From: khan@ces.cwru.edu (Mansoor Khan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: The End of an Era; The Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad
Date: 14 Sep 1992 04:36:59 GMT
Organization: Computer Engineering and Science, Case Western Reserve University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: king.ces.cwru.edu


		Following article was published in Hyderabad: After the Fall,
edited by Mr. Omar Khalidi ( at MIT, Boston), and published by the 
Hyderabad Historical Society, Kansas. The article titled "The End of an Era"
was written by Ms.  Zubaida Yazdani (London, U.K.). Her book 
"The Seventh Nizam: The Fallen Empire" was published in 1985 by the
Cambridge Univ Press.
	        On September 13, 1948, the Indian Army, moving on five
fronts, invaded the State of Hyderabad; and in less than a week the
conquest was complete. The Nizam's army offered negligible opposition.
Razakars of Majlis-Ittehad-Muslimeen gave a tougher fight.
	        Off the battlefield, the Muslim community fell before a massive and brutal blow, the devastation of which left those who did survive reeling
in bewildered fear. About 200,000( 2 lakh) muslims were massacred.
	I have not taken formal permission from Khalidi Sahib, but knowing
him he will not mind my reprinting of the following article on the 
44rth anniversary of the military  invasion of the State of Hyderabad.

		The  End of an Era
		==================

			by
		  Zubaida Yazdani

	Immediately after the surrender, Major-General J.N. Chaudhry
was made the Military Governor of the State with the task of pacification
and administration. Civil administrators, selected in advance, received
instructions from the Military Governor on 19th September 1948 and took
over their charges in the Districts[ of the State] two days later. 
The Nizam remained the nominal head of the State. On 18th October 1948
the Military Government of Hyderabad was reconstituted on a somewhat broader
basis. Military Governor  remained in full control but was assisted by
four others  who had been given separate portfolios.

1) Military Governor - army, police, and communications
2) D.S. Bakhale( India's Chief Civil Administrator) - Political Services, Home,                        Railways, Supply, and law.
3) D.R. Prabhu( India's Additional Chief administrator)- Finance, Commerce,
		       Revenue, and Industry.
4) Zain Yar Jung (formerly Hyderabad's Agent General in Dehli)- PWD,
			Rural Reconstruction and Labour.
5) Raja Dhondi Raj( a District Magistrate) Customs,Excise, REhabilitation
						and Education.

	Simultaneously the Advisory committee founded by the Nizam 
at the time of surrender was dissolved.
	On 6th December 1948, the Nizam[ Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah]
issued a firman ordering the dissolution of Hyderabad Legislative Assembly
and called upon all the officers and subjects of the Hyderabad State to 
render full assistance for the preparation of electoral rolls for the
assembly.
	Simultaneously the Military Governor promulgated a Regulation
called  'The Hyderabad Constitutent Assembly preparation of Electoral
Rolls Regulation'(1948), to come into effect immediately in the State.
This empowered the Election Commissioner to take necesssary measure and
make rules subject to the approval of the Military  Governor or
any authority appointed by him.

	The Nizam in his firman of 24/11/1949 declared and directed that the
constitution of India should be the Constitution for the State of Hyderabad.
Though Nizam had not signed the instrument of accession( and he never did), but
his above declaration was regarded as tantamount to accession. On 24/11/49
M.K.Vellodi Secretary to the State Ministry Government of India was appointed to 
succeed Major General J.N. Chaudhry the Military Governor of Hyderabad,
with effect from 1st December 1949. The Nizam appointed Vellodi as Chief
Minister and that ended the military administration[ of Hyderabad State].
A formal agreement was signed on 25 January 1950, between the Governor
General of India, representing the Indian Government and the Nizam. The
agreement commences with a Preamble which runs as follows:

