)
Reign
On February 22, 1937, Time magazine called the Nizam the richest man in the world. His vast inheritance was accumulated by way of mining royalties rather than land revenue. It should be noted that Andhra Pradesh was the only supplier of diamonds for the global market in the 19th century.Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur acceded as Nizam of Hyderabad upon the death of his father in 1911. The state of Hyderabad was the largest of the princely states in pre-independence India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. With an area of 86,000 square miles (223,000 km²), it was roughly the size of present-day United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its ruler was the highest-ranking prince in India, was one of only five princes
Salute state
A Salute state was a princely state in India during the time of British rule which had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown ; i.e., the protocollary privilege for its ruler to be greeted - originally by Royal Navy ships, later also on land - with a number of gun shots, as recognition of...
entitled to a 21-gun salute, held the unique title of "Nizam", and was created "His Exalted Highness" and "Faithful Ally of the British Crown" after World War One due to his financial contribution to the British Empire's war effort. (For example, No. 110 Squadron RAF
No. 110 Squadron RAF
-Formation and World War I:No. 110 Squadron RFC was formed on 1 November 1917, at Rendcomb, Gloucestershire and was equipped with B.E.2c aircraft. The squadron moved to Kenley the following year and re-equipped with the DH.9A - the first squadron to employ this aircraft. Its original complement of...
s original complement of DH.9As were Osman Ali's gift. Each aircraft bore an inscription to that effect, and the unit became known as the Hyderabad Squadron.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was the absolute ruler of this principality. In some accounts, he is held to have been a benevolent ruler who patronized education, science and development. His 37-year rule witnessed the introduction of electricity, railways, roads and airways were developed, the Nizamsagar lake in Hyderabad state was excavated and some irrigation projects on the Tungabhadra river were undertaken.
In 1941, Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur started his own bank, the Hyderabad State Bank (now State Bank of Hyderabad
State Bank of Hyderabad
State Bank of Hyderabad is an associate bank of State Bank of India , and is one of the scheduled banks in India. The Bank's Head Office is situated at Gunfoundry Area, in Hyderabad, India. SBH has over 1200 branches and about 12,800 employees. Assets are in excess of Rupees 767 billion...
) as the state's central bank, which managed the Osmania sikka, the currency of the Hyderabad state. It was the only state which had its own currency, the Hyderabadi rupee, which was different from the rest of India. Banknotes of Hyderabad
Banknotes of Hyderabad
The banknotes of Hyderabad were issued from 1918 until 1953. The ruling Nizam of Hyderabad was Mir Osman Ali Khan. Notes issued as early as 1916 have been reported. Hyderabad was the only Indian Princely State that was permitted to continue issuing its own notes after being united into the Dominion...
gives a good reference of the banking of that period.
Nearly all the major public buildings in Hyderabad city, such as the Osmania General Hospital, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Asafiya Library now known as State Central Library, Town Hall now known as Assembly Hall, Jubilee Hall
Jubilee Hall
Jubilee Hall is a royal palace built in 1913 during the reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan of erstwhile Hyderabad state. It is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of Hyderabad....
, Hyderabad Museum, now known as State Museum, Nizamia Observatory
Nizamia observatory
Nizamia observatory is a Space observatory, which was established in 1907 during the reign of the Nizams of Hyderabad state.Its founder was Nawab Zafar Jung, an England-educated rich noble man...
and many other monuments were built during his reign. Up to 11% of the Nizam's budget was spent on education. Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
was founded while schools and colleges and even a "Department for Translation" were set up. Primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
was made compulsory and provided free for the poor. The Nizam (as well as his predecessors) have been criticised for largely ignoring the native languages in favor of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
.
MIr Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur donated to many institutions in India and abroad. Recipients included educational institutions such as the Jamia Nizamia
Jamia Nizamia
Jamia Nizamia , more properly, Jami'ah Nizamiyyah, is one of the oldest Islamic seminaries of higher learning of Sunnis in India.- History :...
, the Darul Uloom Deoband
Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school in India where the Deobandi Islamic movement was started. It is located at Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 1866 by several prominent Islamic scholars , headed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi...
, Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
and Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
.
Hyderabad was the only state in British India where the ruler was allowed to issue currency notes. A 100 rupee note was introduced in 1918.
He also paid for a Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
vessel, N-class
J, K and N class destroyer
The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the Tribal class that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, eight each of ships with...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, HMAS Nizam (G38)
HMAS Nizam (G38)
HMAS Nizam was an N class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . The destroyer, named after Sir Osman Ali Khan, The Last Nizam of Hyderabad, was commissioned into the RAN in 1940, although the ship remained the property of the Royal Navy for her entire career.Nizam spent the early part of her...
in.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur lived at King Kothi Palace
King Kothi Palace
King Kothi Palace or Nazri Bagh Palace is a royal palace in Hyderabad, India. It was the palace where the erstwhile ruler, the Seventh Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, of Hyderabad state lived.-History:...
