Bureaucrat on the burning deck: Review of the October coup, A memoir of the Struggle for Hyderabad

Abstract

The erstwhile Hyderabad State ruled by the Nizams and its accession to the Indian Union are a fascinating part of the making of this nation. At one end were the nationalists represented by the Congress and other players in the freedom struggle, including the Hindu Mahasabha, advocating the integration of Hyderabad with the Indian Union. At another end was the defiant Nizam, who wanted to exercise the choice of staying independent and negotiate aspects on which Hyderabad would like to cooperate (such as defence and currency) with the Indian Union. Added flavour comes from a supplementary angle that brought in the people’s movement in Telangana against the oppression of landlords, or zamindars; a ragtag army of Razakars trying to fight, hand and glove with the Nizam, in order to retain autonomy. Another fact that adds more variety is: about 80 per cent of the population was Hindu, spoke three different tongues, had been under Islamic rule for centuries, adopting an alien language for official and court dealings. Read more at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/bureaucrat-on-the-burning-deck-112061500061_1.html