Hyderabad: By looking at the picture of Nawab Mukarram Jah Bahadur one can think him as a serious person but those who are close to him say he has a funny side too.
Mukarram Jah loves indulging in fun and also feels elated when somebody cracks jokes at his expense. Mukarram Jah had to pay Rs. 25000 for a haircut. A barber named Raja Ram used to trim his hair every month at Chiran Palace. Once, after getting done with his haircut, he told his factotum to pay the barber Rs. 25,000! When the assistant raised his eyebrows in surprise, Jah said he had given his word to Raja Ram.
Mukarram Jah laughingly clarified that while shaving the barber had paused with the razor on his jugular vein and expressed his need for Rs. 25,000, on which Jah readily agreed as he had no other choice at that moment.
The book ‘Awraq-e-Maazi’ penned down by Shahid Husain Zuberi contained several such little-known incidents about the titular Nizam of Hyderabad Mukarram Jah, who is the grandson of the last Asif Jahi ruler, Mir Osman Ali Khan. In the 320-page book in Urdu, Zuberi, who worked with Jah for 20 years, has brought out the personality of Jah.
Zuberi in his book has recounted in detail, Jah’s relations with other rulers, the Nehru family, his wives, children and the way he behaves with his staff and visitors. Zuberi has tried to allay many misunderstandings and allegations concerning the prince, which are on the basis of hearsay. The book will be released on Saturday by Prof. Faizan Mustafa, Vice Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, at Salar Jung Museum auditorium.