Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,995
One Does Not Participate - Or: The Operation "Polo"...
On August 15, 1947, a new era began in India!
The last British "Viceroy" of the subcontinent, Sirdar Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma ...
... hands over the subcontinent, previously called the “Jewel of the British Empire”, to its inhabitants in a solemn ceremony - and the colonial power clears the field!
The two independent states are founded: Pakistan and the Indian Union!
But one of them does not participate - and that is the Muslim Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII. (Far right, standing) ...
... the Nizam of the Principality of Hyderaband, who prefers to remain independent and wants to be the head of a sovereign state - which he does.
Small blemish? Not at all, because the Principality of Hyderabad is not just any obscure small state, but is of considerable size - and is also centrally located in the middle of the Indian subcontinent!
Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII., (The next photo shows him together with the Yugoslav head of state Jozip Broz Tito ...
... is one of the richest men in the world, as early as 1930 his private fortune was estimated at 2 billion US dollars and has a number of splendid palaces, 14,718 people toiled there just for him ...:
For audiences, the ruler takes admission - or a bribe - as the case may be.
At that time it was said: "Whoever comes before his face has to deliver a gift corresponding to his ability, the Nazarana."
While the Nizam floats in wealth, its 16.6 million subjects (1941 figure) are among the poorest people in the world and live in indescribable misery! Only 1.3 percent of the principality's population can read and write - even for India, with its literacy rate of 5.3 percent in 1947, that is a shockingly low number!
The potentate, anything but a democrat, therefore correctly foresees that his beautiful life in a parliamentary Indian Union will end sooner or later!
So he's not doing it in the new India!
But first he buys time!
With the new Indian state he immediately concludes a standstill agreement that his principality will “work together” with India in the areas of foreign affairs, defense and communication - which does not change the realities at all!
At the same time he donates large sums of money to support the - Muslim - state of Pakistan, which has been involved in bloody disputes with the - predominantly Hindu - Indian Union since the British withdrawal.
A classic approach based on the motto: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"
And thirdly - with more or less secret British support - he is hastily building up a standing army with a population of 40,000 men.
Except for the - British trained - palace guard, the 3,000 so-called "Paigah" ...
... this "army" is a pretty sad bunch!
We already suspect: It didn't go well for long!
**continued next post**
On August 15, 1947, a new era began in India!
The last British "Viceroy" of the subcontinent, Sirdar Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma ...
... hands over the subcontinent, previously called the “Jewel of the British Empire”, to its inhabitants in a solemn ceremony - and the colonial power clears the field!
The two independent states are founded: Pakistan and the Indian Union!
But one of them does not participate - and that is the Muslim Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII. (Far right, standing) ...
... the Nizam of the Principality of Hyderaband, who prefers to remain independent and wants to be the head of a sovereign state - which he does.
Small blemish? Not at all, because the Principality of Hyderabad is not just any obscure small state, but is of considerable size - and is also centrally located in the middle of the Indian subcontinent!
Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII., (The next photo shows him together with the Yugoslav head of state Jozip Broz Tito ...
... is one of the richest men in the world, as early as 1930 his private fortune was estimated at 2 billion US dollars and has a number of splendid palaces, 14,718 people toiled there just for him ...:
For audiences, the ruler takes admission - or a bribe - as the case may be.
At that time it was said: "Whoever comes before his face has to deliver a gift corresponding to his ability, the Nazarana."
While the Nizam floats in wealth, its 16.6 million subjects (1941 figure) are among the poorest people in the world and live in indescribable misery! Only 1.3 percent of the principality's population can read and write - even for India, with its literacy rate of 5.3 percent in 1947, that is a shockingly low number!
The potentate, anything but a democrat, therefore correctly foresees that his beautiful life in a parliamentary Indian Union will end sooner or later!
So he's not doing it in the new India!
But first he buys time!
With the new Indian state he immediately concludes a standstill agreement that his principality will “work together” with India in the areas of foreign affairs, defense and communication - which does not change the realities at all!
At the same time he donates large sums of money to support the - Muslim - state of Pakistan, which has been involved in bloody disputes with the - predominantly Hindu - Indian Union since the British withdrawal.
A classic approach based on the motto: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"
And thirdly - with more or less secret British support - he is hastily building up a standing army with a population of 40,000 men.
Except for the - British trained - palace guard, the 3,000 so-called "Paigah" ...
... this "army" is a pretty sad bunch!
We already suspect: It didn't go well for long!
**continued next post**
