As you walk through the beautifully ornate and graceful corridors of the majestic Chowmahalla Palace in the town of Nizams, you cannot help but go back in time and soak in all the nostalgia on earth. You will really want to believe in magic as you breathe in the seamless fervor that used to waft along the Nizams’ abode years ago. Today, the chandeliers hang in the Durbar hall of the enchanting seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and those ever-alluring walls keep you intrigued to the finest of the details- of architecture, culture, customs, traditions, history and all things old. The neo- classical style palace stands in all its glory and richness and tells the world how grateful it is to one person - her royal Highness Princess Esra Jah - who stands even taller, having completed a Herculean task with utmost grace and poise.
The Turkish Princess and royal diva in an exclusive interview with the Deccan Chronicle talks about giving a new lease of life to the magnificent Chowmahalla and the Falaknuma palace in Hyderabad.
Coming back to India and infusing life to the palaces in shambles:
After parting ways with her husband Mir Barkat Ali Khan Siddiqi Mukarram Jah, the 8th Nizam, in 1976, the princess learnt from her friends the properties were drowning in a sorry state. Everything was getting stolen and nobody thought there could be a saving the legacy from falling to ruins. A state of despondence engulfed the falling royalty as Mukarram Jah had moved to Australia, following the-then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi revoking the privileges of the princes.
“It made me feel there would be nothing left of the splendour that was Hyderabad. In 1996, after 22 years I saw my ex husband the 8th Nizam after a long period at my son’s wedding. He told me that everything I had heard and read about the decline of the properties were true. He asked for my help and offered his power of attorney if I could somehow rescue and restore what was left in Hyderabad.”
Princess Esra
Embracing the struggles on palace restoration journey:
Everybody gave up hope as the structures had fallen beyond repairs. But the princess was indomitable. She marched ahead, bearing two projects in heart. “Falaknuma Palace which had been on the back burner by Taj who had rented it in 1991 but did not feel it would not be a profitable business. Also Chowmahalla Palace in the old city was thought beyond repair,” exclaims Esra.
Chowmahalla palace was the first to breathe the fresh air of restoration and stands proud as the biggest restoration project to have been done in the country since 1947. The vast task that the iron lady had performed brought home the prestigious UNESCO award.
Dolled up, the palace was all set for the public eye within 5 years. The palace welcomed common people with exhibitions and galleries with “whatever could be salvaged in the various palaces”- the princess’ presence blended in everything the palace had to offer after its rebirth. And what was perhaps more thoughtful was earmarking an area in the palace for scholars where they could stay for free and write or do research, in the grounds- staying close to the grounds, literally!
Esra would be elated seeing kids embracing the palace in their own way. “The greatest joy is to see all the schoolchildren who visit not only for their lessons but also to use it as a green space to sit with their friends and enjoy the surroundings.”
Overwhelmed by the Chowmahalla success, Krishna Kumar of the Tata Group believed in Esra and the restoration of the Falaknuma palace to its past glory followed with a team of Esra’s choice.
Labour of love of those whose help mattered:
Esra is filled with gratitude for those whose timely interest and cooperation in the project left an impact. She goes on, “With both projects, I was lucky enough to have the help of people most prominent and qualified in their fields of expertise. Taj provided their team to help me with Falaknuma and at Chowmahalla, I enlisted the help of Rahul Mehotra, the restoration architect, Martand Singh who started INTACH, Rahul Jain the textile expert and later, Anuradha Naik who continues good work to the present day. The discovery of nearly 7 tons of documents which needed to be safely cleaned and stored was undertaken by Taqdees Habeeb and her team who have worked patiently and diligently to restore all our archive material and put it all in order. We are also lucky to have Kishan Rao who has devoted the past 20 years overseeing the smooth running of Chowmahalla Palace. It became a labour of love for all involved.”
A path full of thorns:
Esra’s palace restoration journey was no path filled with roses. Various claimants cropped up with demands that had little merit, but Esra took all of that in her stride with barrister Vijay Shankardass by her side.
Adorning the world with the magnificent Nizam jewels:
The regal jewellery of the royal family enjoys the reputation of still being intact in India and has gone on public exhibitions for very short periods of time. The treasure which has overwhelmed people visiting different museums in the country over the last 30 years, is a pride indeed, ranking next to English and Persia crown jewels, when it comes to private jewellery collections of crown jewels. Taking a trip down memory lane, Esra says, “When the jewellery was bought by the government of India, an agreement was made at the time of sale that they would be on permanent exhibit in Hyderabad where it belonged originally. Would it not be a wonderful asset to our state to bring them here and I am hoping our Chief Minister and his team will do all they can to facilitate this in the future.”
The Princess who carries the Ottoman lineage was in Chennai recently, overwhelming the audience in a conversation with Shobana Kamineni, executive vice-chairperson, Apollo Hospitals. The FICCI FLO-organised “Business of Royalty” talk took place in a plush hotel in the city.
