The Holdout

Since India and Pakistan became independent just one year ago, 561 of 562 princely states have joined either one dominion or the other: The holdout is Hyderabad, about the size of Minnesota, whose ruler, the Nizam, is said to be the richest man in the world. Last week, under pressure to become part of India, Hyderabad appealed to the U .N. Security Council for help in preserving its independence. In Hyderabad, TIME Correspondent Robert Lubar examined Hyderabad's cold war with India, which may touch off a new wave of Hindu-Moslem warfare. Lubar cabled:

From Delhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the tough Minister for States Affairs, has hurled a challenge at the Nizam: "Accede or die." Even peace-talking Premier Jawaharlal Nehru threatened Hyderabad. With contempt he said: "It is a completely wrong notion to talk of war with Hyderabad ... If there are to be wars they must be with free countries. But ... if and when it is considered necessary we shall have military operations against Hyderabad."

Since India surrounds Hyderabad, Patel and Nehru could probably make good their threat. The Nizam, however, had a counter-threat. A dagger-eyed little man named Kasim Razvi calmly threatened to protect Hyderabad by starting another series of India-wide communal massacres.

Belter to Receive. Perhaps the Nizam could restrain Razvi and his fellow Moslem fanatics; but it is hard to tell what the Nizam will do next. Not much was known about the man upon whom the fate of India might depend. The 62-year-old Nizam has never traveled out of India, has left his domain only twice in the past 15 years--once to Delhi and once to Calcutta. Now he ventures out of his palace only on two occasions: each afternoon at 4:20 he visits his mother's tomb, every Friday he prays at a public mosque.

The Nizam prefers to receive rather than give. To his last birthday party he invited 1,156 Hyderabadis to dinner. Each one paid, according to the established custom, a door fee in gold and silver worth $50. The total take, $57,800, would pay his personal food bill for 395 years. Says his caterer, who was once maitre d'hotel at London's Grosvenor House: "The food he consumes in a day costs less than two bob [40-c-]." His presents are far from lavish. Last month his British adviser, Sir Walter Monckton, sent Richard Beaumont, a young secretary, to Hyderabad for some papers. As a gesture of gratitude the Nizam handed Beaumont a present--a $2.50 pen & pencil set.

Privileged Minority. On the other hand, the Nizam spends some of his fortune for the public good. He gave $500,000 toward the building of Osmania University. Hyderabad City has the widest, cleanest streets in India, more and better looking hospitals than any other Indian city, a school for the deaf and blind, housing projects for the poor.

The Indian government's biggest objection to the Nizam is that he has elevated the Moslem minority of the population to a position of power and privilege. Of Hyderabad's 17 million, only two million are Moslems. Yet in the army and police, Moslems outnumber Hindus nine to one, and in other government services, six to one. The privileged Moslem minority rules on the principle that Hindus must be kept "in their place." For instance, in Hyderabad railway stations, there are separate refreshment rooms labeled "Moslem Tea Room" and "Hindu Tea Room."

The Nizam authorized the formation of an organization called Majlis Ittehad-ul-Muslimin (Movement for Moslem Unity), which has become Hyderabad's dominant political party, and more. Its private army called Razakars (Volunteers) now numbers 150,000. Head of the Ittehad and field marshal of the Razakars is 46-year-old Kasim Razvi. Razvi is against submission to Indian rule in any degree. "Death with the sword in hand," he tells his followers, "is always preferable to extinction by a mere stroke of the pen." Razvi's position is so strong that the Indian government calls him "the Nizam's Frankenstein monster." "I will, I must defend the rights of the Moslems even against H.E.H. [His Exalted Highness] himself," said Razvi recently. "If India attacks us I can and will create a turmoil throughout India. We will perish but India will perish also."

Stab in the Back? Razvi's threat is no idle one. If the Indian army invaded Hyderabad, Razvi's Razakars would kill Hyderabad Hindus. Throughout India Hindus would retaliate against Moslems. Knowing this, Indian leaders might settle for something short of accession, but insist that Razvi must go and the Razakars must be disbanded. India, still dangerously close to war with Pakistan, could never be comfortable with Razvi's fifth column in its midst. Last week Hyderabad's Prime Minister Mir Laik Ali said: "India thinks that if Pakistan attacks her, Hyderabad will stab her in the back. I am not so sure we would not."

India's main weapon so far has been a tight blockade. Machinery and trucks labeled for Hyderabad have piled up in Bombay. In Hyderabad imported food supplies have dwindled and the price of potatoes has soared to $1 a pound. The airline that connected Hyderabad with Indian cities is suspended. The Nizam's officials admit privately that Hyderabad might not be able to survive another six months.

"Father Told Me." With patience and understanding of the Nizam's vanity, India might still win its minimum demands without bloodshed. India can afford to wait until the Nizam's playboy son, the Prince of Berar, ascends the throne. The Prince is far less interested in wielding power in Hyderabad than in caring for his 180 polo ponies. And the Prince is no friend of Razvi and his Razakars, who might be less troublesome if not backed by the government. Last week, in a pique, the Prince resigned his nominal title of commander in chief of the Hyderabad army. Later he changed his mind. "Father told me to stay on," he said. "What else can I do?" The smarter advisers of the Nizam, who still boasts the proud title "Faithful Ally of the British Government," know that his best hope of staying on his throne lies in becoming also the faithful though reluctant ally of free India.

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