princess niloufer, the most beautiful woman of her time

The Princess is remembered as a lady who had cut across a line between western education , etiquette and oriental elegance.

IIn the memory of Princess Niloufer

PRINCESS NILOUFER WAS ONE OF THE TOP

TEN BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF THE

WORLD!HER PHOTOS

APPEARED IN THE COVER PAGES OF

MAGAZINES!

Niloufer was a perfect princess in many ways

and a remarkably beautiful woman

of her time.

Niloufer was born on 4th January, 1916, in the Goztepe Palace in Istanbul in Turkey. Her mother was Adile Sultan, a grand-daughter of Sultan Murad V.

Adile was married and divorced earlier and it was with her second husband, Salahuddin Morali, that she gave birth to Niloufer.

Much before television, beauty pageants and glamour rags could begin their reign over the public imagination, yet Princess Niloufer’s

exquisite looks and clothes were a talking point across the country and in the cities of Europe. Niloufer was the “Kohinoor of Hyderabad”

AS A QUEEN OF FASHION

Princess Niloufer With Begum Aga Khan

THOUGH THE PRINCESS WAS

BORN IN TURKEY YET SHE

EMBRACED INDIAN CULTURE. SHE

WESTERNIZED THE INDIAN SAREE AND

MADE IT MOST POPULAR.

Princess Niloufer had flamboyant taste for fashion which was

reflected in her sarees. Her fashion was widely

talked about even in Europe. 34 of her

sarees were presented to the Fashion Institute of Technology at New

York.

These saris were worn by Princess Niloufer Farhat Begum Saheba of Hyderabad (1916-1989).

As the consort of an Indian prince, she was required to wear saris. Having grown up in France, mostly she commissioned designs that reflected flare for Western fashion, sensibility in their color, motif, and placement of embellishment.

These particular saris were made in India, but Princess Niloufer also commissioned saris from French designers such as Jeanne Lanvin.

Saris, Circa 1946, India, Gifts of Mr. Edward Pope, 92.132.18 and 92.132.26, photograph by Irving Solero

TAKING TRADITIONAL INDIAN SAREE TO THE WEST

She made the traditional sari her own by giving it a Western touch through decoration and the placement of motifs. Her saris were crafted with sequins, beads and metallic embroidery on fabrics like the chiffon, crepe and net, with the floral designs falling in the front or over the left shoulder. Most of these sarees were designed by a Frenchman, Fernande Cecire, and embroidered in India. This reminds us of the days of the British Raj, when Indian princesses used to travel to Paris and had sarees designed by French couturiers.

GIVING A WESTERN TOUCH TO THE TRADITIONAL INDIAN

SAREE

Her Highness the Princess Niloufer of Hyderabad, c.1946, gift of Evelyn Pope in memory of Edward J. Pope

Princess Niloufer was married to the second son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad.

She was also the last princess of the Ottoman Empire.

At the age of eight, Niloufer moved to Nice in France.

THE PRINCESS WAS BROUGHT UP IN FRANCE

Princess Niloufer of Turkey

Princess Niloufer of Hyderabad (1916-1989). Paris, March

1947.

Niloufer had a style of dressing that attracted the public. She captured the attention of the fashion media. Her sarees were especially crafted by Madhavdas, a designer from Bombay.

These were frequently reviewed and analyzed. Even in later years, when she shifted to wearing European style clothes when travelling abroad, she still managed to cut a fine figure.

One of her European dresses formed the topic of discussion in the New York Times in 1961.

Princess niloufer khanum sultana

Muazzam Jah, Walashan Sahebzada Nawab Mir Sir Shuja’at ‘Ali Khan Bahadur, KCIE (21 December 1907 - 15 September 1987), was the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and his first wife Dulhan Pasha Begum. The popular Moazzam Jahi Market of Hyderabad is named after him.

SPOUSE

The deposition of the Khalifa was a significant political event. Mahatma Gandhi felt that this would be the right time for the Khilafat movement, to restore the Khalifa. The leaders of the movement were Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shoukat Ali. During this movement, Shoukat Ali came to be on very friendly terms with the Khalifa.

Thus, in 1931, seeing that the Khalifa had no son, Shoukat Ali proposed that the Khalifa’s daughter, Durru Shehvar, be married to Azam Jah. The negotiations for the terms of the marriage started, but soon broke down, as the Nizam felt that the requirement for the Mehr was exorbitant. Eventually, the Nizam was able to get two marriages within the specified amount. In this way, the marriage of Niloufer to Moazzam Jah was finalized. They were married on November 12, 1931; at this wedding, the Khalifa himself acted as the Kazi.

