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Nostalgia TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 2012
The life and times of Princess Niloufer
Princess Niloufer shown getting off a train
L
ong before any one of the current Miss World title winners, there were three princesses in India, who were considered some of the most beautiful women. These were Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, Princess of Berar Durru Shehvar and Princess Niloufer of Hyderabad. The story of Princess Niloufer is curious and fascinating. She had lost her father when she was only two years old. When she was eight, the Turkish royal family was exiled. They moved to Nice in Southern France. With no income to live on, the entire royal family was dependent on the pension they received from the Nizam of Hyderabad. At that time, Time Magazine estimated the Nizam to be the richest man in the world.
Princess Niloufer with husband Muazzam Jah, the younger son of Nizam of Hyderabad
From being a bride of Hyderabad Nizam’s son at 15 to leading a glamorous public life in the West, her story is curious and fascinating
Niloufer with her friend Begum Aga Khan at the Ascot Derby
Princess Niloufer
Some years later, the daughter of the last Turkish Caliph, was proposed as a match to the Nizam’s elder son. During the discussions, the Nizam felt that the Turkish side was asking for a very high Mehr (dowry) and imposing difficult conditions. In order to make the proposal go through, Princess Niloufer was proposed to be married to the Nizam’s younger son. Thus, in 1931, Hyderabad royal family got two Turkish brides: Durru Shehvar and Niloufer. At the time of the marriage, Princess Niloufer was only 15 years old. A few weeks later, the two princesses, Durru Shehvar and Niloufer set sail for India. On the way, they were taught how to wear sarees and the expected etiquette in the presence of the Nizam. After their landing in Bombay, they boarded the private train of the Nizam. When it pulled up in Hyderabad station, Niloufer, she stepped off the train ever so lightly. All eyes were on her. Niloufer moved in to the palatial Hill Fort with her husband. Her husband was a poet of Urdu. Almost every evening, he organized a mushaira. He lived a lavish lifestyle and doted on his wife, getting her painted and photographed. Life seemed to be quite comfortable and all was well in the Nizam’s kingdom.
Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur considered one of the most beautiful women in the world
Durru Shehvar, Princess of Berar; she was Niloufer’s cousin and married to her brother-in-law