Don's Fantasy

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Sometime back, DQ said, rather lyrically:

"...The mention of Hyderabad evokes in me the charm of the Nizams. The nuanced culture and sophistication they have become synonymous with. May be now, that Hyderabad exists only in our fantasies but that will do for me..."

So, here is a Nizamia Item from today's ToI by Mir Ayub Ali Khan:

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"Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad and Santiniketan near Kolkata may be in far flung corners, but they have an interesting connect that harks back to the time of the Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.

(...gps: See http://gpsastry.blogspot.com/2011/07/bangle-sellers.html )


Both were given a fresh lease of life by him.

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore is said to have visited Hyderabad himself twice, seeking financial assistance for Santiniketan. The Nizam first granted 1 lakh British rupees and later added it with another 1.25 lakh rupees. With 2.25 lakh rupees, Tagore established the Persian Chair in the institute...

Ajanta Caves, on the other hand, was the most noted contribution of the Nizam who took keen interest in the conservation, protection and documentation of the first and second century BC paintings in the caves. The Ajanta Caves came under the then Hyderabad state.

...Incidentally, all the Ajanta Cave paintings have been replicated by an artist and are on display in State Museum in Public Gardens in Hyderabad.

Revealing his secular side, the Seventh Nizam also gave an annual grant for 10 years for the publication of the Mahabharata in Sanskrit by a Pune-based institute in 1930s.

...He also paid a total of 32,500 rupees for the construction of the guest house for the institute."

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gps: How did the Nizams get all their money?

Simple...from the fabulous diamond exports from Golconda, a stone's throw from my apartment....some stone though...

Here is some tidbit about the Koh-i-Noor diamond from wiki:

"It is believed that the Koh-i-Noor carries with it a curse and only when in the possession of a woman will the curse not work. All the men who owned it have either lost their throne or had other misfortunes befall them. Queen Victoria is the only reigning monarch to have worn the gem. According to the legend, if the monarch is a male, the stone is passed to his spouse.

The possibility of a curse pertaining to ownership of the diamond dates back to a Hindu text relating to the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in 1306: "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity." All the owners of the Koh-i-noor have had a tragedy befall them."


So, Don Garu: When are you visiting our Nizam's Hyderabad?

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