August has been a month of rains, which means more cups of tea and a stack of non-fiction books to read. A funny thing about me is that I am increasingly glued to old books that one rarely gets to know about on social media. This month, the book that caught my interest is 'A Song of Hyderabad: Memories of a World Gone By', written by Bilquis Jehan Khan, who refers to her place of birth as 'Hyderabad Deccan.' An interesting chapter titled 'How to Run a Palace' has elaborate descriptions of their luxurious lifestyle as royals in Hyderabad and another chapter is titled 'The Jagir that Supported Us.' [Book Review: Sounds of Silence]
Readers are introduced to the family of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Pasha, whom the author describes as a 'servant of the people' because he built the 4000 bed Osmania Hospital, the State Central Library which was then known as the Asafiya Library , the High Court and many other public service buildings in Hyderabad.
Bilquis Jehan Khan on Marriages in Muslim royal families
Through this book, you are drawn to the inner world of Muslim royal families and their way of life, how the girls of the royal families are not allowed to go shopping since they were in purdah, how family scandals are tactfully hushed up, how marriages are finalised at a very young age for the girls and so on. In the author's case, her nikah was arranged when she was sixteen years old.
The author reveals that she was adopted and raised by her grandmother whom she believed to be her mother! The author didn't know her real parents were her real parents till the time of her nikah. She also says that she had thought that her father had been her older brother-in-law! It turns out that her father was a mystic, who belonged to the clan of Abu Talib.
[DO READ: How to Practice Silence on a Daily Basis]
The author also reveals that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had bestowed the title Taj-ul-Mulk, Governor of the realm, on her father's predecessor Shah Naseer-ud-Deen, who married the grand daughter of the revered saint Baba Sheikh Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar, who is now buried in present-day Pakistan.
The author reveals that she was adopted and raised by her grandmother whom she believed to be her mother! The author didn't know her real parents were her real parents till the time of her nikah. She also says that she had thought that her father had been her older brother-in-law! It turns out that her father was a mystic, who belonged to the clan of Abu Talib.
[DO READ: How to Practice Silence on a Daily Basis]
The author also reveals that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had bestowed the title Taj-ul-Mulk, Governor of the realm, on her father's predecessor Shah Naseer-ud-Deen, who married the grand daughter of the revered saint Baba Sheikh Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar, who is now buried in present-day Pakistan.
The hearsay within the author's family was that the Nizam wanted her grandfather to marry into the royal family but that did not happen, following which the Nizam was displeased but he finally gave his approval.
An interesting tidbit: the royal marriages were so grand that the author says her grandfather's procession was several miles long that the lead elephant arrived at the bride's house before the bridegroom had even begun the journey!
An interesting tidbit: the royal marriages were so grand that the author says her grandfather's procession was several miles long that the lead elephant arrived at the bride's house before the bridegroom had even begun the journey!
Bilquis Jehan Khan on Fasting in a Muslim Royal Household
The author's first 'Eid' fasting ceremony was at the age of nine years and all members of the royal family came together to mark her break her first fast with fresh dates, a sharbat containing almonds and served in a silver tumbler, which she still cherishes as a long time souvenir.
Through this book, you are taken through the secret lives of Hyderabad's royal Muslim families, their inner world that is shown to us through candid glimpses.
The author describes how the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad Salar Jang Bahadur gifted her a gold French watch with enamel all around it and in her words, 'it still looks new'.
There is also a reference to the 7th Nizam's son and her playmate Mukkaram Jah, who was endowed with the figurehead title of Raj Pramukh and enthroned in the Chowmahalla Palace. The author reveals that he later emigrated to Australia, where he had lived on a ranch and then he migrated to Turkey though he still owns three palaces including the luxurious Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. Like his father, he too married a Turkish princess but later divorced her when he fell in love with an Australian lady. His first wife, Princess Esra took her children to London, where they lived with her former mother-in-law Princess Dur-e-Shahwat.
Another instance is where the author talks about her aunt convinced her grandmother to send her to a proper school. Thus, she attended classes at Mahboobia School for Girls, which had been founded by the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan. It seems that the Nizam had not only founded this school for girls but also engaged teachers from England to run it on the Cambridge system, with Domestic Science as a compulsory subject for girls. Interestingly, extra curricular activities like staging plays, having milads and engaging in sports activities like badminton, tenniquoit and netball where in vogue at this exclusive school for girls in Hyderabad.
The author, in her unusual memoir, writes: "My grandfather persuaded Miss Linnell to allow me to bring my two maids with me. Every morning, we drove to school in a car with curtains on the windows, and an Arab bodyguard sitting up front beside the driver. The maids remained me with all day...."
A truly fascinating read the book is! It is somewhat baffling that the Pakistani author, whose book revolves around her luxurious life growing up as royalty in Hyderabad, goes on to completely disown her Indian identity. Sadly, the author also refers to India with considerable scornful restraint and cynicism, placing Pakistan on a holier-than-thou pedestal.
The author describes how the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad Salar Jang Bahadur gifted her a gold French watch with enamel all around it and in her words, 'it still looks new'.
There is also a reference to the 7th Nizam's son and her playmate Mukkaram Jah, who was endowed with the figurehead title of Raj Pramukh and enthroned in the Chowmahalla Palace. The author reveals that he later emigrated to Australia, where he had lived on a ranch and then he migrated to Turkey though he still owns three palaces including the luxurious Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad. Like his father, he too married a Turkish princess but later divorced her when he fell in love with an Australian lady. His first wife, Princess Esra took her children to London, where they lived with her former mother-in-law Princess Dur-e-Shahwat.
Another instance is where the author talks about her aunt convinced her grandmother to send her to a proper school. Thus, she attended classes at Mahboobia School for Girls, which had been founded by the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan. It seems that the Nizam had not only founded this school for girls but also engaged teachers from England to run it on the Cambridge system, with Domestic Science as a compulsory subject for girls. Interestingly, extra curricular activities like staging plays, having milads and engaging in sports activities like badminton, tenniquoit and netball where in vogue at this exclusive school for girls in Hyderabad.
The author, in her unusual memoir, writes: "My grandfather persuaded Miss Linnell to allow me to bring my two maids with me. Every morning, we drove to school in a car with curtains on the windows, and an Arab bodyguard sitting up front beside the driver. The maids remained me with all day...."
A truly fascinating read the book is! It is somewhat baffling that the Pakistani author, whose book revolves around her luxurious life growing up as royalty in Hyderabad, goes on to completely disown her Indian identity. Sadly, the author also refers to India with considerable scornful restraint and cynicism, placing Pakistan on a holier-than-thou pedestal.
The author's disparaging remarks about the policies of the 'Hindu-dominated' government of India, which is the author's reference to the Congress-led, dynastic rule in India, presents a socio-political paradox of sorts.
Published by Oxford University Press, 'A Song of Hyderabad: Memories of a World Gone By', written by Bilquis Jehan Khan offers a fascinating read of the luxurious social life enjoyed by royal Muslim families in India before and after Partition.
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