Objetivos específicos

The creation of Hyderabad as an independent state by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah marked the break—up of the Mughal empire during the first half of the eighteenth century. Subsequently, the Nizam was forced to enter into a subsidiary alliance with the British in 1798 and 1800. The turning point in Hyderabad's history came during the thirty years of prime ministership of Salar Jung I (1853-1883).

What helped Salar Jung to secure the necessary freedom of action from control of the British was that Hyderabad did not join the 1857 rebellion on North India and remained loyal to the British. As a token of their regard the British cancelled the Nizam's debt of Rs. 50 lakh and restored to him some of the rich territories they had taken away. This helped to increase the revenue. The state of Hyderabad included Tilangana and some areas of present—day Karnataka and Marathwada.

The British, however, were concerned about Hyderabad's links with the Hadramaut, in particular, the Jemadar of Shuhur and the Nakeeb of Maculla.¹ The Kayatee family of Shuhur at this time consisted of five brothers. The eldest was governor of the town of Shiban in Hadramaut, while the remaining were in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad. In fact, the wealthy members of the Owlakees of Maculla were also serving the Hyderabad state. Both states had a large number of negroes. In Maculla, situated on the seaboard midway between Aden and Muscat—a port of call for steamers trading between India and Europe—not surprisingly in 1886, long after the agreement on slave trade was signed (1863), it was noted "we see a large number of negroes ... there was a considerable importation of slaves especially from Galla and Abyssinia".²

Joseph E. Harris pointed out earlier: "In December 1869, the British political agent in Turkish Arabia reported that many African slaves were allegedly disguised as women in order to pass by the Bombay customs officials.³ Female slaves and men disguised as women posed as wives and daughters of the dealers. Dr. E.G. Balfour, deputy inspector-general of hospitals in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, confirmed that a number of Africans were imported into Hyderabad as domestics and that many Arabs returned from pilgrimage to Mecca which was the centre of this slave trade with one or two Africans who posed as members of the family." The movement of Arabs, especially those returning from pilgrimage from Mecca, was never checked. "The presence of Africans in the city was also noted by the Resident of Hyderabad in 1870; he rejected the term 'slave', however, because he believed that the Africans could leave their 'masters'. He based this belief on a report by Sir Salar Jung, who wrote to Major. W. Tweedie, first Assistant Resident of Hyderabad, that although some Arabs did bring Africans with them from Arabia, he could not confirm that the Africans were slaves because soon after their arrival they were seen working for other 'masters'. He noted: "Since I have assumed the administration, except for one or two cases, I have not heard of any complaint from any African of oppression having been exercised on him, or any complaint touching slavery."⁴ This was

confirmed by the Commissioner of Customs. According to him, Africans from Arabia appeared to be satisfied members of the family, and they did not seem to have been brought against their will.

The British Government grew alarmed at the large number of Arab mercenaries in Hyderabad and the possibility of an attempt to seize power from the Nizam and also at the interference of the Nizam's government in the war between the states of Maculla and Shuhur." When the Jemadar of Shuhur seized the port of Maculla in 1866 he made Hyderabad the base of the operations. In 1875 it was found that the Jemadar received active support from Hyderabad. The money came from Bombay, and was believed to have been supplied from Hyderabad. Salar Jung tried to effect a temporary settlement of the dispute, which the British resented, stating, "The Nizam's Government lies under a distinct promise not to interfere in Arabian affairs".⁵ But, in real truth, Sir Salar Jung was also afraid of the turbulent and powerful Arab Jemadars in the service of the Hyderabad State, mainly in the armed forces, among who were several Siddis.

The number of Arabs in and around Hyderabad⁶ was not known but it was considered large enough and if any further collision should occur the consequences could be serious.⁷ This frightened the British, who emphasised the need to control the Hyderabad Arabs in future and the reduction of the Arab element in Hyderabad which is now "distinctly explosive, having for their object the breaking of the Arab strength in the Nizam's territories. This will be difficult, and the matter must be carefully and deliberately worked out, but we ought not, in my opinion to let the Hyderabad State remain as it is now, a source of danger. We ought not to have a large British garrison hopelessly locked up in Hyderabad in case of serious difficulties elsewhere and until the Arabs are reduced and thoroughly broken in this will always be the position".⁸

