Tag Archives: Mohammed Safiullah – Historian – Hyderabad

How 100-Year-Old ‘Osman Sagar’ Becomes A ‘Water Resource’ To Hyderabad?

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Osman sagar lake or Gandipet, commissioned by Mahbub Ali Khan after the 1908 flood and completed by Osman Ali Khan, has been serving the water needs of Hyderabad for over a century.

A true Hyderabadi is one who has tasted the water of Gandipet. And once that happens, even heaven cannot entice one to leave Hyderabad. Such is the magic of Gandipet, a crucial lifeline of the city that is turning 100 this year. The city of Hyderabad got Gandipet in 1920, the reservoir then being constructed with the dual purpose of controlling floods and supplying drinking water to the citizens.

The idea of the Gandipet, it is said, stemmed after the havoc caused by the 1908 flood in Hyderabad. The aftermath of the flood forced Mahbub Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam, to think about the possibility of a repeat of such a grisly situation. Around 12 floods had already hit the city before the 1908 floods, each leaving behind its own trail of death and destruction. The 1908 floods alone claimed around 15,000 lives apart from rendering over one lakh people homeless.

Moved by the destruction, Mahbub Ali Khan pondered on finding a permanent solution to the problem. Historian Sajjad Shahid says Mahbub Ali Khan wanted a long-term and effective solution to prevent the flooding of Musi River. He was determined to find a permanent end to the problem and started a process to find an expert familiar with the local irrigation systems to devise a plan to prevent reoccurrence of floods.

The first to come to the rescue of the Nizam were the British who offered services of their experts. “However, the Nizam refused to consider the recommendations of the British who offered the service of Sir Michel Esthesol, the then Director General of Irrigation, Government of India. He also did not consider another British engineer, TD Mackenzie, who was chief engineer of the Nizam State,” said Sajjad Shahid.

And that is when the name of M Visvesvaraya came up. Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in Karnataka in 1861. He worked with the Bombay Public Works Department for 25 years after joining in 1883. He resigned in 1908 and later went around the western countries to study different irrigation systems and designs. To his credit, Visvesvaraya had constructed several irrigation projects and other structures in Mysore and other places then.

After touring western countries, he returned to India in 1909 when he was approached by the Nizam to help in improving the Hyderabad irrigation system and to prevent flooding of the city. “The Nizam wanted a local expert to find a solution to the problem. He had heard about Visvesvaraya and was keen on taking his services,” said historian Mohammed Safiullah.

After accepting the task, Visvesvaraya conducted a detailed survey of Hyderabad’s network of rivers and reservoirs. He also studied the rainfall pattern in other places in India before devoting time towards understanding the engineering aspects of the problem.

After a detailed study, Visvesvaraya proposed to create storage reservoirs above the city to control floods. He submitted the report on October 1, 1909, and the suggestion was accepted by the Nizam. Soon, work began on the construction of two reservoirs – Osman Sagar across the Musi River and the other, Himayat Sagar, constructed across Esi – the tributary of Musi River.

While Osman Sagar was completed in 1920, Himayat Sagar was finished in 1927. It cost Rs 56 lakh for Osman Sagar while Rs 46 lakh was spent for construction of the Himayat Sagar, it is said.

The work started by sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan was completed under the supervision of the seventh Nizam Osman Ali Khan. “The reservoirs are based on the Kakatiya model and are 100 feet above the level of the city. The flow of water was based on the reverse gravity principal,” said Saifullah.

Water was supplied to the city through dedicated water channels laid during the Nizam era. “The Nizam had promised free food to every household. He ensured that at least water was supplied free of cost to the household and he lived up to it. At no point of time, the administration collected any tax or money for water from the common man,” said Captain Pandu Ranga Rao, a historian.

Hundreds years have passed and still water from Gandipet is supplied to a few colonies in the city. “It is cost effective as the cost of supplying the water from Osman Sagar is bit cheaper compared to drawing water from far of places and supplying it to the city,” points out Captain Ranga Rao.

‘Never in his dream might the Nizam have thought that Gandipet, the popular moniker for Osman Sagar, would become a part of the local Hyderabadi lingo.

Hyderabadi standup comedian Khairuddin Baig alias Jani says Hyderabadi lingo has plenty of one-liners or idioms with reference to Gandipet. “See, it depends on the context and situation where the term is used. For example, if a person is a foodie, people generally say ‘tera pet hain ya Gandipet’,” he says and also recalls the popular idiom, ‘Jo bhi Gandipet ka pani piya woh Hyderabadi hua’.

Several local poets and standup comedians have highlighted Gandipet, a popular picnic spot for Hyderabadis for decades, in their narrations. “The sher-o-shayari describes the mood of young boys and girls meeting at the place or a newly-married couple visiting the place. Similarly, comedians refer to the family gatherings there with baskets full of meals and tiffin boxes or men spending time trying to catch a fish from the fresh waters,” he said.

