---
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title: Part 2 -- A Change of Guard
tags: [book, ' hydlit']

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---
title: Part 2 -- A Change of Guard
date: 2021-04-09
tags: book, hydlit
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# Part 2: A Change of Guard
## Hyderabad: A Biography -- Narendra Luther

### A New Titan

- **Content**: Follows Qamruddin/Nizam/Asaf Jah and his changing rank. Buncha randos coming outta nowhere, killing and rising to power
- Sravani
  - Mohammad shah becomes ruler of India in essence. Once again his luxurious lifestyle is highlighted. He was named 'merry monarch', yet did nothing about deteriorating administration: pg 100
  - Titles are very important and signify a deoth of meaning "Asaf was the mythical PM of the Biblical ruler Solomon and the title therefore signified wisdom of a higher order." pg 101
      - "My name was Qamruddin, which means the 'moon of my faith'"
  - Again, poetry is used to seduce but this time its away from violence "The Nizam presented himself before Nafir Shah bareheaded with a sword hanging around his neck and appealed to him to stop the carnage by reciting a Persian couplet..." pg 102
  - Again, there is talk of prophesy from a hermit: "My son, you have eaten 7 loaves. Your family will rule for 7 generations. God bless you.." pg 103
  - And then kulcha was incorporated in the Asaf Jahi flag because of this? He later mentioned that it wasn't and was in reference to his old name and the moon. It is still mentioned in the book cas author likes this kinda stuff? pg 103
  - Importance given again to the fact that he was a poet: "And this man of action was also given to the royal pasttime of composing poetry. He wrote in Persian and sported the pen name of Shakir, 'the content'... 'a master of sword and of pen'." pg 105
  - "Like Sultan Quli, two centuries earlier, Qamruddin laid no clain to royalty. He sat on no throne. He wore no crown, but he wielded more power than the nominal Mughal Emporor" Most of his stories tend to diss whoever was on the Mughal throne at the time (more in favour of/seems partial to ruler of Deccan). Is this from sources or his he just catering to his audience attracted by the title of his book? pg 105
- Shelly
  - text

### Dissipation of the Legacy

- **Content**: New "invaders", foreigners(Portuguese/Dutch/English/French) coming in as merchants, Nizams rule the north and south with the south being the new centre for politics. Political contests were still settles with wars and killing. 
- Sravani
  - Again, no proper introduction given before names are thrown out. Who tf is Robert Clive. Pg 108
- Shelly
  - text

### Musa Ram and Hashmat Jung

- **Content**: Raymond/Musa Ram/Musa Rahim placed as head pf French troops. Introduction of English Residents at Hyd placed by govt of Madras Presidency. Kirkpatrick was the 6th Resident, built a house of oppulence, had title "Hashmat Jung Bahadur" granted to him by the Nizam. 
- Sravani
  - Nizzam escape attributed to his female troops/guardnees. "That was perhaps the first women's brigade in the world." They had been trained by French and their main job was to mount guard in the harem and to accompany the zenana. pg 115
  - Women go back to being named only for seductive ventures: "...it was only appropriate that he should adopt some of the ways enjoyed by his new oriental nobility. Accordingly, the young saheb acquired a mistress who stayed not far from the Residency. Kirkpatrick spent most of his nights with this hot-blooded woman." pg. 118
  - Then his next sexual exploit is detailed more than the brief political battles/conquests were in the previous chapter. "Kirkpatrick saw her fair and moon like face. She was fresh as a flower." pg. 119
  - Importance is given to her status. "The inebriated Englishman was not slow in working out the relationship. She was a noble woman, not a pariah." So much attention to detail and background given here but not to so called important influencer in the previous chapter like Robert Clive? pg 119
  - He died when his marriage was only 6 years old and then "Khairunissa's hour of glory was over so soon. Her children had been sent to England and her husband was now dead. Now she belonged nowhere. She was a derelict, a widow."
  - Chapters always seem to end as a tribute to whoever was described in the title, with a quick brief summary of their impact on the world etc etc
- Shelly
  - text

### The Resident's Playing

- **Content**: Influence of Russel and Metcalfe, creation of Hyderabad Contingent, financial situations of Nizam deteriorating
- Sravani
  - Tensions between the Nizam and the English escalate as the English profit yet not pay their debts to the Nizams. Only paid back as a reward after Nizams render their services in the uprising of 1857 which would have wiped out the English from India. Some areas were ceded back to the Nizam but not all of them. 
- Shelly
  - text