Report of the occurrence of a dispute on 30 October 1886 between the police and the Arabs under Sultan Nawaz Jung, one of the Shuhur families, brought things to a head. The Arabs (Siddis) seized some police thanas⁹ and murdered eleven men. According to the police, a procession of Sultan Nawaz Jung's children arrived at the old bridge accompanied by several Arabs, Siddis and Rohillas when a procession of a Goshamahal Regiment Tabu¹⁰ was passing the same place. A dispute arose between the two parties, and one of the regimental set—up was wounded by a Siddi accompanying Sultan Nawaz Jung's children. When the police apprehended him, a dispute arose between the Arabs and the police. Nawaz Jung said "I bore patiently upto now the tyranny of the police." But when he heard from his people "this African had been apprehended and that the elephant which carried his children had fled, he issued orders to his jawans to punish the police." ¹¹

The plan of using this opportunity for disarming the Arabs generally and for establishing them in new quarters outside the city was abandoned, because it would have had the effect of enlisting the sympathies of all Arabs on the side of Sultan Nawaz. Instead, the British launched upon an exercise of overhauling the Nizam's military forces and by controlling the influx at Bombay, by detaining those who were not provided with passports and deporting them to Aden, under Act III of 1864, and to request the Nizam Government for the amount.¹²

Similarly recognizing the possibility of African cooperation in an Arab attempt to seize political control, the Government of India in 1882 began to restrict the movement of Africans in Hyderabad because Africans "consort with Arabs, follow the same purposes, are practically the same."¹³

Africans were detained at Bombay and were not allowed to proceed from Bombay unless they had been provided with a pass from the resident of Aden.

Siddi ka Risala : The African Bodyguard

During the ziladari of the Raja of Wanaparthy in Mahboobnagar district about 100 kms from Hyderabad, which was part of the Nizam's dominions, the first batch of Africans were bought.¹⁴ Raja Rameshwar Rao I of Wanaparthy was interested in building up a disciplined 'armed force under his command. He imported Siddis from Somalia and Abyssinia and organised them into two regiments—

one of Siddi soldiers known as the African Bodyguard and another regiment of Siddi cavalry known as the Wanaparthy Lancers. On account of skirmishes and conflicts between the Raja's troops and the Nisam's, the British Residency intervened and arranged a tripartite treaty by which the Raja presented his African Bodyguard and Wanaparthy Lancers to the Nizam while he was appointed the Inspector General of the Nizam's field forces. The Nizam also agreed to respect the Raja's autonomy.

Raja Rameshwar Rao I established a cantonment at Makhtal in Mahboobnagar district, where these troops were stationed. Under the command of the Raja these soldiers served the government of the Nizam during the 1857 rebellion. They continued to be fielded for action under the command of Raja to subdue Afghans and dacoits in the Deccan. The African cavalry, later renamed the Golconda Lancers, became a part of the Nizam's regular forces. On the death of the Raja all the personal forces and troops of the Raja including the African cavalry were gifted to the Nizam, the Makhtal cantonment was abolished and the establishment transferred to Maharajgam and Lakdi-ka-Pul (Khairatabad). The establishment in Lakdi-ka-pul of the African Bodyguard and the cavalry existed during the police action in 1948.

Rameshwar Rao III, the last ruler of Wanaparthy, was sent for his riding lessons to the African cavalry at Lakdi-ka-pul. He not only learnt riding there under the supervision of Siddi horsemen but was also regaled with stories of how their ancestors were .brought to India and formed the infantry and cavalry, personal troops of the Raja of Wanaparthy and how they were presented to the Nizam when the Raja died. Many of the Siddi call themselves "Bin-Bahiree" or Son of Bahiree, Bahiree being a title of the Rajas of Wanaparthy.

