The Freedom Struggle in Hyderabad- A Connected Account (Set of 3 Volumes, 1800 to 1920)

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The compilation of the History of Freedom Movement in India is a gigantic task and I am happy to see that the State Committee appointed for the purpose has been able to pre-pare its first connected account of the Freedom Movement in Hyderabad from 1800 A.D. to 1857 A.D.

It is the general belief of the people in India that it was Hyderabad and its Ruler the Nizam who were the bulwark of strength to the British Empire and that the first war of Indian Independence by the people in 1857 failed because of the invaluable help rendered by the late Sir Salar Jung representing Hyderabad State. While there can be no doubt that the Rulers of Hyderabad at the time rendered yeoman service by helping the British during that period, it will, I think, be an eye-opener to many who will read this Volume, that this part of the Deccan was not free from the flames of freedom which were raging elsewhere in the country. This brief connected account prepared by the State Committee will show that there were many patriots, both among the commoners, the Zamindars and Rajahs, who thought and acted wholly in consonance with the spirit of the freedom struggle. That their attempts failed as the attempts of their compatriots in the country was no fault of theirs. We must pay whole-hearted tribute to those who participated in the struggle and suffered extinction. Some of the letters and despatches which have been quoted, go to show the extent of feeling existing in this part of the country.

I congratulate the members of the Committee on completing a portion of this valuable work entrusted to them. I hope it will be possible for them to complete the other sections and periods of the freedom struggle in India, and present to the world a connected picture of the movement in this part of the Deccan. I wish them all success in their attempt.

I deem it a great privilege that I was associated with the actual work of the Hyderabad State Committee, History of Freedom Movement in India, in my capacity as the President of the Executive Sub-Committee and Minister for Education. I watched, with ever-growing interest, how research scholars were tapping all the erstwhile unexplored resources and collecting material. No doubt it was an onerous task but it was always accompanied with a thrill of joy for the workers in the field. The Executive Committee came across several topics concerning which only scraps of papers could be discovered as an authenticated source, while there have been so many incidents, the records relating to which are in riotous plenty. The achievement of Indian Independence has so delicately shifted the focussing point in the narration of Indian history that one is tempted to rewrite the whole history of India from the new perspective. It is an undisputed fact that India never tolerated alien rule. No period of Indian history was so poor in talent and bankrupt in intelligence as to believe that the civilization evolved by Indians was full of ignorance and dark-ness, parochialism and intolerance, cowardice and abjectness. Aliens have achieved resounding victories over Indians, masses of armies have been annihilated but the resurgent spirit of the people has always endeavoured to recover the lost ground. This rhythmic process has culminated in the people achieving complete democratic independence.

The history of the Hyderabad State for about half a century before the war of Independence in 1857 covers the reigns of the third and the fourth Asaf Jahs, Secunder Jah and Nasiruddowla, who had no doubt very able ministers like Mir Alam, Munir-ul-Mulk, Raja Chandu Lal, Siraj-ul-Mulk and Salar Jung I and had to deal with British Residents like Col. A. Kirkpatrick, Captain Sydenham, Sir Henry Russell, Sir Charles Metcalfe, Mr. Martin, Col. Stewart, Col. Fraser and Mr. G. A. Bushby. It is known that the British Officers outwitted the Asaf Jahi rulers and their ministers and circumscribed their activities in such a way that Hyderabad became a strong bastion of British imperialism. The force of circumstances was such that British diplomacy triumphed. The British politicians and generals had greater experience and discipline, one shall have to admit, but the human values of the conquerors and the conquered were the same. The terms of the Subsidiary Alliance, the eradication of French influence from Hyderabad, the formation of the Hyderabad Contingent, a white elephant for the State, the huge hoax of the usurious Palmer Company, the confiscation of Berar, the harassment of Mahipat Ram, Nurul Umrah, Rao Rambha, and the incessant attempts, to suppress and eradicate Wahabism and its great sponsor, Mubariz-ud-Dowlah are nothing less than political aggressions skilfully planned and thoroughly executed. Sparks of an independent spirit and national fervour did detonate and fulminate here and there, but they were all declared as anti-social mischiefs of the lawless miscreants. Heroes like Dharmaji. Pratap Rao, Nawasaji Naik, Veerappa and Shivalingayya, Ram Rao and Rao Saheb, Ranga Rao and Sonajeepant and the Rajah of Koulas would have all lain buried in the limitless expanse of oblivion wasting the sweetness and fragrance of their spirit, unnoticed by anybody.

The great genius who first received the impulse of compiling the History of the Freedom Movement in India deserves all admiration and homage. Specially because this freedom is achieved by the united efforts of all Indians, who were awakened, disciplined and organised by the Father of the Nation to fight the battle, in the most unprecedented way with the unfailing weapon of truth and ahimsa. The second peculiarity of this history is the fact that the majority of the generals and commanders and even the soldiers in this war are still alive and installed in authority. No doubt it is a fact that an endeavour to compile the history of such a colossal phenomenon so early will not give a dispassionate and correct picture of the whole struggle, but it will be able to catch some of the interesting facets of this national achievement which may be wiped out and erased by the currents of time.

The Convener, Shri Setu Madhav Rao, and the band of researchers working under his direction, have done their best to collect material for this history. Our thanks are due to Shri K.S. Vaidya, the President of the Hyderabad State Committee of the History of Freedom Movement in India, who keenly watched the progress of this compilation.

Doctor B. Ramakrishna Rao, our Chief Minister, has followed this national work with remarkable interest and has been very liberal in providing adequate funds for this work. To him we owe a deep debt of gratitude.

In December, 1952, the Government of India constituted a Board of Editors in connection with the compilation of the History of Freedom Movement in India. This Board in its meeting held on 3rd January, 1953, resolved to request all State Governments to appoint State Committees in consultation with the Board to assist it in the collection of material for writing the History of Freedom Movement in India.