Why have the Razakar atrocities not really got the attention they deserve?
There are a good many reasons, but mainly it's due to the reverence for the Nizam by the Anglicized Indian elite. Hyderabad was one of the 5 princely states whose rulers were eligible for a 21 gun salute. And that meant the Nizam was a vital ally for the British.
So they created a whole elite in Hyderabad city - writers, intellectuals, artistes who became long time admirers of the Nizam. They were taken in by all the opulent riches and grand buildings of Hyderabad , and had no clue about what was happening in the country side which is where the Razakars were running a reign of terror.
Again the victims of Razakar terror were primarily the smaller peasants, lower classes, villages, so the urban elite was completely insulated.
Even when the Nizam was deposed and the Razakar atrocities started coming out, it was like "See the Nizam was a good guy, he built all those wonderful buildings, he developed Hyderabad. Yeah the Razakars were bad, but you know sh**t happens".
And this perception was created by the Nizam himself, that he was misled by likes of Rizvi and Laik, and he was a helpless victim. When in reality he was the one who not just gave a free hand to Rizvi, but also armed the Razakars, and let them carry on their terror activiti es in the country side. Anyway the Indian Govt too fell for that and made him the Rajpramukh of Hyderabad after Operation Polo.
There are a good many reasons, but mainly it's due to the reverence for the Nizam by the Anglicized Indian elite. Hyderabad was one of the 5 princely states whose rulers were eligible for a 21 gun salute. And that meant the Nizam was a vital ally for the British.
So they created a whole elite in Hyderabad city - writers, intellectuals, artistes who became long time admirers of the Nizam. They were taken in by all the opulent riches and grand buildings of Hyderabad , and had no clue about what was happening in the country side which is where the Razakars were running a reign of terror.
Again the victims of Razakar terror were primarily the smaller peasants, lower classes, villages, so the urban elite was completely insulated.
Even when the Nizam was deposed and the Razakar atrocities started coming out, it was like "See the Nizam was a good guy, he built all those wonderful buildings, he developed Hyderabad. Yeah the Razakars were bad, but you know sh**t happens".
And this perception was created by the Nizam himself, that he was misled by likes of Rizvi and Laik, and he was a helpless victim. When in reality he was the one who not just gave a free hand to Rizvi, but also armed the Razakars, and let them carry on their terror activiti es in the country side. Anyway the Indian Govt too fell for that and made him the Rajpramukh of Hyderabad after Operation Polo.
Again it was primarily the Telugu writers like Dasarathi, Kaaloji, Suddala and some Urdu writers like Maktoom Mohiuddin who relentlessy exposed the evils of the Nizam rule where he lived in opulence while those in the country side suffered under heavy taxes, oppresion of the Doras, Patel -Patwaris and the Razakar atrocities.
The English writers on the other hand were happy praising the lavish palaces, feasts, opulence of the Nizam, the beautiful buildings of Hyderabad. And one of them included a certain Sarojini Naidu. These people ensured the Razakar atrocities would never come out for a long time. And even if they did, they made sure the Nizam was not blamed for it.
Most of the literature about the atrocities of the Razakars and Nizam rule was in Telugu and unfortunately succesive Congress Govts in Andhra Pradesh did not make any effort to get those works translated.
Due to this it was only people in Telangana, North Karnataka and Marathwada who knew about the Razakar atrocities, that too because their forefathers faced them, and it never came out in other parts of India.
The English writers on the other hand were happy praising the lavish palaces, feasts, opulence of the Nizam, the beautiful buildings of Hyderabad. And one of them included a certain Sarojini Naidu. These people ensured the Razakar atrocities would never come out for a long time. And even if they did, they made sure the Nizam was not blamed for it.
Most of the literature about the atrocities of the Razakars and Nizam rule was in Telugu and unfortunately succesive Congress Govts in Andhra Pradesh did not make any effort to get those works translated.
Due to this it was only people in Telangana, North Karnataka and Marathwada who knew about the Razakar atrocities, that too because their forefathers faced them, and it never came out in other parts of India.
In the meantime, the Indian English writers successfully managed to white wash the Nizam rule and completely blot out the Razakar atrocities, it was like they never occured.
Sarojini Naidu was one of em, she wrote poems on Hyderabad, Nizam yet never once wrote about suffering of masses in Telangana country side or the Razakar atrocities.
Its this same Anglicized elite of Hyderabad who still continue the whitewashing of the Nizam, down playing the Razakar atrocities, and they are understandably upset with #RazakarMovie showing the brutal truth.
But as they say you can't suppress the truth for too long, the ugly reality of the Nizam rule is now coming out, and will do so, no matter how much you try to hide it.
Sarojini Naidu was one of em, she wrote poems on Hyderabad, Nizam yet never once wrote about suffering of masses in Telangana country side or the Razakar atrocities.
Its this same Anglicized elite of Hyderabad who still continue the whitewashing of the Nizam, down playing the Razakar atrocities, and they are understandably upset with #RazakarMovie showing the brutal truth.
But as they say you can't suppress the truth for too long, the ugly reality of the Nizam rule is now coming out, and will do so, no matter how much you try to hide it.
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