	'whereas it has been decided that the constitution of India adopted
by the constitutent assembly of India shall be the constitution for the 
State of Hyderabad as for the other parts of India and shall be enforced as such in accordance with the terms of its provisions.'
And whereas it is expedient that the rights, privileges and dignities,
including the dynastic succession and the privy purse, of His Exalted
Highness of Nizam of Hyderabad shall be determined by agreement between
him and the government of India.
	The agreement has four articles: Article 1 - The Nizam with effect
from 1st April 1950, is entitled to receive his Privy Purse of 
Rs. 5,000,000( Rupees 50 lakhs) annualy free of all taxes- this payable only
to the present Nizam- for his life time. For his successors provisions will be
made subsequently by the government of India.  The said amount is to cover
all the expenses of the Nizam and his family, personal staff maintenance
of his residence etc. and will neither be increased nor reduced. Article 2 
provides that the Nizam will be entitled to the full ownership, use and enjoyment of all the jewels, shares, securities and other private properties, moveable 
as well as immovable. Article 3- The Nizam and the members of his family shall
be entitled to all the personal privileges, dignities, and titles enjoyed
by them whether within or outside the territories of the State[ of Hyderabad]
immediately before the 15th day of August 1947.
Article 4- The government of India guarantess the succession according to law
and customs to the gaddi[ throne] of the State and to the personal rights,
priviliges, dignities and titles of His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of
Hyderabad. When the government of India's attention was drawn, to certain
omissions, the Nizam received a letter from the Ministry of States dated
February 8, 1950, to say that the government of India also agree to the payment
of the other Rs. fifty lakhs annualy. The Nizam has created trusts from his own
resources for the benefit of his successor and other members of his family, and in addition to various  other trusts he created  a charitable trust of
five crores for the poor and the needy which is running successfully up to date.

	In the inaugration of the Republic of India ceremony held at Hyderabad
on 26th January 1950, the Nizam read out the proclamation of the 'Commencement
of the Sovereign Democratic Republic of India'. And on the same date he was
sworn in as Rajpramukh of Hyderabad State and took oath from the Chief Justice
of the Hyderabad High Court. He occupied this office till November 1956
when the new linguistic province of Andhra Pradesh formed without having
any active share in the political power or any real governmental authority
in the State. The Nizam in his long letter dated 7th October 1953 writes to the
Prime Minister of India, Mr. J. Nehru:

	'You cannot be unaware that my position as Rajpramukh of Hyderabad
does not entail the slightest burden on the State. I live in my house,
use my own cars, receive no salary or remuneration and I am entirely at
the disposal of the Government of my State whenever they choose to consult me.
I have consistently made it my policy not to interfere in the administration
of the State nor even to volunteer advice. From the very inception I have
recognized the constitutional role that a Rajpramukh has to
play and I have acted in that spirit.'

	He continued as such for six years.

	General Chaudhry as Military Governor used to put up firmans and
other papers personally and take Nizam's signature and thereafter he was no more
than the consitutional head of his late territories, bound to accept the
advice of Cabinet ministers responsible to an elected  legislature. However, 
some important political, social and administrative changes effected during
this period, which are of historical interest may be briefly related here.
 	On 6 February 1949 the Nizam agreed to give up his personal estate
worth Rs 25 to 30 million, known as Sarf-e-Khas by a firman signed on that 
date. Later a compenstation of 25 lakhs annualy was fixed by the
Government of India to be paid to the Nizaam  in lieu of the above estate.
	Hyderabad Government announced on August 1949 that they would take
over immediately  the administration of all jagirs  in the State which
comprise  6536 villages and an area of 25600 square miles. 
The jagir abolition regulation was promulgated. All the Paigas, Samistans, 
Jagirdavs and other feudatory nobles had 10 to 15 days time to study the
scheme. Finally, instead of compensation a commutation scheme was drawn up
which meant payment of certain amounts  ranging from 5 to 10 years to
the beneficiaries of the taken-over estates. Similarly the mensabs, Inams,
and cash grants were to be compensated for a limited period.

	After this agrarian reforms Committee was set up to go into the
question of land reforms for the whole state. On its broad based 
recommendation Pattadari System was totally revised, Protected Tenancy Act
gave full rights to them over the lands cultivated by them.
Limitations were imposed on the individual or family holdings of
agricultural lands. Forests Lands were totally taken over by the government.
Postal System and coinage of the state[ of Hyderabad] were replaced by that of 
India. State[ of Hyderabad's] Railways were submerged into the all India
Railways administration.