### A Parade of Diwans

- **Content**: Hyderabad vv popular and now the capital again after 76 years. Contains excerpts from 'Confessions of a thug' by Meadows Taylor describing the city and its grandeur, comparing the Hussain Sagar to divinity "through the mouth of Amir Ali". Intro to Salar Jung
- Sravani
  - Random interjections of story of the bandit Ameer Ali and Azima and his description of the durgah in which they eloped. pg 131
  - Is more of a collection of short stories rather than a biography. Intro to story of Bhavani Pershad and the commisioning of the Rama idol for his temple in Attapur
  - While the name of the city altogether had changed to Hyderabad, the different parts of the city remained unchanged to present day (Attapur, Gandhipet, Secunderabad, Hussain Sagar, Bolaram)
  - English have influence over who to appoint as Diwan. When the Nizam did appoint, they were so indecisive. Cycling through Diwans
  - Power rarely was exercised through official means. People who had no position could influence decisions if granted favour. eg. Burhanuddin (an attendant to the Nizam) and Mama Jamila (maid-in-waiting), Lala Bahadur(daftardar of the state)
  - Intro to Salar Jung who brought about land-revenue reform and got rid of corrupt officials from his time in Khammam
- Shelly
  - text

### 'If Hyderabad is lost...'

- **Content**: More fighting. "As the Governor of Bombay said to the Resident in his nervous telegram: 'If Hyderabad goes, everything goes.'" "With the putting down of the Mutiny, as the British called it, the Mughal Empire, that had nominally continued so far, came finally to an end." The GOvernor-General insisted that new coins for Nizams be made to replace Mughal ones but the Nizams were reluctant as they still considered themselves deputies of the Mughal Emporor. 
- Sravani
  - His slowly dying respect for the monarch might stem from the fact that the Nizams kept siding with the British and resisting the freedom movement. Only if they do good do they get a special emphasis in the last two paras of the chapter?
  - There's a lot of tangents and jumping back anf forth in time. Details are repeated and explained more later but you get confused as to which timezone it is even with the family tree given at the end.
  - His take is inconsistent. The way he phrases it. Is he siding away from the uprising or what?: "The uprising failed because it lacked competent leadership, unity and organization and because the Nizam and Salar Jung sided with the British. The British did not forget that. First, in expressing their gratitude, they returned the districts of ... retaining only Berar." But before it was described as a tensed, strained relationship because they refused to RELINQUISH Berar. Why is the narrative style changing here several chapter later? Is it cas he is referencing a new source now that is more preferential to the British? 
  - "The sovereignity of the Mughals was hollow; the new one of the Nizam was a farce. The British had been nominally subservient to the former; they were overlords of the latter"
- Shelly
  - text

### The Great Diwan

- **Content**: "Salar Jung's support of the British in 1857 earned him their gratitude. He therefore felt free to continue his unfinished business of the reform of the medieval oligarchy that was Hyderabad". He adopted the pattern of the Bombay Presidency. Introduction of electrical telegraph, Salar Jung was pressured to make the Nizams accept the idea. Created 5 ministries with total of 45 departments; system of performance analysis and promotion by merit introduced. Nizam was not nice to him. He resigns but the Nizam shows regret and Salar Jung comes out of the incident with more power than he asked for as British put pressure on Nizam. Struggle between Nizam and the Diwan ended only with his death of latest Nizam which made Salar Jung co regent cas the kid was less thann 3 yrs old.
- Sravani
  - When discussing impact of his absense on the ladies of the palace: "young and handsome"
  - Talks about drama in his tenure: assassination attempt, financial scandal between Anglo indian employee and Resident's wife, Berar issue and installation of child Nizam.
  - SJ wanted to be sole regent, British would not comply. called the "only irreconcilable opponent" of the British in native India. Found out that if he resigned as co-regent, he'd be arrested and deported to Madras. 
  - Daily life, mannerisms described
  - Again, bringing up an astrologer/Pandit, the night that Salar Jung passes away.pg.157 "The verdict was death due to cholera but his French governess swore that he was poisoned."
- Shelly
  - text

### The Toddler Nizam

- **Content**: smol boy Nizam Mahboob, his education, residence, friend and then disposal of friend from office for not showing enough respect
- Sravani
  - Again, he has "penchant for the cup and for women" which was cause for concern  
  - Addition of ball to festivities
- Shelly
  - text

### Paigah's Fancy Dress Party

- **Content**: Anglicization of Nizam and his court is almost complete. No more restriction of social intercourse between Indians and Europeans. Basically described a halloween party
- Sravani
  - Emergence of English games, motorcars
  - Mahboob was vain, narcissistic. First Nizam to start wearing western dress, never wore same dress twice. "The result was that he came to have the largest wardrobe in the world". Is this factually correct? Yeah he had one full wing. 124 cupboards. But was the fact verified?
  - Difference between description of Mahboob's generosity and those of old rulers. Almost sarcastic. Check ss in tg saved messages for quotes
- Shelly
  - text

### Mahboob's Camelot

- **Content**: Intro to Kishen pershad, Shad, benevolent philanthropist, city became a "virtual camelot", then flood
- Sravani
  - text
- Shelly
  - text

### The Great Achievers

- **Content**: Formation of Indian National Congress, social clubs formed, protesting requirement of knowledge of Urdu and Persian for education, vigorous journalistic activity, library movement, Ronald Ross : scientist born in Uttar pradesh, Deen Dayal: Photograph 
- Sravani
  - text
- Shelly
  - text