Chapter 2: The Mother and the Son
Raj was born on 9 February, 1882 in a dilapidated house, the house of hiding of the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was the youngest and the most beloved son of Mahbub Ali Khan Bahadur, the sixth Nizam, and his Hindu courtesan, Varsha Rai Begum. He had seven half-brothers and seven half-sisters from his father's other wives and on real brother Rahul from his mother, but he was closest to his mother as her youngest child.
His mother was a beautiful, intelligent and traditional woman, who had captivated the Nizam's heart when he saw her at a fair in Hyderabad. She was a commoner, belonging to the Vaishya varna, the third highest of the four traditional social classes of India. She was also a Hindu, while the Nizam was a Muslim. Their love was forbidden by both religion and society, but Nizam defied all odds, took her forcefully as courtesan later concubine and lived together in the palace as she gave birth to Rahul in 1880 and became pregnant after two years.
However, their happiness was short-lived, as the Nizam's other wives and nobles grew jealous and resentful of their relationship. They plotted against them, spreading rumours and lies about their affair. They accused Varsha Rai of being a spy, a witch, and a traitor. They also tried to harm her, whose children was seen as a threat to their own children's inheritance. They poisoned milk, hired assassins, and even attempted to kidnap, kill her and Rahul.
The Nizam tried to protect his beloved pregnant concubine and her child, but he was under constant pressure from his court and his British allies. He was also suffering from ill health and depression, as he witnessed the decline of his state(Mughal Empire) and the rise of the British Raj. He realized that he could not keep her safe in the palace, and he made a difficult decision. He decided to exile her to a secret location, where she could live in peace and anonymity.
He arranged for her with to leave the palace in the middle of the night, escorted his most loyal prime minster Mir Turab Ali Khan and his wife. Mir Turab Ali Khan later known as Salar Jung I compared to history he didn't die of cholera and is living a healthy life. He gave them a large sum of money, jewels, and documents to start a new life. He also gave her new names and identities, to avoid detection. He told them that he loved her dearly, and that he would join her as soon as he could after his child birth. He kissed her and Rahul goodbye, and watched them leave with tears in his eyes.
But he never saw her again.
As she died a few months later, of complication in postpartum period. She was 18 years old.
Begum Varsha Rai had settled in a small town in Maharashtra, where she died a few months later. Were minister Turab, his wife, Rahul and new-born Prince lived there. They changed their names to Salar(Mir Turab), Radha(His wife), Rajesh (Prince Rahul)and new-born unnamed prince, and adopted Hinduism as their faith. They opened a small shop, where they sold jewellery and handicrafts. Salar secretly trained Rahul and little prince in diplomacy, sports, strategies, noble etiquettes, etc to make them more competent to other princes in palace but prince Rahul seems to be a simple-minded guy having no talents in diplomacy and strategy as compared to little prince who is genius in both. They made friends with their neighbours, who were unaware of their true origins. They lived a simple and humble life, for about five years when Nizam finally contacted them.
Salar with both Princes returned to the Falaknuma Palace in 1887, where Nizam welcomed them and gave Salar a new tile of Jung and returned his position of prime minister. Nizam was very saddened by the news of his Begum's death, resumed Rahul's position as prince he also named his son Raj as per his late Begums last wish.
Now, five years later in 1887, Raj was finally ready to return to the castle. He had grown up a lot during his time in hiding, and he was determined to make the most of this opportunity.
As he made his way back to the castle, Raj couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. He knew that he was the illegitimate prince of the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad, and that his return would be met with mixed emotions. But he was determined to make the most of this opportunity.
When he finally arrived at the castle, he was greeted by a group of guards who escorted him to the throne room. As Raj looked around the throne room, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. This was where he belonged, and he was determined to make the most of it. But he knew that it wouldn't be easy. He had a lot to learn, and he would need to earn the trust of those around him.
With that in mind, Raj took a deep breath and stepped forward to begin his new life as the prince of Hyderabad.
As the days passed, In Raj began to learn more about his new role. He spent hours studying the history of the Nizams, and he worked hard to learn the customs and traditions of his people. He also spent time getting to know the people who lived in the castle, and he quickly realized that they were all eager to remove him from the list of heirs.
One day in 1889, as both Raj was walking through the castle gardens, they were approached by a group of young boys and girls. They were all around their age, and they had heard about their return to the castle. They were his half-brothers and half-sisters, and they invited him to play a game of cricket with them.
Rahul accepted their request as he was simple manand asked Raj to play with him too, Raj was hesitant at first, but he quickly realized that this was the perfect opportunity to get to know the people who lived in the castle.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know if you have any other questions.
The End.
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