Glimpses of the Nizam’s Dominion – Cluade Campbell

The book is in news again. While the English edition is just a reprint, the Urdu translation is the actual news maker.

Glimpses of the Nizam’s Dominion – Cluade Campbell: (Reprinted by Mohammed Safiullah and the Deccan Heritage Trust.), A rare 112-year-old book gets a reprint, The Hindu / Metro Plus Hyderabad, 14 Jan 2010

The comprehensive history of Hyderabad is depicted in the book “Glimpses of Nizam’s Dominion”. It gives the details of the industrial, mineral and historical developments since 1897. It contains the details of the nobles of Hyderabad.

Urdu version of the book titled Tarikh Qalamrau Nizam that was published in 1899

NEW: Urdu edition of ‘Glimpses of Nizam’s Dominion’ (republished, by Allama Aejaz Farukh and Mr. Zahid Ali Khan), Siasat November 10, 2011

An extract (from this book) by a blogger: 'Hyderabada visual tribute to the city i live in: Lakshmi Prabhala'

Library of Congress Record for this book:

LC control no.: 46040955
LCCN permalink: http://lccn.loc.gov/46040955
Type of material: Book (Print, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
Personal name: Campbell, A. Claude.
Main title: Glimpses of the Nizam’s dominions,
Published/Created: Bobmay and London, C. B. Burrows [1898]
Description: 525 p. illus. (incl. ports.) 41 cm.
Subjects: Hyderabad (India : State) --Pictorial works.
LC classification: DS485.H3 C3

British Library Record

The Passing of Patrimonialism: Politics and Political Culture in Hyderabad, 1911-1948; by Margrit Pernau

Info courtesy: Usama Khalidi

The Passing of Patrimonialism: Politics and Political Culture in Hyderabad, 1911-1948; by Margrit Pernau; New Delhi: Manohar, 2000 (earlier version published in German as Verfassung und politische Kultur im Wandel : der indische Fürstenstaat Hyderabad 1911-48; Stuttgart: F. Steiner, 1992)

Product Details:
* Pub. Date: June 2000
* Publisher: Manohar
* Format: Hardcover, 395pp
* ISBN-13: 9788173043628
* ISBN: 8173043620

Synopsis:
The political life of India's princely states has often been described by their fly-in-amber quality. A closer look, however reveals that behind the 'oriental' facade, tremendous changes took place in the 20th century. This book follows up these changes in the princely state of Hyderabad during the time of its last ruler, Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. The study concentrates on the changes brought about by enforced administrative reforms, by the transformation of the system of external relations in the wake of the round table conferences and by the political mobilisation of large sections of the population.

About the Author
Margit Pernau has studied Indian and European history as well as public law at the University of Heidelberg (Germany). She is affiliated to the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg, as a research fellow.

Review
" The book under review is certainly one of the most scholarly works on the subject of passing of patrimonialism in an indian princely state at the beginning of the second half of the last century." Siasat Daily, Hyderabad.

More Reviews

Hie Passing of Patrimonialfs

Qalandar: Book Review: THE PASSING OF PATRIMONIALISM

The tragedy of Hyderabad, A. G. NOORANI

Far and away......

Locating Home: India's Hyderabadis Abroad, by Karen Isaksen Leonard

Review from Saty's desktop:
Karen Isaksen Leonard's 'Locating Home' is a brilliant, comparative study of the Hyderabadi diaspora across the world-- Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

Quite evidently, Karen has spent a lot of time over painstaking research, fieldwork and conducting interviews. 'Locating Home' looks at Hyderabadi culture and institutions, transplanted in alien shores. She demonstrates how memories of old Hyderabad, in terms of cultural values and institutions still find a place in the lives of these expats, or get transmuted and even discarded, depending on several factors, which include generation, gender, social strata, and other associations with what used to be the state of Hyderabad. Interestingly, Karen's previous publications include a book on the Kayasth community. 'Locating Home' is a must read for Hyderabadis--be they a part of the diaspora or 'locals'.