There was continuing contact between Somalia and Abyssinia on the one hand and Hyderabad on the other. The Siddis were brought to work in the armed forces in the Deccan from the time of the Bahmani Sultans. This continued under the Qutb Shahi kings of Golkonda and the Asaf Jahi rulers of Hyderabad. There is a bazar in Hyderabad named after one of the Siddi commanders, Siddi Amber. It is called Siddi Amber Bazar and is still known by the same name.¹⁵

The Siddis were trustworthy, quickly earned the confidence of the Nizam and his court, and were appointed as his bodyguard. Brigadier Afsar Ali Baig, who served as the commandant of the non-Indian State forces, soon after police action and was commander of the Nizam's forces, informed The Hindu that the African Bodyguard Were also under his command. ¹⁶ These Siddis used to flank the throne of the Nizam. The Siddis, according to Afsar Ali Baig, were experts in taming wild horses brought from Australia for the regiments. These Abyssinians were good soldiers also. The Siddis, he said, were honest and upright. Eating and drinking well was their first love. But, according to a report by another Indian commander, the British and Indians were nervous of the guards because of this

weakness. Being loose in discipline they (the guardsmen) used to indulge in drunkenness (sic), gambling and rowdiness. Special efforts were necessary to keep them cowed down to peace and under control, as there was no arms act in Hyderabad, and they could possess all sorts of weapons like matchlocks, swords, lances and daggers.¹⁷

They were a kind of 'Casabianca' and did what they were asked to do. Brigadier Baig recounts an incident when a Siddi did not even hesitate to stop the Nizam from entering the cabin of his master, Sir Afsar ul Mulk, the commander of the Nizam's forces. Sir Afsar was the grandfather of Brig. Afsar AH Baig, and the right-hand man of the Nizam. In 1905 they were travelling in the Nizam Special from Delhi to Hyderabad. The entire train was guarded by Siddis. Sir Afsar instructed his bodyguard, a Siddi, not to allow anyone to enter has cabin as he was going to bed. The following morning, even before Sir Afsar got up from his bed, the Nizam casually wanted to enter his commandant's cabin. The Siddi instantly poised his gun and ordered the Nizam not to enter the cabin. The startledd Nizam recovered soon and the officers around him pleaded with the Siddi that it was the Nizam who was entering the cabin. But he did not yield. Learning later about the incident, Sir Afsar-ul-Mulk apologised to the Nizam and was about to punish the Siddi. But the Nizam, appreciative of the duty-conscious Siddi, asked the commandant to promote him and he was the only Siddi to be promoted to the rank of second lieutenant.¹⁸

But the British saw things differently. When the Nizam took eight of the guardsmen to Delhi for an official ceremony in 1905, he armed them with carbines, bandoliers and dummy cartridges. The officiating inspector—general of the Imperial Service Troops, an Englishman, reacted vigorously to this 'misuse of weapons', which he labelled 'a dangerous act'. The controversy was resolved when the Resident at Hyderabad confirmed that only dummy ammunition had been issued.¹⁹

There is another case of a Siddi rising to a high position. During the latter part of the nineteenth century the Nizam started selecting young Arab and Siddi boy? as Khanazahs (proteges). They received their education at the Nizam's court. One Siddi, who became a Khanazah, was Nasir bin Muftah, who served for thirty years in the guard. He became a lineman, moved up to watchman, ultimately became superintendent of the Nizam's entire household, a post he held till the guard was disbanded after police action in 1948. In this last capacity, one of Muftah's duties was to supervise the Nizam's kitchen, which reportedly fed over 20,000 persons daily—family concubines, servants and nobles and their families. After having saved the Nizam from an attempted assassination in 1947, Muftah became the Nizam's closest confidant. In the 1960s, his wealth was considerable. He owned several rental properties and a poultry farm with 20,000 chickens. His son Hussain, also a former Khanazah, owns property in Hyderabad also.²⁰

Gradually, with growing intimacy with the local Muslims, their popularity with the rulers and their financial stability led to offers of Muslim girls in marriages. The population of the Siddis went up to about 3,000 according to one estimate. A masjid came up in 1904 for the exclusive use of the community. During the days of the sixth Nizam the guards used to draw sumptuous rations from the Nizam's official stores free of cost, besides a regular salary. Whenever a male child was born there used to be a raise of three lakh rupees in the salary of the parents. The boys were enlisted into a unit called "Line Boys". These boys were taught how to fire guns and they carried rifles on their shoulders. They were also employed for other petty jobs connected with the Darbar.

Some Siddis became Christians. The Lady of Church was constructed in the vicinity of the A.C.

Lines for their use in 1904. Those that have remained in Hyderabad are employed as domestics, cooks, porters, watchmen or rickshaw drivers and a few policemen. Some twelve of about 500 khanazahs are better off as the Nizam established a trust fund for their maintenance. They own small shops and restaurants.