	Hyderabad legislative assembly consisting of elected representatives
on the basis of adult franchise was inaugurated by the Nizam on March 23, 1952.
The Nizam had no influence on the composition of the ministers that 
governed State of Hyderabad until 1956.

	The PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru informed the Nizam in his letter dated
4/10/1956 of the New Act passed by the Parliament for the reorganization of
the States[Indian]. This would change the internal map of India in many ways.
As a consequence  of this, the new states will be constituted  on the 
1st November 1956. Nehru went on: 'The high office of Rajpramukh will then
come to an end and will be replaced by governors appointed for a fixed period.
I express my governments's and my appreciation  of the way you have discharged
the onerous duties connected with this high office. I feel sure that we shall
have the benefit of your guidance and cooperation.'
	The PM of India in his letter dated 15/10/1956, which was about the
Nizam's refusal to accept the governorship, wrote 'I quite appreciate what
you say about your health. You would no doubt  prefer to have a restful time
at your age now, that we did not like to ask you to shoulder heavy 
responsibilities. No change has been made by the recent amendment of the
constitution to your personal privileges and rights.'

	After the promulgation  of the Republic of India under a new 
constitution in January 1950 the Nizam occupied in Hyderabad the place
of an ornamental  figurehead, unable to influence either the composition or
the policy of the administration. In 1956 Hyderabad[ State] was  merged
in the new linguistic province of Andhra Pradesh[ after merging parts of
the erstwhile Hyderabad State with Mahrashtra and Karnatik]. Although
Nehru offered to appoint Nizam as governor of the new province, 
the Nizam refused and retired from all public life.

	After 1st November 1956, the Nizam devoted most of his time in
the comfortable settlement of his innumerable sons and daughters from the
women of his Harem. He made lavish  and suitable monetary and household
arrangements for the Muslim boys he had accomodated in his palace to serve as 
retainers. Some of them were beggars and tramps, but he set them up with
wives and fine clothes and enough wealth  for their future maintenance.
His Peshi office worked as usual with C.B. Tarapurwala the retired
Finance Secretary of the former State[ of Hyderabad] as its head.
There were more than 5,000 pensioners and serfs of his former state
who were scrupulously maintained from the Nizams own sources. His
establishments of  Royal Kitchen, mahlat(women), palaces, and 
Niazat( religious endowments to Muslims and Hindus) were kept intact.
Every day he used to out in his age-old car to Chowmahal( one of his biggest
palaces) and to the tomb of his mother at Masjid Joodi. He was very much
pleased and satisfied when Mr. V. Vishwanathan, Secretary, Ministry of
Home Affairs, Government of India through his letter no. F dated  1st March
1964, informed him that the Nizam's wishes conveyed to the Prime Minister
in his letter of 14 June 1954 have been sanctioned and the government
of India have taken a decision that his grandson Prince Mukarram Jah [ who
now lives in exile in Australia] should succeed the Nizam as the ruler
of Hyderabad.

	The ailing Nizam being bed-ridden for a week died on 24th February 1967
at his King Kothi Palace. The only two doctors who attended on him were
Dr. Banketchander and Dr. Vagray. His body was kept in one of the verandahs
of the King Kothi Palace for the public to pay their last homage to the
dethroned  monarch who was still living in the hearts of his Muslim and
Hindu subjects. The people of Andhra who had only heard about the 
peculiarities of the Nizam and had not seen him, rushed  to have a look at him.
His jenaza was taken to Mecca Masjid for death prayers in a procession
attended by lakhs of people and he was finally buried in Masjid Joodi [ unlike
previous six Nizams, who are all buried in Mecca Masjid] near his mother's tomb.
High tributes were paid to him by the Andhra Pradesh Government legislators
admitting of the good work he had done and the sympathy he had for all.

...............
End of the article.
..................


MANSOOR KHAN
CLEVELAND, OHIO.
September 14, 1992

Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.bangladesh