On the 131st birth anniversary of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, the jewels of the royal family that lie with the Reserve Bank of India found themselves in the spotlight once more. The Nizam family has been time and again demanding to bring these jewels back to the City. On the anniversary on Thursday, the royal family descendants once again renewed this demand.
The jewels that then accounted to Rs. 218 crores and have been shifted to the RBI lockers in 1995 by the Government of India. These jewels have an estimated value of Rs. 50,000 crores in the present day. Himayath Ali Mirza, the great grandson of the seventh Nizam said, “It is unfortunate that people of this city are deprived of such an important part of history.”
The city of Nizams witnessed the glory of these jewels only two times after 1995. Once in 2001 and second in 2006 when they were exhibited at the Salar Jung Museum for short time. The lakhs of visitors forced the RBI to take the treasure back to the vaults. Mirza also said, “We will seek an audience with Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to reiterate our demand. Hyderabad must have its own museum to display the Nizam’s jewelry.”
While the government expressed concern about differences within the family about the jewels, the family assures of unity. John Zubrzycki, the author of The Last Nizam said, “If they (jewels) went on permanent display, these would attract many thousands of visitors from India and abroad. They are unique, a national treasure that shouldn’t be locked away in a bank vault. To do so is an aberration that wouldn’t be tolerated in most countries.” He also opined that Hyderabad is the actual home of the jewelry and that it is ‘high time’ they were returned. He added, “Hyderabad is a global city, a thriving sophisticated metropolis. The jewels should stand testament to its rich past, they should be used to inform the public about their history.”
The city also expressed in unison over the past that these jewels should be brought back as they increase the authenticity of the history of the city. It has also been expressed that it increases the tourism value of the city. Well in our opinion, it is time to ‘Bring them back Home!’