—bought from a nobleman— during his entire life, after age 13. He never moved to Chowmahalla Palace
Chowmahalla Palace
Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat , was a palace belonging to the Nizams of Hyderabad state. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizam....
not even after his accession
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
to the throne.
Abdication
After Indian independence in 1947, the country was partitioned on communal lines and PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
was established as a Muslim nation. The princely states were left free to make whatever arrangement they wished with either India or Pakistan. The Nizam ruled over more than 16 million people and 82698 square miles (214,186.8 km²) of territory when the British withdrew from the sub-continent in 1947. The Nizam refused to join either India or Pakistan, preferring to form a separate kingdom within the British Commonwealth of nations.
The proposal for independent state was rejected unambiguously by the British government. The Nizam then resolved upon exploring the possibility of independence. Towards this end, he kept up open negotiations with the Government of India regarding the modalities of a future relationship while opening covert negotiations with Pakistan on a similar vein. He also concurrently encouraged the activities of the Razakars
Razakars (Hyderabad)
Razakars were a private militia organized by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and resist the integration of Hyderabad State in India....
. The Nizam cited the Razakars as evidence that the people of the state were opposed to any agreement with India.
Many peasants of the Hyderabad state revolted against the Nizam under the leadership of State Congress and Communist Party of India. Swami Ramanand Teerth and his team fought the battle of freedom on the streets of Hyderabad and other regions. The Telangana peasant armed struggle was successful in driving out local landlords (zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s), and distributing their land to the landless. Nizam was able to suppress the armed struggle.
However, majority of his subjects were Hindus and his territory was surrounded on all sides by Indian territory. As a result the new Indian government decided to invade and annex
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
Hyderabad in 1948 to support the demand of people of the state.
Indian Forces invaded the state (Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
) in September 1948 after the negotiations failed. After 5 days of fighting when the Indians were knocking at the doors of the capital, he agreed to accede to the Indian Union and received the ceremonial post of Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain of India's provinces and states....
in 1950. But he resigned from this office when the states were re-organised in 1956. Hyderabad was then split along linguistic lines.
Later life
Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur died on Friday, February 24, 1967. It was the end of a princely era. His funeral procession was one of the largest in Indian history. He had willed that he be buried in the Judi Mosque that faced King Kothi PalaceKing Kothi Palace
King Kothi Palace or Nazri Bagh Palace is a royal palace in Hyderabad, India. It was the palace where the erstwhile ruler, the Seventh Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, of Hyderabad state lived.-History:...
.
Official name and titles
His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamalik, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar-ul-Mulk-Wal-Mamalik, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula NawabNawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Saula, Fateh Jung, Nizam of Hyderabad and of Berar
Central Provinces and Berar
The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India. The province comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered much of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. The Central Provinces was formed in...
, Knight Grand Commander of The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, Royal Victorian Chain
Royal Victorian Chain
The Royal Victorian Chain is an award, instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the Monarch...
, Honorable General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in the Army, Faithful Ally of the British Government.
His Exalted Highness was the honorary Colonel of the 20 Deccan Horse. In 1918, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur was elevated by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
from His Highness to His Exalted Highness. In a letter dated 24 January 1918, the title Faithful Ally of the British Government was conferred on him.
The titles during his life were:
- 1886-1911: Nawab BahadurNawab BahadurJaved Khan Nawab Bahadur was an Irani Daroga under the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. He was head of the Emperor's chief household ; under him were his wife Udhambai, Prince Ahmad, and Regent of the Mughal Emperor ....
MirMirMir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
Osman Ali Khan Siddqi - 1911-1912: His Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI - 1912-1917: ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
His Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI - 1917-1918: Colonel His Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI, GBEGBEGBE or Gbe may refer to:* Gbe languages, a group of languages in West Africa* Gigabit ethernet, a term for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second* Government business enterprise...
- 1918-1936: Lieutenant-General His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Faithful Ally of the British Government, Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI, GBE
- 1936-1941: Lieutenant-General His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Faithful Ally of the British Government, Nizam of Hyderabad and BerarCentral Provinces and BerarThe Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India. The province comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered much of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. The Central Provinces was formed in...
, GCSI, GBE - 1941-1967: GeneralGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman 'Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Faithful Ally of the British Government, Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, GCSI, GBE
Honours
official title:His Exalted Highness Rustam-I-Dauran, Arastu-I-Zaman, Lieutenant General, Muzaffar-ul-Mulk WalMamalik, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, Fateh Jung, Nizam-ud-Daula, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah, G.C.S.L, G.B.E., Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar.
