When Hyderabad marked two Independence Days on August 15, 1947

On August 15, 1947, as India celebrated its independence from British rule, the princely state of Hyderabad stood at a crossroads. While the rest of the country rejoiced, Hyderabad witnessed two distinct and opposing observances of the day — one in solidarity with the new Indian nation and another affirming the Nizam's separate sovereignty.

In the early hours of that day, at 3 a.m., Congress workers Krishnacharya Joshi, Dr G.S. Melkote and Ramananda Tirtha were arrested from Narayanguda and taken to the Central Jail in Musheerabad. The pre-dawn crackdown set the tone for a day marked by both silence and defiance.

Oudesh Rani Bawa, then a six-year-old, recalls the city being unusually quiet. “Sheher khamosh tha. Sab jagah khamoshi thi (the city was silent. There was silence everywhere),” she remembers, standing on a street in Gowlipura as people gathered to hear the day's news on the GEC Radio. The calm, however, masked deep anxieties, as an exodus of Hindus began over fears of the Razakar militia, which was spreading violence across rural areas.

Despite the crackdown, the spirit of freedom was visible in parts of the city. Congress leader Ramananda Tirtha, who was in jail, had earlier urged people to hoist the tricolour wherever possible: “Observe Independence Day. We in Hyderabad cannot share the joy with the rest of our fellow countrymen who are our own citizens of Independent Democratic India… we refuse to be slaves.”

Acting on this call, Congress and Communist workers organised flag-hoisting ceremonies. Brij Rani Gour, sister-in-law of Oudesh Rani Bawa, recalled raising the flag at Goshapet High School in Dhoolpet, an act fraught with tension. Women moved through the streets chanting slogans about Bharat and throwing flowers as if in celebration. Young boys joined in, shouting “Jai, Jai”. Gour was later arrested along with Yashoda Bai.

The response to the Congress's 'Join Indian Union' campaign was widespread in some areas, despite the Nizam's government enforcing its will. Workers skipped work, schoolchildren stayed home — it was a Friday — and cinema halls shut their doors. On trains passing through the Nizam's dominion, Indian Union flags were stripped off. When the Bombay-Madras Express arrived at Gulbarga station at 2 p.m., the Nizam's Police removed all flags pasted on the train.

Meanwhile, a very different Independence Day was being observed in other parts of Hyderabad. At Darussalam, Razakar leader Kasim Rizvi unfurled the yellow Asafia flag, calling it “the emblem of political power of Muslims”. A salvo of 110 guns marked the occasion. Near Abids Shop, an 'Independent Hyderabad Day' was celebrated by decorating shops and installing a tall new flagpole for the Asafia flag. On a parallel road, however, traffic was diverted and buses were barred, with silence prevailing.

In Secunderabad, the police imposed a curfew that remained in force until August 20, 1947. At the Ordnance Depot, which was then a British enclave because Indian Army troops were stationed there, flags of both India and Pakistan were hoisted.

At 3 p.m., a public meeting was held at the Exhibition Pavilion, organised by Anjuman-e-Majlis-e-Azad. Raja Pratapgirji Bahadur delivered the main address, appealing to all communities to unite so that everyone could enjoy the fruits of freedom. The meeting passed a resolution reaffirming allegiance to the throne and the Nizam.

Not everything was solemn. At the Paramount Cinema in Secunderabad, the film Wasiyat Nama was showing, which a newspaper described as receiving an “unprecedented” reception.

The events of August 15, 1947, in Hyderabad illustrate the complex political landscape of princely India at the time of Partition. The Nizam's state eventually acceded to India in September 1948, but on that day, the city experienced the competing pulls of freedom and loyalty, identity and power.