Rewind: Nizams’ legacy of learning

The system of general education did not figure in the scheme of Nizams till about mid-19th century when Salar Jung-I took over the administration as Diwan in 1853

By KSS Seshan

It is interesting to note that the importance of the general education found today was not the aim of either the government or the public in the 18th and 19th centuries in Hyderabad under Asaf Jahi. This fact is well reflected in a statement by Charles B Saunders, a British resident at Hyderabad around 1868: “The old idea of the Middle ages that gentlemen can do very well without education still has a slight hold on the public mind in Hyderabad”.

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After the Asaf Jahi dynasty was established in 1724, one distinguishing development was the shift from Persian and Arabic to Urdu as a state policy. The men of letters and intellectuals who came from Persia, Afghanistan, Turkey and other Islamic countries had their own system of education and were not the products of general education.

Learning was limited to the traditional Madrasas and Pathasalas which were run on conventional lines and the system of general education did not figure in the scheme of the successive Nizams till about the middle of the 19th century when Salar Jung I took over the administration of the State as its Diwan in 1853. Salar Jung I, being forward-looking and progressive, made general education a state policy.

Though educating the masses was not the prime aim of the early Nizams, the promotion of learning was never overlooked. Poets and scholars were patronised. Nizam-ul-Mulk (1724-1748 ), the very first Nizam, for example, being a product of Aurangzeb’s court, knew the importance of education and learning. Having spent several years at the Mughal court in Delhi, he replicated the Mughal traditions and practices in his court at Aurangabad, the capital before his son, Nizam Ali II, shifted to Hyderabad in 1762.

Hyderabad State had one of the earliest medical schools devoted to Western Medical education in the country. It was established in 1846 by the Nizam, Nasir-ud-Daulah, with Dr William Campbell MacLean, a Scottish physician, as its Principal. In 1866, the school was upgraded as a teaching hospital, Afzalgunj Hospital

During the reign of Nizam Ali II (1761- 1803), the Mughal cultural practices and court traditions were transplanted to Hyderabad. Writers, poets and scholars mostly hailing from the north, who adorned the Nizam’s court at Aurangabad, came and settled in the new capital thus making Hyderabad a centre of learning and scholarship. Though Urdu was gaining ground, Persian continued its hold on almost all branches of learning. The literature produced during the early Nizams abound in Diwans, biographies, Kilowatt, Mathnawis, local and general histories, commentaries on the Quran, etc.

Private Observatory

During Sikandar Jah’s period (1803-29), there was gradual development of prose, poetry and writings on religion. It was during this time that Baba–Al–Qadri, a native of Hyderabad, translated the Quran into Urdu. The period of Nasir-ud-Daulah (1829-57) saw encouragement to studies in orthodox religion and Sufism; besides reformative writings in religion under the influence of the Wahhabi movement.

There was also the beginnings of scientific education under the influence of the West. The Paigah noble, Nawab Fakhruddin Khan, famously known as Nawab Shams-ul-Umra, founded a Translation Bureau for translating books in English and French into Urdu. Well-educated, he worked for the propagation of European literature and science through the Urdu language.

The crowning achievement of the government under Mir Osman Ali Khan was the establishment of Osmania University in 1918, the first-ever University in India with a vernacular language like Urdu as the medium of instruction

In 1834, Shah Ali was encouraged to translate Sharah-Chegmani, a treatise on Mathematics from Persian into Urdu. Another book on Mathematics, Usola-Ilma Hisab too was published in Hyderabad with the encouragement of the Nawab in 1836. A lithograph press that Shams-ul-Umra set up was helpful in the publication of such books. His private observatory had latest instruments imported from Europe.

Salar Jung I

After Salar Jung was appointed as the Diwan by Nasir-ud-Daulah in 1853, there was a perceptible change in the policy of the government towards educational development in the State. In establishing schools and colleges and supporting medical and engineering colleges, Salar Jung introduced several reforms in the field of education. He established the Darul-Uloom or Oriental College in Hyderabad in 1854 with Arabic and Persian as mediums of instruction. There was also the provision for teaching modern languages, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi and English. Several other subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Astronomy were also taught at this institution.

