Tag Archives: Nizam VII

Hyderabad: Ship with ‘Rs 51 lakh’ sank 100 yrs ago & spurred cash printing

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HYDERABAD / BRITISH INDIA :

ss egypt: Nizam Currency Sank With Ss Egypt, Sparked Printing Revolution In India | Hyderabad News - Times of India
The Hyderabad currency comprised 40,000 pieces of 100 Halli  Sikka (HS), 1,00,000 pieces of 10 HS, and 25,000 pieces of of 5 HS, totalling 1,65,000 pieces

After the ocean liner, SS Egypt , sank in the Celtic Sea on May 20, 1922, the events that unfolded over the next 17 years forced the Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, to shift the printing of Hyderabad currency from England to Nashik.

ss egypt: Nizam Currency Sank With Ss Egypt, Sparked Printing Revolution In India | Hyderabad News - Times of India

On this day (May 19) 100 years ago, SS Egypt owned by The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, England, left Tilbury docks in London for Bombay (Mumbai). It had 44 passengers and 294 crew members, besides a large shipment of gold and silver and 1. 6 lakh pieces of Hyderabad currency, which had a face value of Rs 51,25,000.


The next day (on May 20, 1922), the ship collided with a French cargo ship and sank off Ushant in France. The Hyderabad currency shipped by Waterlow and Sons to the princely state of Hyderabad too went down into the sea. The treasure was salvaged a decade later in 1932, only to trigger a prolonged legal tussle.


“The Hyderabad currency comprised 40,000 pieces of Rs 100 Halli Sikka (HS), 1,00,000 pieces of Rs 10 HS, and 25,000 pieces of Rs 5 HS, totalling 1,65,000 pieces. The face value was Rs 51,25,000,” eminent numismatist and heritage expert . Amarbir Singh told TOI, adding that since the currency notes were unsigned, they did not legally carry value.


“In those days, the finance member’s signature was over-printed in Hyderabad after the notes arrived from England. Hence, the currency that sank with SS Egypt was valueless. For this reason, they were insured for their printed value of £2,000,” Amarbir said.


Stating that few of the notes salvaged had made their way to Hyderabad, resulting in a spate of legal fights, Amarbir said the issue was closed 17 years after the notes were printed which entailed seven years of negotiation and litigation.

“The government of Hyderabad decided it would be safer to print currency in India. The outbreak of World War II shortly after proved it was indeed a wise decision,” Amarbir said, explaining how the princely state changed location of currency printing from England to India.

The Hyderabad government requested Waterlow to destroy the notes and ordered a replacement stock from the printers, with the same series repeated, but in a slightly different type of font used in the serial number to indicate the difference. These were received and duly circulated, and the matter was regarded as closed, he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad> News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Syed Akbar, TNN / May 19th, 2022

Nizam’s 1st notes printed in London

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA: 

The coins till the police action were in the pattern of Moghal coinage before it was changed in 1858.

Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan
Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan

Hyderabad:

The first series of paper currency introduced during the rule of Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan were printed in London.

The currency notes of one five, 10, 100 and 1,000 rupee denominations were widely appreciated for their design and quality of paper, said Mr Amarbir Singh, an eminent numismatic.  “The need for having paper currency was felt as there was a shortage of metal after World War I,” he said during a lecture here.

The notes had Islamic resemblance without any pictures of animals, plants or buildings and contained four languages — Urdu, English, Kannada and Telugu.

“The Nizam ensured that they were without any signature of the finance committee member. Only when they landed in the Hyderabad did they gain complete form,” Mr Singh said. The second series of notes, smaller in size, were introduced in the 1930s and printed at the Government Printing Press at Malakpet.

The regular coinage of Hyderabad in large circulation was the one rupee coin, the Osmania ‘Sicca’. The one rupee note was unpopular, and people were put off by its black colour.

The coins till the police action were in the pattern of Moghal coinage before it was changed in 1858.

Hyderabad had a mechanised mint at Saifabad where gold silver and copper coins were printed.

The highest coin for public circulation was silver one rupee.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle. com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Asif Yar Khan, Deccan Chronicle / July 15th, 2018

Of mushairas and Urdu poetry in an era gone by

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While Hyderabad has transformed into an urban metropolis, mushairas and Urdu poetry have survived the test of time. Mohd. Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, historian and Urdu-Persian scholar, traces the history of Urdu poetry in Hyderabad

(Courtesans singing ghazals…)
(Courtesans singing ghazals…)

During Nizam’s time, Urdu had a very special position — it was spoken by everyone, everywhere. All sign boards, shops, post offices, hospitals, railway stations were written exclusively in Urdu. There were three main languages during the time — Telugu, Maharashtra and Kannada; and while Urdu was compulsory, education in a native language was allowed till high school.

Subsequently, Urdu poetry was a social phenomenon. Almost all the Nizams were great poets. And they used to have one poet laureate in their court. For instance, Nizam VI had Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh as his tutor in poetry. Daagh was brought up in the Red Fort under the last ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar and had read out in mushairas (poetry symposiums) in front of Mirza Ghalib! He came to Hyderabad and stayed for several months, and at that time, there was great reception to his poetry. He was hoping that he would be invited by the Nizam, but he wasn’t. After three-to-four months, he left Hyderabad. That is when the Nizam’s order was issued that he should be brought back, and paid from the day he landed in Hyderabad! And so, Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh was given an audience, and subsequently, he was appointed as the Nizam’s tutor. The poet laureate’s salary shot up from 400 to 1,000!

While he represented Delhi School of Urdu, there was another major school, the Lucknowi School. The chief of the school, Amir Meenai, also came to Hyderabad, but soon was caught up with pneumonia and he passed away here. But he had a large number of scholars with him, and one of his students, Jaleel Manikpuri, was appointed as the Nizam VII’s tutor. And he would write beautiful poetry.

“Nigaah barq nahi, chehra aftaab nahi (her looks aren’t electricity, and her face is not the sun)
Wo admi hai magar dekhney ki taab nahi (She is just human, but no one has the courage to look at her)”

Since Urdu was a language understood by a majority, there was fantastic poetry written even by Hindu poets, in Urdu as well as Persian. One of the Prime Ministers of Hyderabad, Sir Maharaja Kishen Pershad, used to write in Persian and Urdu, and even have mushairas at his palace. And so it was that there were hundreds of Urdu poets in Hyderabad.

(As told to Apuurva Sridharan)

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> Books> Languages / TNN / by Apuurva Sridharan / November 12th, 2013