HYDERABAD DIARIES

his mother tongue, Urdu. He served in various capacities and later became the Head of the Education Department. In the course of his 30 years of service, various honours and titles were bestowed upon him. In 1910, he began working on an English translation of the Quran, but it was left unfinished. Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk was renowned for his candour. In his book, Some Contemporaries, Maulvi Abdul Haq writes that once when the former Nizam of the Deccan, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, enquired of his nobles what his subjects thought of him, they responded with exaggerated praise. Only Imad-ul-Mulk remained silent. When pointedly asked to give an answer, he said that people regarded him as a drunkard who paid no attention to the administration of the State or to the welfare of his subjects. The Nizam, impressed by such plain speaking, presented him with a priceless diamond ring as a reward. The Nizam’s successor, Mir Osman Ali Khan, was less tolerant of Imad-ul-Mulk. Maulvi Abdul Haq relates how once, when Osman Ali Khan was discussing marriage, he said that Islam showed great leniency in the number of wives it allowed a man to have. Imad-ul-Mulk at once corrected him, pointing out that Islam, on the contrary had laid down such strict conditions (i.e., a man must be certain that he is in a position to give equal treatment to all of his wives. Otherwise, he should not contract further marriages), that no one would dare to have more than one wife. The Shah was upset at such forthrightness and had him removed from the dinner table, where the conversation had taken place. Had Mir Osman Ali Khan but known that he himself would soon be removed from his throne; he might have shown greater tolerance towards his subordinate. Ignorance of one’s destiny is often responsible for many acts of arrogance. A foretaste of the future would surely cure one of this failing. The pages of Hyderabad history have more than one vital lesson to teach us. During the regime, the Prime Minister’s post was usually held by a Hindu nobleman. For example, in 1940, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad held this post, one of his assets being his fluency in Arabic, Persian and English. The lower echelons were usually composed of Muslims, for whom such posts were reserved, as it was a major source Experience has shown us that education acts as a buffer against communal riots. Therefore, wellwishers who genuinely wish to put a stop to riots should work towards educating the community.