The police action suddenly threw the Siddis out of jobs. Though the families were allotted houses permanently free of cost, all the guards were retired and awarded pensions. As they did not know any other skill except martial arts, their survival became difficult. Some of them encashed their pensionary benefits, sold away their property and left for cities like Bombay and Ahmedabad in search of employment. Some of the dargahs in Ahmedabad kept these people, who play their bow string instruments, as an attraction for the local public.

The Siddis were frequently called upon to sing and dance for weddings and other unofficial activities. The dance called the zubu was their principal show. Zubu means cutting the animal into pieces. The dancers tie the dead animal upside down to the centre of a tripod of bamboo poles. The members of the ensemble dance, around the tripod till the dead animal is sufficiently hacked.

This ferocious dance gave way to a non-violent one which has become popular in and around Hyderabad. It is performed by bare-chested Siddis wearing coloured lungis tied in place with broad belts and with peacock feathers tucked into their headgear. They move around a pole. Three of the thirty-member groups play drums called 'dhols' and three others play string instruments. Tambure, one of the string instrument varieties, is regarded as divine. Before picking up this instrument the dancers take a bath, perform Fatah (reading from the Quran), and put flowers on the instrument.

The dances generally have a thrilling opening with the members rushing on to the stage firing guns in rhythm. During their exit they brandish swords and other weapons like spears and daggers. They dance around a pole held by a person to the deafening rhythm provided by the drums. At times a song of Savali (Swahili) accompanies the dance. Bital bin Mabrook, who died in the 1970s, was regarded as the greatest dancer of the community. The Siddis have participated in the folk dance festivals in Delhi during Republic Day. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations proposed sending the troupe to Lagos to participate in the Second World Festival in Black Arts. Their favourite sport is wrestling and their favourite game hockey. Mohammed Bin Farullah represented Hyderabad in the national hockey tournament in the 1970s.

Most of the other Siddis have been assimilated into the Arab Indian population. Even in Siddipet (African market) located on the road between Hyderabad and Bidar it is rare to find a pure Siddi;

those in Habshi Guda (African village) claim Arab descent. The Siddi ka Risala is the only place where they are concentrated, approximately 2,000 in number.

NOTES

1 Foreign Department, Pol. A., December 1874, nos. 210-14.

2 Foreign Department, Pol A., February 1874, nos. 225-44. In Hyderabad he was originally appointed Jemadar of 100 Arabs, then raised to command 500 Arabs. He was also honoured with the title of Sultan Nawab Jung.

3 Joseph E. Harris, The African Presence in Asia (Evanston, 1971), pp. 101-102.

4 Bombay Pol. Department, April 1871, Sec. A, pp. 40-51; August 1870. pp. 376-77; December 1870, p. 377.

5 F.D. Pol. A., 17th October 1873, nos. 225-66.

6 India, Secret Department, February 1895; "Correspondence and Reports Relating t o the Troops in Hyderabad State," Hyderabad Residency, September, 29,1890, pp. 1-6.

7 "Arab Colony in Hyderabad", F.D., July 1882, no. 384,: F.D. Internal A. January 1885, no. 282-355-.

8 Foreign Department, Internal A. January 1885, nos. 282-361.

9 Police stations.

10 The name applied in India to a kind of shrine or model of a Muhammadan mausoleum, of flimsy material, intended to represent the tomb of Husain at Kerbala, which is carried in a procession during Moharram. See Hobson-Jobson, p. 87.

11 F.D. Internal A. January 1885, nos. 282-361.

12 F.D. Internal A. August 1887, nos. 85-86: "Deportation from Bombay of Arabs Adventure, Hyderabad".

13 India Political Department, December 1882, "Report on the Emigration of Siddis into Hyderabad", vol. 1,110-13.

14 Several Hindu rulers retained African contingents when Hyderabad was part of the Bahmani kingdom.

15 See also Manik Rao Vithal Rao 'History of Hyderabad State' as narrated in Bustan-e-Asfia, vol.1 (Urdu), p. 394.

16 Interview to G.S. Hari, The Hindu, October 29,1973.

17 India, Army Record Office (Hyderabad), "Siddi Report", p.2. .

18 The Hindu, op. cit.

18 The Hindu, op. cit.