HISTORICAL WEDDING

Ex-sultan of Turkey Sultan Abdul Mejid (front row, centre) with Princess Durrushehvar and Prince Azam Jah on the left and Princess Niloufer and Prince Moazzam Jah on the right, in Nice, France after their weddings

Princess Niloufer With her husband, Prince Moazzam Jah

Princess Niloufer (extreme right) with Nizam Osman Ali Khan and his daughter

“Her violet eyes and blue-black Circassian hair were enough to ruin a man’s appetite,” remarked the British official Sir Conrad Corfield, who declared her “the loveliest creature I had ever set my eyes on”. When she accompanied the Nizam to Delhi, the Viceroy, Lord Willingdon was also equally enchanted incurring the wrath of his wife.VI

OLE

T EY

ED BE

AUTY

At the age of 15, she married the

second son of Nizam, Moazzam Jah.

Her philanthropy and empathy for

the poor and the sick took the form

of the iconic, prestigious Institute

Niloufer Hospital to serve, care and

nurture many a sick, sane and

critical cases.

Mission Statement

!! Together we share and care, give and grow !!

Niloufer Hospital had been housed in a magnificent building in the heart of historic

Hyderabad with an interesting past. The reputed institution was founded in 1949 by the

benevolent princess Niloufer, who was the daughterof Ottoman Empire of France, married

prince Moazzam Jah, the second son of seventh Nizam (the last of the Asaf Jahi rulers) of

Hyderabad in 1931.

Such was the story of a lovable dream of a French princess who had the vision to serve the

poor surprisingly in India just like Florence nightingale, who served the poor as a nurse. In

1953 what began as a 100 bed hospital with a specific vision to meet the health

requirements of both mother and child, was destined to progress with no backward

looking. Initially the authorities had an unnerving and unstinting efforts. The hospital fleet

developed from a 100 bed occupancy to 500 beds with advanced maternity, pediatric,

pediatric surgery supported by excellent diagnostic facilities.

While her private life seemed empty due to lack of children, her public life became very glittering. She was invited to several functions, inaugurated several events and became a torch-bearer for women’s advancement. During the Second World War, she obtained training as a nurse, and helped in relief efforts.

Her beauty, and her active public life, received high acclaim in the press, and her portfolios featured in magazines. She was judged one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world, and was offered several roles in films.

HER PUBLIC LIFE

Unlike other ladies in her family who felt that their dignity and honour lay in not making Public spectacles of themselves! Niloufer preferred to move about the city quite freely leaving the Zenana of the Palace frequently to attend Public engagements! Cocktail Parties and late-night revels in addition to her charity work.

A MARRIAGE THAT ENDED IN DIVORCE

For reasons unknown, their marriage hit the rocks when the Prince followed Muslim divorce proceedings by intoning “Talak” (divorce) three times before two witnesses after 21 years of marriage with no children in the year 1952 at Hyderabad.

When India became independent, Niloufer was in a peculiar position. Hyderabad had yet to decide on joining the Indian Union. As this situation dragged on, eventually Hyderabad was amalgamated into the Indian Union by a “Police Action”. Although the Nizam was retained as the Head of the State, he was just a shadow of his former self.

Niloufer decided never to return to India again. Her marriage with Moazzam Jah came to an end in 1952. She continued to live in Paris, with her mother, in a flat. Since she was barely 36, she continued to attract a lot of attention, and had some of the most famous people as friends. She was offered yet another role in a Hollywood film, but she turned it down again.

Niloufer died on 12 June 1989 (aged 73)Paris, France and was buried next to her mother.

REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia

2. The Siasat Daily : Niloufer the last Princess ,

Sunday , 3 January 2010 by Arvind Acharya

3. www.princessniloufer.blogspot.in Thursday,

20 August 2009

4. www.academia.edu/women inhyderabad

state/a historical analysis by Rekha Pande

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Ms. Dayamani Surya holds Master’s Degree in the English Literature from Osmania University, Hyderabad, Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching of English from CIEFL, Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching of English from CIEFL, Bachelor’s degree in Science and Bachelor’s degree in Education.

She holds online professional certifications like:•Project Management•Human Resource Management•Financial Accounting• Management and Accounting• Business Process Outsourcing•Advance Learning Certificate in English Literature Analysis from Ireland.

As a Research Associate in the District Centre for English Scheme, Department of Training and Development, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad since 1 May 2007, her work focuses on administration, curriculum development and teaching in the International Training Programme for Foreign Students at the University.

At the personal level, she works online as a mentor, helps the scholars in their project work, compilation of articles and research papers, contributes to the publication of articles and international peer reviewed journals.