The last Nizam - Hero or Villain? | India News

HYDERABAD: September 17 conjures up images of a bloodless transition of power in the princely state of Hyderabad in 1948, though it was preceded and succeeded by bouts of violence and human misery. It was on this day that Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, surrendered to the Indian Union, ending 13 months of political uncertainty in Hyderabad state after India attained freedom on August 15, 1947. Though the military-administrator took control of Hyderabad on September 18, 1948, all government orders (firmans) continued to be issued in the name of the Nizam till January 25, 1950 – a day before India became a Republic. The Nizam became the Raj Pramukh (governor) of Hyderabad state on January 26, 1950. medium71159664The six-day Operation Polo, popularly known as Police Action, that led to the merger of Hyderabad state, centred around one man – Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, which ruled over Hyderabad for a little over 200 years. His 37-year reign that shaped modern Hyderabad notwithstanding, Mir Osman Ali Khan remains the most vilified ruler in India after Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, thanks to his decision to remain independent after the British left India and the violence by private militia Razakars led by Kasim Rizvi. medium71159747So vilified, that none of the VIP speakers at the centenary (2017) of Osmania University, which the Nizam established, made even a passing reference to the Nizam. Osman Ali Khan had revolutionised the concept of higher education by introducing Urdu as the medium of instruction in Osmania University, winning accolades from Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Last Governor-General of India C Rajagopalachari had described Nizam’s decision on vernacular language as a bold step and called Osmania University a true swadeshi institution.The Nizam may have been demonised, but city historians credit him with shaping modern Hyderabad. He banned cow slaughter, abolished death penalty, separated judiciary from executive subjecting himself to the rule of law, laid the foundation for modern Hyderabad, resurrected Ellora and Ajanta paintings and contributed 5,000kg of gold to the India Defence Fund, said INTACH Hyderabad convener P Anuradha Reddy. medium71159772“The Nizam decided to remain independent. He also signed a standstill agreement with India buying time to take a decision on joining the Indian Union. Many Hindus too wanted Hyderabad state to remain independent. Except for the last two years of his regime, which are marked by controversies, the Nizam had a glorious rule,” she said.boxcontentThe Politics Of September 17The DivideThe BJP has been demanding that the Telangana government officially celebrate September 17 — the day the 200-year-old rule of the Nizams ended — as ‘Telangana Liberation Day’. The ruling TRS calls the demand “divisive”. Political parties like the Congress and TRS celebrate the day as Telangana merger day. Muslim groups oppose any celebrations as they claim that Muslims were massacred during the 'police action'. The BJP, on the other hand, believes that the Nizam's army committed excesses on its subjects and tried to suppress the freedom struggle. The TRS position is that the day is a "transition from monarchy to democracy" and not liberation.The PoliticsThe BJP, buoyed by its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, sees this as an issue that'll help it earn political dividends and fit in with its campaign over scrapping of Article 370 in J&KArguing that it is wrong to celebrate September 17 as Hyderabad liberation day, Democratic and Secular Alliance president Dr K Chiranjeevi, who is also a scholar on Telangana history, said the Nizam’s rule continued till January 25, 1950. “Osman Ali Khan announced on November 24, 1949 that Hyderabad state would adopt the Indian Constitution when it was in drafting stage. The Nizam kept his word on January 26, 1950,” Dr Chiranjeevi said. medium71153056Nizam’s grandson Najaf Ali Khan described Osman Ali Khan’s rule as “a golden era of development and prosperity”. Finding fault with the term, liberation day, he told TOI “Liberation means `the action of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression’. I would like to ask the celebrators of the so-called liberation, if the Nizam’s reign was marked by tyranny, why then after the accession of Hyderabad to India, was he made the Raj Pramukh?”City history scholar Syed Inamur Rahman Ghayur said there was not much activity in Hyderabad on September 17, 1948, except for a broadcast by the Nizam on Hyderabad Radio saying that he had ordered the Hyderabad army to cease fire and permitted the Indian army to take possession of Secunderabad cantonment. Work then began on the formation of a new responsible government with Nizam as the head of state.boxcontent medium71153135 Not just rich, the Nizam was a benevolent ruler Time magazine featured the Nizam on its cover in 1937 declaring him as the world’s richest manThere was only a change of government on September 17, 1948. The Nizam continued as the head of state till January 25, 1950Hyderabad had surplus budget even during WW I and IIHyderabad state had 659 factoriesBuilt Nizamsagar, Palair, Wyra, Mahbubnagar, Fatehnagar and Dindi reservoirsFunded 50,000 religious institutions including 34,500 templesNizam’s funeral was attended by 10 lakh people, the largest non-political gathering ever in HyderabadUntitled Carousel 60081729Untitled Carousel 71141929