Nizam’s kin urge State to restore Osmania Hospital

The kin of seventh Nizam, the last ruler of the erstwhile princely State of Hyderabad, have requested the Telangana government to restore Osmania General Hospital, a heritage building, which, according to them, is lying in a state of neglect.

They made the appeal in the wake of reports that the State government was examining plans to go for a new building in place of OGH.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao a couple of days ago, the grandson of seventh Nizam, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, drew the former’s attention to the 2015 INTACH report on the heritage structure that could be given a fresh lease of life through with restoration. “It’s disheartening for the members of the Nizam family to see a structure built with great vision in such a sorry state, although it can function for another 200 years as per the INTACH report,” Mr. Najaf Ali Khan, who is also the president of Nizam Family Welfare Association, told The Hindu.

Since OGH has premises spread over 27 acres of land, the government could go for construction of new buildings without touching the heritage structure built in 1919, he said. The building constructed with a fusion of Indian and Islamic architecture was designed by British architect Vincent Jerome Esch and its glory could be restored with renovation, he suggested.

Quoting Mohammad Iqbal Jaweed, an office-bearer of Indian Medical Association (IMA), whose father was Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of OGH in its initial days, Mr. Najaf Ali Khan narrated an interesting story behind the popular Osmania biscuit.

“During the seventh Nizam’s visit to the hospital, the in-patients were being distributed milk and bread as it was tea time. He tasted the bread and remarked how a sick person could eat it and ordered the chief cook to prepare a special snack for the patients. The biscuits were first baked as a snack with sweetish and salty taste as suggested by the dieticians at the hospital following the Nizam’s directions.” he said.

The unique taste of Osmania biscuits appealed to both patients and doctors and it later caught the attention of visitors. Soon, it became popular as it was sold in cafes in the vicinity of the hospital.