Review @ Amazon:
“This is research on a grand scale. Karen Leonard questions prevailing notions of diaspora, transnationalism, and globalization not by adding yet another layer to the cake of theory on these topics, but by providing a rich, incredibly diverse engagement with Hyderabadis around the world. As a multisite ethnographer, Leonard practices what most anthropologists are content merely to preach.”—Andrew Shryock, University of Michigan

Nothing changes, yet nothing remains the same...

Well, unfortunately, real life in Hyderabad can't keep pace with the frenetic pace of bloggers in virtual space. The city's languid lifestyle was once a major attraction. Today, it is a happening place with all the attendant problems on infrastructure and civic life. For old timers, the Arts College and the High Court are monuments that mirror the city's grandeur (of yore). Youngsters prefer to talk of Hi-tech City, the pubs in town and multiplexes. For some, there are distinctive traits that go with Hyderabadi culture; for others it's the new melting pot--accepting and open enough, culture be damned. For yet others, with one foot planted here and the other 'there', 'two-timing' is simply not easy.

If you're looking for a good book--there are many on our city--Ms. Noopur Kumar's 'Portrait of a City' has some excellent photographs (by Mr. D. Ravinder Reddy) on the many facets of Hyderabad, over the last few decades. It's an excellent coffee-table work and certainly worth a read.

Saty
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***image source: D.K. Agencies]
See also

India centre (at Hyderabad) engineers played key role, filed 40 patents for Vista ,
Venkatesh Ganesh

Hyderabad: A Tale of Hype and Hope. By Patralekha Chatterjee. (Urban Age, 1999) [includes: From Minarets to Microsoft]

What else to read

More on Moazzam Jah

Well, you might think that yesterday's post was a prelude to this. It didn't occur to me at the time I posted my take on Narendra Luther's book that I have a few recollections of Moazzam Jah myself, and my own little brush with royalty--inconsequential as it may have been.


I had just joined a Master's program in English in the year1980, when a friend's senior cousin, Rashid Qayyum, asked me if I'd be interested in helping Moazzam Jah's son--Shahamat Jah, with some English. In other words, was I willing to be his 'tuition master'? I agreed quite readily, because for one thing, it meant some extra bucks I could do with. For another, and more importantly, I'd be able to catch a glimpse of the legendary Moazzam Jah, the former junior prince of erstwhile Hyderabad. For the next few months I went quite religiously to 'Fern Villa' in Red Hills where I'd sit with Shahamat in his room trying to help him with the odd poem or essay. Once in a few days, Moazzam Jah Bahadur would ask for me and make small talk. He also invited me for dinner once and ensured that some very good vegetarian food was cooked. But, by then he was a shadow of his former self and could not move about freely.

As Hyder Ali Aatish of the Lucknow school tells us:
na gor*-e-Sikandar, na hai qabr-e-Daara
miTay naamiyoN ke nishaaN kaise kaise

*grave

saty

'Nocturnal Court': Life of a Prince of Hyderabad by Narendra Luther

Talking of books on Hyderabad, I think Narendra Luther's 'Nocturnal Court', a translation of Sidq Jaisi's unforgettable account of life and times in Moazzam Jah's Court ('Darbaar-e-durbaar) is an excellent work. While the English translation is certainly nowhere close to the Urdu original, in spite of Luther's monumental effort, for those who can't read the original, and as it happens, they are the vast majority, the book provides a very rare glimpse into the exotic evenings at Moazzam Jah's Court. And for those who don't know who Moazzam Jah--after whom Moazzam Jahi Market in Hyderabad is named--was, he was the second son of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad.

Moazzam Jah's real name, if I remember right, was Shuja'at Ali Khan. He also wrote under the taKhallus or nom de plume of 'Shaji'. Off-hand I like most others can quote quite a few of Shaji's memorable couplets, written in simple Urdu, but I guess one would suffice, for now.
shaam-e-Gham kaT rahi hai mazay meiN Shaji
shaam-e-Gham ki seher ho tau kya kijiye
Saty