- Delhi Durbar Gold Medal-1911
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1911
- Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St JohnVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(GCStJ)-1911 - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)-1917
- King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
-1935 - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
-1937 - Royal Victorian ChainRoyal Victorian ChainThe Royal Victorian Chain is an award, instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the Monarch...
(RVC)-1946
Educational reforms
In the reigning tenure of Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur introduced certain educational reforms which were considered the most memorable achievements under his rule and the most lasting and impressive contribution. He was the founder of Osmania university in Hyderabad, which marked a new era in the annals of British educational policy in India.As per sir Haidari, the original protagonist of scheme of Osmania University, the state always patronised learning and crafts. While agreeing the draft scheme for Hyderabad university the seventh Nizam in his farmen put forth the objectives for the proposed university. In the forman it was declared that in this university the modem, the ancient, the oriental, and western arts and crafts should be combined to remove the defects of the modern system of education so that one should draw full benefits from the ancient and modern system of education in the physical, intellectual and spiritual fields, and the university with the spread of education there should be a scope of improvement and reforms of the morals of the students. Further in this university there should be provision of real research facilities in all different sciences. Lastly, the basic principal of this university should be that Urdu should be the medium of instruction for higher education; but the study of English as a compulsory subject should be must for every student.
Before the establishment of the Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
, Hyderabad had lagged much behind in other British Indian Provisions in field of education,but at the same time it must be remembered that under the last nizam, Mir Mahboob ali khan the Nizam college affiliated the University of Madras had already started to function, although the number of graduates it had produced since the inception was very few. Moreover leaving aside the Madarsas, there existed two other prominent education centers in addition to Nizam College
Nizam College
Nizam College was established in 1887 during the reign of Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It is located at Basheerbagh.-History:...
. Taking the things into consideration, members of other communities were included in the Academic faculty and in the senate of Osmania university.
Finally, Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur believed that Osmania University besides providing higher education, should also be recognised universally as an important center of research, both in humanities as well as the sciences. Accordingly in 1936 Osmania University established post graduate courses and research facilities in all the sciences: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, Engineering, Metallurgy as well as Law, Education and Teacher training courses. Also, with a view of reaching a high standards of proficiency in all these courses, the seventh Nizam was very vigilant that the professor and lecturers in these faculties should be men of high caliber and good character.
Thus Osmania university by 1948 had reached its full stature, at both graduate and post graduates levels. Its degrees were accepted not only by the other Indian universities but by the British universities. Alumni of this University hold key roles in India as well as globally.
Further reading
- The Splendour of Hyderabad : The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture (1591-1948 A.D.) By M.A. Nayeem ISBN 81-85492-20-4
- The Nocturnal Court: The Life of a Prince of Hyderabad By Sidq Jaisi
- Developments in Administration Under H.E.H. the Nizam VII By Shamim Aleem, M. A. Aleem http://books.google.com/books?id=nWYeAAAAMAAJ&q=jubilee+hall+hyderabad&dq=jubilee+hall+hyderabad&pgis=1
- Jewels of the Nizams (Hardcover) by Usha R. Krishnan (Author) ISBN 81-85832-15-3
- Fabulous Mogul: Nizam VII of Hyderabad By Dosoo Framjee Karaka Published 1955 D. Verschoyle, Original from the University of Michigan http://books.google.com/books?id=oSg-AAAAMAAJ&q=king+kothi+palace&dq=king+kothi+palace&pgis=1
- The Seventh Nizam: The Fallen Empire By Zubaida Yazdani, Mary Chrystal ISBN 0-9510819-0-X
- The Last Nizam: The Life and Times of Mir Osman Ali Khan By V.K. Bawa, Basant K. Bawa ISBN 0-670-83997-3
- The Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad: An Archival Appraisal By Sayyid Dā'ūd Ashraf http://books.google.com/books?id=nYhMGQAACAAJ&dq=The+seventh+Nizam+of+Hyderabad+:+an+archival+appraisal
- Misrule of the Nizam By Raghavendra Rao http://worldcat.org/oclc/5067242&referer=brief_results
- Photographs of Lord Willingdon's visit to Hyderabad in the early 1930s By Raja Deen Dayal & Sons http://worldcat.org/oclc/33453066&referer=brief_results
External links
- Photos of Mir Osman Ali Khan (Asaf Jah Ruler - Nizam VII)
- TIME Cover Story 1937
- Nizam's fabled jewels dazzle Delhi
- Jacob DiamondJacob DiamondThe Jacob Diamond is a large diamond, ranked seventh in the world, known earlier as the Imperial or Great White Diamond. It is believed to be the Victoria Diamond, owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad and currently owned by the Government of India....
- The Jacob Diamond of the Nizam - Nizam's cabinet - a real whodunit
- The enigma that was Mir Osman Ali Khan
- Last days of last Nizam - Narendra Luther
- 1911 Encyclopedia
- The lost world Article by historian William Dalrymple, of The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Dec' 2007