Constructed during the Nizam era, the striking aspect about these twin waterbodies of Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar is that they are operated manually unlike most other reservoirs, which have hydraulic gates.

Gandipet, popularly known Osman Sagar, along with its twin reservoir Himayath Sagar, has been quenching Hyderabad’s thirst for the last 100 years and continues to do so without any major operational costs.

Such is the significance of Gandipet that, apart from quenching thirst, the common belief for decades among denizens has been that the water reservoir bestows health and vitality.

Constructed during the Nizam era, the striking aspect about these twin waterbodies of Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar is that they are operated manually unlike most other reservoirs, which have hydraulic gates. All the components like gear boxes, sluice gates, bushes, and ropes have to be maintained well to avoid any glitches during operations.

All the components used at the twin reservoirs belong to the Nizam era and have been functioning without any snags all these years. It is 100 years and not a single component has been changed and they are working perfectly without any signs of wearing out or damages, says a senior official from Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB).

Gandipet was constructed in the year 1920 followed by Himayath Sagar in 1928.

HMWSSB conducts overhauling of all components at the twin reservoirs before the onset of monsoon to avoid any glitches. Together, they have the capacity of supplying 40 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city without any cost as the water flows by gravity unlike Krishna and Godavari drinking water schemes.

But with growing population and the city expanding geographically in all areas, supply from Gandipet over the years has been depleting. Presently, only 5 MGD is being drawn from the reservoir and that too through emergency pumping from dead storage level and supplied to different areas in Mehdipatnam, Old Mallepally, Asif Nagar, Humayunnagar, Chintal Basthi and other areas.

Did you know?

  • Osman Sagar was named after Mir Osman Ali Khan Nizam VII
  • Dam was built in 1920 by Nizam VII
  • Built to protect city from flooding after Musi Floods of 1908
  • Lake is around 46 square km
  • Reservoir is around 29 square km
  • Total water level 1,790 feet
  • Has capacity of 3.9 tmc
  • Inflow and outflow from River Musi #KhabarLive

source: http://www.hydnews.net / Hyderabad News / Home / by Ahssanuddin Haseeb / March 08th, 2020

Why do Antique Collectors around the world vie for Nizam era regalia?

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Majority of domiciles and secularists of Hyderabad State love and respect HEH The Nizam even today.

source: commons.wikimedia.org

The Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan His Exalted Highness Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui was the last Ruler of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty who ruled the largest princely state of Hyderabad & Berar by population and the second largest by size.

Factual stories about HEH the last Nizam of Hyderabad’s riches are well documented worldwide. He reportedly used a £50m ostrich-egg sized diamond as a paperweight.

HEH The Nizam VII was the second Indian to be featured on the cover-page of Time Magazine February 22nd1937 edition as the Richest Man of the world.

HEH The Nizam VII was a secular Ruler, a philanthropist & a genius architect of modern-day Hyderabad.

During the period of war, HEH The Nizam donated truckloads of gold coins to the National Defence Fund of India & as a philanthropist his generous donations of large sums of money to the Benares Hindu University & other Hindu institutions are irrefutable evidences of his secular rule.

Time Magazine with Nizam’s Cover Photo

The majority of domiciles & secularists of Hyderabad State love and respect HEH The Nizam even today; whereas his adversaries especially India’s Hindutva Rightwingers never leave an opportunity to malign his name &regularly try to distort the history of HEH The Nizam & other Muslim Rulers of erstwhile Indian Empire.

Nevertheless, even today HEH The Nizam & his golden era is highly regarded & commands great respect worldwide to an extent that even today any antiques and works of art of HEH The Nizam’s era are highly sought-after, command a high price and every antique collector’s delight. High value bidding at international auction houses to acquire Nizam’s era antiques are a common sight wherein collectors from around the world and new generation of super rich Hyderabadis vie to own a piece of Hyderabad’s heritage & bring it back to the City of Pearls – Hyderabad.

It’s worth mentioning here that during the last eight decades, a huge quantity of immensely valuable antiques of Nizam’s era were sold at throw away prices by some of the Nizam’s descendants, stolen or looted and smuggled out of the country and sold unlawfully by the caretakers of the Nizam’s Estates, taken away as war booty by the British Indian forces and few others received them as gifts bestowed by The Nizam’s Government & passed on to the future generations as family heirlooms.

Mr. Amarbir Singh – a Numismatic Expert&Authority on Nizam era Hyderabad currency and co-author of ‘Indian Paper Money’says, “Nizam’s Hyderabad had its own railways, airways, central bank, currency, including paper notes, army, and a high court.