Christian Missionaries also started playing a pivotal role in promoting education in Hyderabad State. St George’s Grammar School and All Saints School, established in 1834 and 1855 respectively, were doing well. St George’s was established by the Church of England and in its initial years, it admitted only European children. All Saints catered to Nizam’s army.

The City English School in Chaderghat was upgraded to a first grade college affiliated to Madras University in 1881 under the name, Nizam College, with Dr Aghornath Chattopadhyay as its first Principal

The Missionaries also started an orphanage in 1865 where such children were educated and taken care of. The Nizam government soon came forward and extended financial support to run the orphanage. Another orphanage entirely with government grants was the Victoria Memorial Orphanage, inaugurated in 1905 in memory of Queen Victoria. Children were trained in different occupations and skills so that they could earn their livelihood.

Encouraged by the success of Darul Uloom, the Nizam’s government in 1860 established two schools — one in vernacular and another in Persian — at every district and taluk headquarters in the dominions. WH Wilkinson, a British educationalist, who was the Principal of the Engineering College, was appointed as the Secretary for Education and the first Director of Public Instruction in 1869. He greatly improved the state of primary schools.

His successor, Moulvi Inayat-ur-Rahman also worked for the reorganisation of educational services in the State; introduced new curricula and raised the standard of teaching. In 1872, the English School, which functioned along with a Civil Engineering College established by the Public Works Department, was separated and converted into the Chaderghat Anglo-Vernacular School. It later became the nucleus of the Hyderabad College, which in 1884 affiliated with the University of Madras.

St George’s Grammar School and All Saints School were established in 1834 and 1855 respectively. St George’s Grammar was established by the Church of England and in its initial years, it admitted only European children. All Saints was established to cater to Nizam’s army

In 1878, Salar Jung set up a school in Rumbold’s Koti at Chaderghat known as Madarsa- i- Aliya, for the education of his sons and sons of other nobles in the city. Nizam Mahaboob Ali Khan took a personal interest in this school and sent several of the children of the palace nobles to this school. Students of this school were encouraged by way of sanction of foreign scholarships to go abroad for higher education. Salar Jung’s nephew, Mukarram-ud-Daulah, set up the Madarsa-i-Aiza in 1878 exclusively for the education of the upper classes in the city. It was during this period that the Secunderabad Vernacular School, Methodist School, Saifabad Infant School, Portuguese Orphanage, Wesleyan Mission Girls’ School, etc came up.

Normal School was set up to train teachers belonging to taluks and districts. Elizabeth Stanley Girls’ High School in Hyderabad also started a Teacher Training School to cater to the needs of government schools.

Women Education

Women’s education in Hyderabad State did not attract the attention of the authorities till almost the 1870s. Dr Aghornath Chattopadhyay, father of Sarojini Naidu, a brilliant scholar who after obtaining a DSc in biochemistry from Edinburgh University, came to Hyderabad at the invitation of Salar Jung, and was a pioneer in promoting girls’ education here. In 1881, he established the Anglo-Vernacular Girls School, also known as Gloria School, for the benefit of both Hindu and Muslim girls. Children were taught English, Urdu and Telugu besides History, Geography, Home Science and Music.

The Paigah noble, Nawab Fakhruddin Khan, famously known as Nawab Shams-ul-Umra, founded a Translation Bureau for translating books in English and French into Urdu. He also worked for the propagation of European literature and science through the Urdu language

Syed Hussain Bilgrami, commonly known as Imad-ul-Mulk, another ardent advocate for women’s education, founded a Girls’ High School in 1885 exclusively for Muslim girls. There were also a few zenana Schools run by the Education Department for women belonging to noble families. Salar Jung also encouraged female education and got his daughters educated on Western lines.

