1. Name: Asif Jahs of Hyderabad : Their Rise and Decline
2. Author: Rajendra Prasad
3. Genre: Non Fiction/History
4. Book Post No. : 60
5. What is it about? Did you know that after the Indian Independence on 15 August 1947 there was a period of 13 months when the Princely State of Hyderabad existed as an independent nation? It only joined the rest of India in September 1948. Hyderabad these days is mostly known for its Biryani, its IT sector, the unique Hyderabadi language and of course the Charminar. Founded in 1591 to accommodate the growing population of the nearby Golconda, Hyderabad has seen over 400 years of history which can be split into 2 phases with a brief Mughal transitional period in the middle. The first one was under the Qutb Shahi Dynasty, during which much of the foundation of the city’s growth and development was laid and the second was Asaf Jah dynasty, which ruled Hyderabad till the Indian Independence in 1947. In this book, Rajendra Prasad traces the history of the Asaf Jahs, also known popularly as the Nizams, from their rise in 1724, through their decline and eventual end in 1947. Through objective analysis and subtle humor, Rajendra writes an engaging and comprehensive account of a dynasty that has come to define and influence Hyderabad till the present day.
6. How I came to read it? I found this book on my dad’s bookshelves during my last visit to India. Since my undergrad days in Hyderabad, I have been reading books on Hyderabad whenever it fancied me. I took this with me to Canada intending to return it on my next trip.
7. Did I like it? Loved it! Hyderabad is a city dear to my heart. Even though I have not grown up there my childhood is filled with memories of our family’s trips to Hyderabad to meet our relatives. I remember visiting Golconda, Charminar and many other historic structures, never really thinking much about the builders of these icons of the city. My interest in Hyderabad began to grow during my move to Hyderabad to complete my Engineering. Coincidentally the name of the college I studied in, Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology, is named after the second son of the last Asaf Jah ruler. During my Engineering my days, my interest in Hyderabad’s history peaked and I gobbled up many books on the subject. While my classmates used to bunk classes and go watch movies, me and one of my friends would sneak off to visit some old heritage building. I had a list printed out from INTACH’s website which listed around 1000 buildings of heritage value, which I used to check off after each visit. I started a blog as well to document my visits and share facts about Hyderabad. As I moved away from Hyderabad for my first job and for my career, my distance from Hyderabad grew both literally and mentally. Now and then I read a book or visit a heritage building to keep the love alive and this book does a fabulous job of it.
Rajendra Prasad provides a comprehensive account of the history of the Asaf Jahs though his focus is on the later part of the dynasty’s existence. And rightly so, as, except the first Asaf Jah or the Nizam, the next 3 Nizams were not much to write about. The 6th and 7th Nizam played a very important role in modernizing and developing Hyderabad, And here is where the excellence of the book comes out, while describing the journeys of these influential Nizams. The book focusses mostly on the political angle while providing some brief digressions about culture and economical factors. The final chapters deal with the eventual end of the Nizams with the attainment of India’s Independence. There were a multitude of players involved during these complicated times including the British, the Congressmen, the communists, an Islamic political party and others. Rajendra deftly handles these complex equations, managing to keep the reader engrossed. But the thing that stood out for me is the humor. Rajendra adds these lines laced with humor where one cant help but imagine the author chuckling to himself. History can sometimes elicit incredulity, given our knowledge of the hindsight. Those humorous lines act as a supportive friend, reassuring us that, yes, the events were comical and our reaction is justified.
While my classmates used to bunk classes and go watch movies, me and one of my friends would sneak off to visit some old heritage building.
Rajendra also keeps the book largely free of any kind of bias. History books are ideally to be neutral telling us the events as they happened but these days a lot of one sided books (and movies) are coming out. It was refreshing to see no such content in the book. The fact that this book came out in 1984 could be a reason. Rajendra does not fail to mention the many charitable actions of the Nizams including the donations to many temples throughout his dominion. There are many buildings mentioned in the book that I have visited like the King Kothi Palace. I have seen the 2 floor Nizam’s wardrobe with a mechanical lift, so I could understand what the author was talking about when he mentions the Nizam’s lifestyle.
Overall, the book is an excellent read and I wonder why it is not popular more. The writing is top quality. The events unfold in the manner of a story. Rajendra also gives a brief snippet into the lives of the common folk who lived around the later part of the story to us a glimpse of what normal existence was like. This is something many books overlook. Also, every now and then, Rajendra provides us with a comparison with events happening around the world to put Hyderabad’s events in perspective. It is a brilliant way to contextualize events. Overall, the book can be best summed up by the fact that while I was reading this book, the events of the book were running in my mind like a TV show, so that when there were gaps in my reading, I felt like I was pausing the show.
8. Positives: Top quality writing, comprehensive and engaging account, does not get boring in any way, storytelling style
9. Negatives: A couple of minor issues. One, at times the author does not mention the name of the person or city he is referring to which drives some readers like me mad. For example, in one section he states that “At least one among them rose to be the Chief Minister of the successor Andhra Pradesh State, the Foreign, and Prime Minister of India, years later” and he does not mention who this was. My curiosity would not compel me move further into the book without knowing who this person was and I had to google it to confirm my guess. I wonder what would have happened if the author mentioned the name? Why the tease? It was PV Narsimha Rao, in case you became restless like me. In another instance, Rajendra, mentions about an Indian Army Major, Freddie Freemantle, who during the operation to take Hyderabad comes across a village whose plight moves him and he takes good care of the village till a civilian admin comes in. This town was later nicknamed ‘Freddie-nagar’ after the captain. What is the village’s actual name? He cryptically does not mention it. I googled it but couldn’t find out. It needs more homework. There are other instances of this frustrating habit.
10. Any other personal notes, observations, fun facts etc.
I have read many books and written many posts about Hyderabad, its history and heritage. Below is a list of books I have read and which might help the readers on their journey of exploration of history of Hyderabad. Also, I have listed out and linked to some of my posts related to Hyderabad.
List of some of the books I have read related to Hyderabad:
1. Hyderabad: A Biography by Narendra Luther
2. A Guide to the Heritage of Hyderabad by Madhu Vottery
3. White Mughals by William Dalrymple
4. The Last Nizam by John Zubrzycki
5. Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India by Ubaidur Rahman
List of some blog posts (of many) I have written related to Hyderabad:
1. Link to a section called Heritage Hyderabad which features Hyderabad related posts. Most of these were written during my undergrad days in Hyderabad.
2. An account of a Heritage Walk in Hyderabad in 2010.
3. A visit to H.E.H Nizam’s Museum visit in 2012.
4. An account of a another Heritage Walk in Hyderabad in 2012.
5. A visit to the State Central Library in 2011.
6. A visit to the excellent British Residency in 2023.
