John Zubrzycki, a critically acclaimed writer journalist presently the world commentary editor at the Australian newspaper in Sydney presented a talk on Weaving Together History and Biography of the Nizams at the H.K. Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies, Maulana Azad National Urdu University on 1st February 2013.
He said that the Asaf Jahi state in the 18th century was a great centre of Islamic learning. It was Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh ruler who transformed the state into a modern vibrant state. There was tremendous development in education, industry, economy and business which was unparalleled. He also stressed that it is extremely important to conserve the rich heritage of Hyderabad.
The lecture was well attended by prominent Hyderabadis who also posed questions to Zubrzycki on his idea and information about Mukarram Jah.
The Vice Chancellor MANUU in his address said that because of the establishment of the Centre for Deccan Studies people have started showing interest in various debates and issues which still need to be explored in connection with the region. The Director of the Centre, Dr. Salma Ahmed Farooqui spoke about how the centre in a short time has gained international and national recognition through its activities.
Zubrzycki a former Delhi based foreign correspondent, diplomat and consultant is on an India visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival with his latest book, The Mysterious Mr.Jacob. The book tells the intriguing story of the notorious Simla jeweller Alexander Malcolm Jacob. Jacob shot to fame when he tried to sell the world’s largest diamond to India’s richest prince Mir Mahboob Ali Khan the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. The deal sparked a scandal that rocked the highest echelons of the Raj. If the audacious deal came through, the merchant would have been set up for life. But the transaction went horribly wrong. The Nizam accused him of fraud, triggering a sensational trial in the Calcutta High Court that made headlines around the world. A man of mysterious origins and a confidant of viceroys and maharajas, Jacob dabbled in magic and was a master player. In this meticulously researched account of Jacob’s life, John Zubrzycki reconstructs events through long-lost letters, court records and annotations on secret files, bringing out a riveting study of the man.
Zubrzycki’s previous book, launched at Jaipur in 2007, The Last Nizam, a best-seller for several months, is the story of an extraordinary dynasty, the Nizams of Hyderabad, and with vivid detail and anecdote the book charts the rise of the dynasty to fabulous wealth and prominence under the Mughal emperors of India, giving a rich and vibrant portrait of a realm soaked in blood and intrigue. Zubrzycki propounded how the last Nizam gave up a kingdom and came to live in Australia and bought himself an outback station, beginning one of the most incongruous episodes in the history of India’s richest princely dynasty. Above all it describes the strange – sometimes comic, sometimes tragic – life of Mukarram Jah, who left behind him the fabulous wealth and palaces of Hyderabad to drive bulldozers in the Australian bush.
Biographies provide an insight into the intimate lives of historical personalities and Zubrzycki excels in this art. Both his books chronicle the fortunes of India’s Greatest Princely State – Hyderabad of the 19th and 20th centuries and shed new light on well-known figures such as Mukarram Jah, and Alexander Jacob. For Zubrzycki incorporating individual life stories into his work makes history a richer and more rewarding experience for readers.