Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII
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Usman Ali Khan Bahadur Fateh Jung (April 8, 1886 – February 24, 1967) also named Fath Jang Nawwab Mir Osman Ali Khan Asif Jah VII,was the last Nizam of Hyderabad. He was popular among his subjects as A'la-Hadrat. He was born in Hyderabad on April 5, 1886 at Purani Haveli. As he was the heir-apparent, great attention was paid to his education, and eminent scholars were engaged to teach him English, Urdu and Persian, Like his father and grandfather He learnt the Islamic sciences under the renowned scholar of Islam, Shaikh al-Islam Hafiz Anwarullah Faruqi of the Jami'ah Nizamiyyah of Hyderabad.
On April 14, 1906 he married Dulhan Pasha Begum, daughter of Nawab Jahangir Jung, at Eden Bagh at the age 21. Mir Osman Ali Khan, ruled for 37 years (from 1911 - 1948). His Dominion was larger than England and Scotland put together, with an area of 86,000 square miles (223,000 km²). His eldest son, Azam Jah, was married to Durru Shehvar, daughter of Abdul Mejid II the last Caliph and Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
The seventh Nizam led a very simple life,even though he was one of the richest men in the world. He donated generously to every cause in India as well as abroad irrespective of caste and religion. If it was the Muslim theological school of Jamia Nizamia or the Darul Uloom Deoband which received financial help, it was also the privilege of the Benaras Hindu University.
The Nizam’s rule saw the growth of Hyderabad economically and culturally. Electricity, railways, roads and airways developed. Huge reservoirs and irrigation projects such as the Tungabhadra, and Nizamsagar were completed. The early work on Nagarjunasagar was undertaken. The Osmania University, Colleges and Schools were founded throughout the state.Up to 11 % of the Nizam's budget was spent on education - schools, colleges, universities and even a Department for Translation was set up. Primary education was made compulsory and provided free to poor sections of society. Nearly all the public buildings currently in such as the Osmania General Hospital, Andhra Pradesh High Court, Central State Library, Assembly Hall, Jubilee Hall and other buildings in the Public Garden were built during Osman Ali Khan’s reign.
Soon after India gained independence in 1947, all princely states were invited to either join the Republic or proclaim independence. The Nizam's dynasty had been the largest in rank since the abolition of the Mughals at Elhi and the King of Oudh. He chose to stay independent if not allowed to accede to Pakistan, despite the fact that a vast majority of the people in his state were Hindu. After a lot of political wrangling, when the irregular militia of the Nizam's prime minister (the Razakars) began terrorising trains passing through the Hyderabad state, India annexed Hyderabad state by a military liberation called Operation Polo under the rubric of a "Police Action." The Nizam was deposed though allowed to stay in Hyderabad. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam, died on Friday, February 24 1967. It was the end of a princely era.
External links
- [Brief biography and detailed genealogy]
- [The Nizam on the cover of Time Magazine]
- [A Book on the Jewels of the Nizams by Usha R.Bala Krishnan]
- [A Gallery of the Famed Jewellery of the Nizam of Hyderabad]
- [Nizam's fabled jewels dazzle Delhi]
- Jacob Diamond - [The Jacob Diamond of the Nizam]
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