The coronation of H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan, the esteemed great-grandson of His Exalted Highness, Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the VI Nizam of Hyderabad State, as the IX Nizam of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty, was a pivotal moment in the illustrious history of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty. However, the event was not without its share of controversy. A battle erupted within the famously feuding royal dynasty about the claim to the title, with H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan’s cousin, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, declaring the anointment invalid.
The dispute centered around the legality of the title, with Nawab Najaf Ali Khan stating that a decree that self-proclaims a common citizen as the head of a dynasty is not legally valid, especially after the government’s abolishment of Titles and Privy Purses in 1971. He appealed to the common people not to be misguided by such false self-declarations and said that strict legal action would be pursued to prevent misuse of the null and void title.
H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan, a filmmaker and professional photographer, has lived the life of a commoner in London. He has stated that his life in London is completely different from his life in Hyderabad, where he goes to the supermarket, the post office, and picks up his son from school. However, his father, Mukarram Jah, who disliked royal life and the squabbles of his grandfather’s many descendants for a slice of the family fortune, had no head for business and divorced his mother, Princess Esra, and took off for Australia.
The family rift lasted for more than 20 years until Mukarram contacted his son almost out of the blue in 1994. Azmet and his sister, Shehkyar, returned to Hyderabad and were greeted by old family retainers who had carefully packed away their toys and other belongings in large trunks. Azmet’s anointment as head of the dynasty was a very different affair from the dazzling ceremony that took place when his father, Mukarram, was crowned the eighth Nizam.
Mukarram’s grandfather named him as his successor over his next-in-line father who had become a gambling addict and a drunk. Mukarram’s coronation was a dazzling affair, with trucks filled with gold ingots and pearls that could have carpeted several rooms. He counted his diamonds by the kilogram, his pearls by the acre, and his gold bars by the tonne yet he was so frugal that he saved on laundry bills by bathing in his clothes. However, Mukarram ran through money like water, even having to sell his beloved Australian sheep farm because he didn’t have enough liquid funds.
Today, there are varying estimates of the wealth that Mukarram left behind. One publication reckoned that $1 billion was still left of the giant fortune that Mukarram inherited when he was crowned. The fortune had apparently already dwindled considerably after Independence. But there was enough left for Mukarram at the time of his coronation to be considered the richest man in India.
H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan has been keen to restore the reputation of his grandfather, the seventh Nizam. He has stated that his great-grandfather is perceived as a miser and he wants to dispel that myth. He has said that his great-grandfather did a lot for Hyderabad and wants to ensure that his legacy is remembered.
H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan is expected to assume charge of the Nizam’s family trust, jewellery trust, religious trust, and charity trust, among others. However, he is still likely to be dividing his time between Britain, Turkey (where his mother lives), and Hyderabad – just as he has done all these years.