In 1890, the Nizam government started a middle school named Nampally Girls School. Elizabeth Stanely Girls School was upgraded to a High School in 1908. English-educated Nur-un-Nisa Begum, the daughter of Salar Jung, opened a school in her palace for the benefit of girls from the families of nobles and jagirdars. Bilgrami’s sister, Shujath Ali, also started a school for girls from the elite sections.

The City English School in Chaderghat was upgraded to a first grade college affiliated to Madras University in 1881 under the name, Nizam College with Dr Aghornath Chattopadhyay as its first Principal. Aghornath and his close associate, Mulla Abdul Qayyum, contributed to the political, social and cultural progress in Hyderabad. In fact, there was no active people’s movement in Hyderabad without their participation during that time. Abdul Qayyum was associated with the compilation of State Gazetteers of Hyderabad and when he was appointed as the Assistant Director in the Department of Education, he even proposed compulsory education for the children of landlords and jagirdars. Aghornath led the anti-Chanda Railway project and incurred the wrath of the British government.

Salar Jung established the Darul-Uloom or Oriental College in Hyderabad in 1854 with Arabic and Persian as mediums of instruction. There was also the provision for teaching modern languages, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi and English. Several other subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Astronomy were also taught

Later Decades: 1883-1948

One remarkable step taken during his period was the granting of foreign scholarships to students for pursuing higher education in engineering and medicine. One such beneficiary of this scheme was the illustrious poet and national leader Sarojini Devi. In 1895, she was awarded the Nizam foreign fellowship of 300 pounds per year with a first-class passage to study in London.

Among the other notable youngsters to be awarded such fellowships was Mir Ahmed Ali, son of Mir Weiz Ali, an official in Mahaboob Ali’s government, who after studying engineering at Cooper Hill College in London came back to Hyderabad to be appointed as an engineer in PWD. He was the future Ali Nawaz Jung, the legendary Chief Engineer, whose name is linked to many irrigation projects like Ali Sagar during Osman Ali Khan’s regime.

The Marathi-speaking public of Hyderabad, to cater to the needs of their children, started a Marathi school in 1901 in the Residency Bazaar area with Sir Dhingra and Karmakar, two prominent residents of Hyderabad, playing an important role. The school was later named Vivekavardhini Patasala. Similarly, a Telugu school was opened in Chaderghat by Ranga Rao Kaloji in memory of his wife, Radha Bai Kaloji, in 1904. Yet, the progress of education in the State was not significant.

In 1834, Shah Ali was encouraged to translate Sharah-Chegmani, a treatise on Mathematics, from Persian into Urdu. Another book on Mathematics, Usola-Ilma Hisab, was published in Hyderabad in 1836

However, the crowning achievement of the government under Mir Osman Ali Khan was the establishment of the Osmania University in 1918, the first-ever University in India with a vernacular language like Urdu as the medium of instruction.

In his firman, issued on 26 April 1917, the Nizam made it clear that the university was for the benefit of the youth and also declared Urdu to be the medium of instruction though the knowledge of English as a language was compulsory for all students.

Rabindranath Tagore expressed great admiration for the Nizam as it was the first University in the country to have a native language as the medium of instruction. In a letter addressed to Sir Akbar Hydari, the Prime Minister, on 9 January 1918, Tagore wrote from Shantiniketan:

I have long been waiting for the day when freed from the shackles of a foreign language, our education becomes naturally accessible to all our people. …..it gives me great joy to know that your state proposes to found a University in which instruction is to be given through the medium of Urdu. It is needless to say that your scheme has my fullest approbation. …

However, at the termination of the Asaf Jahi rule and the merger of Hyderabad into the Indian Union in 1948, the literacy levels in Hyderabad State remained way behind when compared to that of a few other native States like Baroda, Mysore and Trivandrum.

 

(The author is retired Professor of History, University of Hyderabad)