SEVEN ROTIS AND THE RULE  AND DEMISE OF ASIFJAHI RULE

                              Prof Dr Col   K
Prabhakar Rao ( Retired)

            The
sun was shining fiercely on a hot sunny day and wind blew hot as a man was
riding a horse   on a dusty track. He was
alone.  The man riding the horse was
dressed in the attire of a Muslim noble. He has crossed his forties and with a
flowing    beard had ceremonial
appearance full of determination. A long sword at his side confirmed that he
was a warrior of repute.  As the sun grew
hotter he stopped at a nearby tree,  unmounted the horse and tied it to a tree. He
spread a cloth on the ground removed his shoes unbuckled his sword and settled
to relax.  After few minutes he removed
from his bag a packet containing Chapattis and a bottle of water. He leaned
against the tree and took a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a while. He
opened his eyes when he heard deep voice Baba…. Baba. He saw a fakir in
tattered clothes with a begging bowl standing in front of him. My son! Plesae
give me some food I am very hungry and I did not have food since two days. God
bless you, the fakir prayed. The traveler got up and went to the Fakir and
said, Come Baba it is too hot in the sun. Come and sit on this cloth under the
shade and relax for a while. He escorted the Fakir to the tree and made him
comfortable. He spread the rotis in front of the Fakir and placed a bottle of
water he was carrying. The fakir hungrily consumed all the rotis and gulped
water from the bottle. He took a deep sigh and leaned against the tree.

              
Son I am highly grateful to you for saving me from the hunger and
thirst. Tell me who are you? You appear to be from a noble and reputed
family   and why are you traveling alone
in this hot sun? the fakir asked. I am Qamruddin Chinkhilji Khan son of General
Ghaziuddin Feroz Jung; I am Subedar of this area appointed by the great Mughal
emperor at Delhi.
I am travelling alone because I sent my escort away earlier and there is
nothing to fear for me, the noble replied in all humilities. That is very good
my son, To day you saved a Fakir from hunger and thirst and without caring for
yourself you gave away everything you had for your self, god bless you, I proclaim
that you would soon rule this land as a king and I have consumed all your seven
rotis and seven generations of you would surely rule this land in all glory.
May Allah bestow his divine   blessings
on you and your future generations, the Fakir spoke looking at the sky. Soon
the fakir took leave of the noble and walked away. Chinkhiljkhan rested for
some time and as the hot sun reduced its ferocity, dressed up and rode away.

                 
Chinkhilij Khan became the Subedar of Deccan in 1713 under the orders of
Farukhsiyar the Mughal emperor in Deccan. The
Mughal Empire was struggling on its deathbed with worthless rulers ascending
throne one after the other after Bahadur Shah I, son of Aurangzeb who died in
1712.   Sayyad Brothers played dirty
politics at Delhi
and were king makers. Farooqsiyar followed Zahandar Shah who was killed in
1713.Farook siyar was murdered in 1719. Rafi-ud-daula and Rafi-ud-darajat one
after the other ascended the throne and were murdered in 1719. Mohammed Shah
(Rangila) ascended the throne and ruled till 1748. After the death of
Faruqsiyar, Chinkhiljkhan had to go back to Malwa where he had to defend his
position with arms against the Sayyad brothers. He made himself master of Deccan affairs in 1720. But was summoned back to Delhi to be a Wazir in
1722. He was fed up with palace intrigues and left for Deccan
without permission. He fought Mubariz khan sent by Delhi
to check him at Sakhar Kheda in Berar on 11
Oct 1724 and slew him.       

                
He became very strong and Mohammed Shah the weak and wretched Mughal
emperor had to bestow on him the title of Asif Jah and recognize him as the
Viceroy of South. With this, he virtually became the ruler of Deccan
and independent. He ruled with absolute authority and died on 21 May 1748.Soon
the war of succession broke in Asifjahi dynasty. Nasir Jung a son and Muzaffar
Jung son of his daughter of late Nizam quarreled for the throne and were
supported by the English and French respectively. They were killed in the
battles that followed the quarrel, Salabat Jung, another son was     elevated  
as the ruler with French support and he ruled for ten years. He however
is not recognized as a Nizam. He was overthrown by Nizam Ali khan another Son
of late Nizam and was crowned as Nizam II. With this, the dynasty settled and
there were successive rulers such as Sikandar Jhah, Nasiruddaula, Afzaluddaula,
Mir Mahbbob Alikhan (Pasha) and the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali khan. Although
there was a gap of 10 years after the death of Nizam I, Only Nizam Ali Khan was
recognized as Nizam II. The in - between rulers such as Nasir Jung, Muzaffar
Jung and Salabat Jung are not recognized as the Nizams and there was no
generation gap between them.

             The
dynasty produced seven generations of recognized Nizams till the last Nizam 7
was deposed after Police action by the Indian Armed forces on 17 Sept 1948.
Unfortunately, the last Nizam although was a good builder and a man of taste
tried his best to remain independent in a changed scenario when India
was granted independence on 15 Aug 1947. He was grossly misled and abetted the
formation of armed Razakar force of thugs and rapists under the fundamentalist,
self-styled Field Marshal Kasim Razvi. The Razakar force that was armed
committed grave crimes on Hindu population in the Hyderabad State
with the connivances of Prime Minister Layak Ali, Police Chief Deenyar Jung and
the Hyderabad Army. There were mass murders, lootings, dacoities, innumerable
mass and gang rapes of Hindu women, public killings, burning of trains with the
intention of subduing and terrorizing Hindu population. Shoibulla Khan the
editor of Imroz daily was brutally murdered by the Razakars as the editor
opposed the atrocities of Razakars and the policy of Nizam 7.  The Nizam 7 remained a mute spectator to all
these inhuman happenings and destiny played its card. He finally had to pay
and   loose his kingship after the police
action by Indian Union Govt.  Hyderabad
State was merged with Indian Union and with this, the seven-generation rule of
dynasty of Nizam I collapsed and ended Thus the great dynasty established by a
valiant, able and efficient Qamruddin Chihinkhiljikhan, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asifjah
in 1724 collapsed unceremoniously after police action during the rule of Mir
Osman Ali khan Bahadur, Nizam-ul—Mulk Asifjah- 7 on 17 Sept 1948 after seven
generation rule as professed by the Fakir. The yellow Flag of Asifjahis
displays 7 rotis that the Fakir ate offered by Nizam I. No one can change the
destiny in this world, however great he may be.  

Osman Ali the Nizam was although great

Could not escape the destiny and his fate

The Fakirs word had the final say

And the Nizam by his
misrule had to at last pay

The Nizam abetted the Razakars the criminals

Who killed and raped women folk

Razvi was the greatest thug of modern times

And Hindu children failed tossing nursery rhymes

The cruel Nizam 
brought Arabs and Pathans into state

They killed 
Hindus with greatest hate

Dirtiest deeds the Razakars committed in the State

And the Nizam paid by the fate and its stroke

Dr K Prabhakar Rao