By Namya Sinha
T眉rkiye (formerly Turkey) became a Republic on October 29, 1923. It was on March 3, 1924 that the Caliphate was abolished and all members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled from T眉rkiye. The last Caliph, Abdulmejid II (29 May 1868 鈥 23 August 1944), commonly known as Abd眉lmecid Efendi, was the last Caliph of the Ottoman Empire. He had two children – 艦ehzade 脰mer Faruk (27 February 1898 鈥 28 March 1969) and Durru Shehvar Sultan Sultan (26 January 1914 鈥 7 February 2006). After the abolishment of the Ottoman dynasty, Abdulmejid was exiled and he settled with his family in Nice, France. An appeal to the Muslim rulers of the world was made by the British Red Crescent Society to help the exiled Caliph. Maulana Shaukath Ali and his brother, Maulana Mohammad Ali, decided to take this appeal to the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan (6 April 1886 – 24 February 1967), who was counted amongst the richest men in the world, and also the first billionaire of India. He started giving the exiled Caliph a monthly pension of 300 pounds, and also allowances to the other members of the family. Abdulmejid’s daughter Durru Shehvar was renowned for her beauty and temperament, and she started getting proposals for marriage by Muslim royals around the world. “Shaukat Ali prevailed on the Nizam to send a proposal to the Caliph asking for Darru Shever鈥檚 [Durru Shehvar Sultan] hand for his elder son, Prince Azam Jah. The deposed Caliph could hardly reject the offer from his benefactor. But it was not that easy; the Mehr (the bride money) of 50,000 pounds that the Caliph demanded for his daughter was 鈥渢oo big鈥, the Nizam felt. But with the intervention of Shaukath Ali, the Caliph proposed to offer for the same Mehr, the hand of his brother鈥檚 daughter Niloufer, for the Nizam鈥檚 younger son, Prince Mauzam Jah. The Nizam readily agreed and sent his two sons to France,” writes K.S.S. Seshan in the article titled The progressive princess of Hyderabad published in The Hindu. She finally married Prince Azam Jah on 12 November, 1931, in a ceremony held in Nice. With her progressive outlook, she brought changes to the Nizam’s household, and dedicated her life to the upliftment of women. She had been given a modern education and trained in martial arts, since she was to carry forward her legacy. The daughter of the last Caliph of the Ottoman Empire married into the richest family in the world, and was lovingly called Hyderabad’s Nagina.