After Operation Polo and subsequent trifurcation of Hyderabad State, it lost a bit of its sheen which is now regained by the efforts of the experts and enthusiasts of heritage and history.

Technology has given the impetus to the curiosity and the collection interests of lot of people, many who do not even have their roots in the Hyderabad State. The coins, currency, medals, tokens, stamps, and militaria issued by the Nizam’s Government are very sought-after collectibles today. So, are the vintage books related to Hyderabad and the 1937 Time Magazine which are getting rarer by the day.”

Dr. Mohammed Safiullah – City’s well-known Historian says, “The entire world came to know about the existence of two large Gold Mohurs from Mughal era weighing 11.200 kgs and 2.240 kgs from the Nizam’s treasures after they were put up for sale in an auction three decades ago in 1986. But due to the intervention of the Indian Government, it was withdrawn by the Fine Arts Auctioneers – Habsburg Feldman of Geneva, Switzerland and later sold privately.”

In June 2019, in a single largest auction that lasted for 12 hours at Christie’s, over 700 crores worth of Nizam’s antique jewellery and regalia were sold. Among them a ceremonial sword of the Nizam of Hyderabad for a huge price tag of over $1.5M, The Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace for over $2M, Sarpech for over $1.5M apart from many other antiques.

A lesser price antique “A large Guilded Firman in the name of the Nizam of Hyderabad Sikandar Jah was sold for £1500 at Christie’s in 2016. A large and highly detailed design of the Osmania General Hospital based on the Islamic Architecture of South India by Esch was sold for over £6875 in 2011 at Christie’s also. Vincent Jerome Esch, (1876-1950) was engaged by the Nizam of HyderabadcHEH Mir Osman Ali Khancin 1914 as an Architect to assist in the redevelopment of Hyderabad city following its devastation by floods and plague in 1908 and 1911.

Mr. Ahmed Rahmatullah Khan, a Hyderabadi Techy who works for HP is one among new generation of collectors who recently acquired a rare historic military medal in an Australian auction spending over 180 AUD. The medal has an interesting story behind it as it was issued by HEH The Nizam of Hyderabad for the safe deliverance of Lord and Lady Hardinge’s (Viceroy of India and his wife) after they escaped a bomb attack by the Indian revolutionaries in 1912 while travelling on an elephant in Delhi. The medal was expected to sell for 60-90 AUS but due to the historical story and the Nizam’s tag attached to it, it was sold much over the expected price for 140 AUS plus the auction house fees and logistics.

Muzammil Rizwan Khan based in Australia is a newer generation of Hyderabadis and a proud owner of the Nizam of Hyderabad’s 650 Flintlock Cavalry-Pistol made in the year 1825 and was in the personal possession of the Nizams until 1974. Rizwan purchased the antique gun after spending few thousand pounds last year in a UK auction and imported it to Australia. Whilst the Hindutva Rightwingers are inciting hate with their rhetoric to forcibly revert Indian Muslims to Hinduism (GharWapsi), Indian origin Hyderabadi Muslims like Rizwan exerting efforts employing their resources, time & money to bring back the lost heritage &antiques of Hyderabad & India. As he proudly stated in the unboxing video on his Facebook page “Mein ne Hyderabad ki cheez Hyderabad Alhamdulillah GharWapis le aayahoon. This pistol is just not owned by me but it belongs to all Hyderabadis and I have bought it back home and in the hands of a Hyderabadi again.”

In another recent auction on 17th of December 2021, a small white metal silver plate place holder depicting a young Edward VIII (Prince of Wales) on his Royal tour of India and HEH the Nizam measuring approximately 8 inches was sold by East Bristol Auctions in UK for £110. The antique piece had some minor damages, one of the figurines of the tiger on the Coat of Arms of HEH The Nizam had a tail missing & the coloured photo of HEH the Nizam was considerably faded.

“The picture of HEH Nizam VII is hand coloured and depicts the Star of India Robes awarded in July 1914 decorated with orders and garters – a hierarchy of awards and medals granted to the Rulers, Princes, Nobles and Chiefs of the princely states of India. HH Nizam VI and HEH Nizam VII both were awarded the Star of India Robes by the then British Monarch, Dr. Mohammed Safiullah added.

On 29th October 2020 a commemorative silver scroll holder dedicated to the Nizam of Hyderabad dated 1903 from the Anjuman-i-Islam of Bombay was sold much over the expected price for £1,125 plus fees and vat.

Collectors crave to acquire Nizam era Hyderabad related antiques is ever growing and has reached to an extent in the last 80 years since India’s independence millions worth of Nizam’s antiques were traded at the international private and public auctions as well as local auctions, but there isn’t any data to give an exact figure or value of the trade.

Ahmed Shareef Askander is a Researcher based in London, UK.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Opinion / by Guest Contributor – Ahmed Shareef Askander / January 07th, 2022