Did you know that Bhopal has a rich history, and a role to play in the cloak-and-dagger drama that preceded Independence?

Before it came to be the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was the second-largest Islamic princely state in British India. In fact, Bhopal State had a long lineage of rulers, including a succession of female Nawabs or Nawab Begums, unique in Indian history. The last ruling Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, enjoyed a closeness to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was campaigning for the independent Islamic nation of Pakistan, as well as Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. The Nawab had made up his mind to join Pakistan, but things didn’t quite go according to plan.

As the date for Independence drew near, the Nawab was a troubled man. His letters to Jinnah seemed to receive a cold shoulder, while the Viceroy was unsupportive of his decision to join Pakistan. There was also the geographical absurdity of it to consider — Bhopal being a landlocked territory that shared no terrestrial borders with the proposed boundaries of Pakistan.

Tensions, naturally, ran high with every passing minute. There was much desperate hand-wringing and feverish letter-writing, not to mention a cocked pistol that the Nawab brandished at his daughter.

How did Bhopal eventually join the Union of India? To know that, revisit the drama of the times in this gripping episode.

Acknowledgements:

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech - Tryst with Destiny Tryst with Destiny | Jawaharlal Nehru

Thanks to Confluence Media for the letters in this episode.

Zafarullah Khan’s Letter to VP Menon performed by Ranvijay Pratap Singh

CC Desai’s letter as a reply to Zafarullah Khan’s letter performed by Zia Ahmed

Nawab Of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan’s letter to Jinnah performed by Kafeel Jafri

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Beej, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar