"The richest man in the world eats with his fingers. He doesn't use a knife, nor a fork, nor a spoon. He even eats his soup from his fingers.
His name is Nizam Osman Ali Khan Bahadur Fateh Jung AsafJah; but he is usually called the Nizam of Hyderabad, and he is a descendant of the old Mughal Emperors
who swept down through the Khyber Pass and looted India centuries ago. He rules with a high hand over the richest state in India. What does he do with all his
wealth? Well, for one thing, he has a harem filled with over five hundred women." This is how Dale Carnegie introduced the world's richest man and the state he ruled,
in his Little Known Facts About Well Known People.
An Englishman visiting Hyderabad in 1913 leaves this account of the Nizam's outing: "His Highness! His Highness!" shouted galloping policemen, and the people in
the streets hastily divided and piled themselves up on either side of the road. Silence seemed to fall on the masses, and only the voices of those in command were heard while
a Carriage drove past, a carriage driven by an English coachman in yellow satin, who wanted only a powdered full - bottomed wig to make him look perfect. "In the carriage sat
H.H. the Nizam, quietly dressed, as usual, in a dark English suit and the yellow Hyderabad turban, and on either side of him were the two eldest princes, while behind him
stood the tiny princess, who bowed incessantly to her father's delighted subjects". Much has changed since they wrote those passages.
Hyderabad is no longer ruled by the Nizam, although he tried to keep his domain separate when India became independent and all the other princely states acceded
to India. His supporters even took recourse to violence, but in vain. His subjects were determined to merge with the Indian mainstream and they succeeded. K.M. Munshi, the
Agent General of India in Hyderabad went to see him at the turbulent time of Hyderbad's accession to India and observed:
The thought of meeting the Nizarri, the world's richest and most extraordinary man, in actual flesh and blood, was mildly exciting. As we stepped out of the car,
I saw a thin old man with a stoop standing on the varandah. He was wearing a faded fez, a moth-eaten muffler, an old sherwani and a pyjama which had last been pressed when they
had first come out of the tailor's shop. I stood in the presence of the Exalted.
His Exalted Highness is no more. But Hyderabad retains all the best his dynasty had given —and has happily obliterated the vestiges of a weird despotic rule.
The picture of Hyderabad's bazaar drawn in the stanza quoted at the beginning from a lively verse by Sarojini Naidu, still holds good, circumscribed though. The city was
founded in 1589 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth ruler of Golconda. Today, the greater Hyderabad, including its twin, Secunderabad, is the sixth largest city in India.
The population is 25,28,198 (1981 census).
Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh in many ways. It is India's Pearl City with a past that has brought with it a flourishing international trade.
It's also the most sought-after destinations by people in technology, with new and leading software companies opening shop almost every day. Hyderabad is a City's dreams
come true. Hyderabad's dazzle begins with the great Charminar landscaping the old City. Neighbouring it is the Laad Bazar, India's most famous bridal ware market. Right
at the base of the Charminar is the Mecca Masjid, one of India's largest mosques.
Move over to the Salarjung Museum which houses the largest one-man collection of artifacts and antiques ever to be found anywhere in the world. There's also
the Andhra Pradesh State Museum. A must on the touring almanac are the Qutub Shahi Tombs, the Hussain Sagar and the Osman Sagar lakes. Overlooking the Hussain sagar lake is
the Statue of Buddha. The newest the additions being the Dhola-ri-Dhani, an ethnic Rajasthani village, and Shilparamam, a Crafts Village. For those into adventure, there's
the Ocean Park, and for the carting freaks, the Runways 9. While in Hyderabad, do relish the famous Hyderabadi Biryani.
On the other side, for those who are done with history, there's the Ramoji Films City- a sprawling complex of movie studios, with some of the most hi-tech
movies equipments, the place has reinvented itself as a leading tourist destinations, with accommodations being available for the movers. There is the Prasads, a mammoth
entertainment center, with south India's first IMAX Theater.