Subedar Amir Ali Khan
About Subedar Amir Ali Khan
Subedar Amir Ali Khan
Subedar Amir Ali Khan, HCS, (born Amir Ali Khan Circa Nov. 16, 1901, died April 10, 1987) was an Indian SUBEDAR, Governor, Government Official (Hyderabad Civil Service) and Social Reformer who worked in a number of critically important and troubled areas in Hyderabad in various capacities. After the Police Action in 1948, following the Indian Independence when Hyderabad state was amalgamated into the Indian Union, Subedar Amir Ali Khan was one of few who actively participated in Nizam’s Goverment and Indian Government service.
Early life
Subedar Amir Ali Khan Sahab was born 5th, Meherdad, 1310 Fasli, Circa November 16th 1901, in a traditional Hyderabadi family in the sprawling house of his father Sardar Ali Khan Sahab in Chanchal Guda, Hyderabad.Amir Ali Khan completed his early education through tutors at home.
Ali Khan excelled in all areas of study. At an early age, he was admitted to attend the Government High School Chaderghat. In 1916 he passed his Matriculation (H.S.C)class.
Education and Career
Amir Ali Khan joined the Nizam College in 1916. After Graduation he was selected for the Hyderabad Civil Services (HCS) (Equivalent to the IAS) in 1918. In 1919 he joined the Nizam College, Hyderabad to study for the HCS.
Despite the very short time available to him for the very tough HCS final exam, Amir Ali Khan passed the Hyderabad Civil Service(HCS) examination in 1919 from the Nizam College, Hyderabad with high marks.
The Select passage was published to commemorate Ali Khan’s passing by Mr.Ghulam Jeelani, IAS(Retd), 26th April, 1987 in the The Siasat Daily:
| “Amir Ali Khan was selected for Hyderabad Civil Services in 1918; he passed the HCS examination in 1919 and was awarded the Walker gold Medal. Amir Ali Khan received his training in Central Provinces, where got the honor of first division in the revenue examination.He was actually second in order of merit, but due to the first ranker, Syed Muhammad Abbas’s unfortunate demise the training itself, Amir Ali Khan became the top ranker among all those who appeared for the exam in 1918-19”. |  |  |
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Hyderabad Civil Service
Soon after his completion of Hyderabad Civil Service in 1920, Subedar worked in different capacities in different places of Hyderabad, including areas such as Usmanabad and Gulbarga. He kept himself accessible to the people who needed his assistance and guidance in critical matters. He was commonly referred to as ‘SAAB'(Lord/Esquire/Sir) due to to his humble & helpful nature.
Starting his career as Taluqdar(deputy collector) he was in charge of relief work during the days of famine. He was Munsif(District Magistrate) at Nagarkurnool(Mahboob Nagar District) and Kodangal and won wide acclaim for his superb administration of Justice, particularly in Land and Revenue matters. Thereafter he served as Asst. Collector at Nagarkurnool(Mahboob Nagar District) and within a short span of time the Government of the Nizam rewarded him for for his selfless services. He was sent to various places in the state, with another promotion as Nazim (Director) of Samsthan Amarchinta (Mahboob Nagar District)
As the District Collector
He was Elevated successively to:
Joint Collector of Nirmal, (Adilabad District, Andhra Pradesh)
Collector of Osmanabad (now in Maharashtra State).
Deputy Secretary of local fund.
As the Governor / Subedar
Subedar of Suba Gulbarga, 1941-1943
Subedar of Suba Medak, 1943-1945
Subedar of Suba Warangal 1945-1947
Subedar Amir Ali Khan was religious person in his personal life but he never brought his religion into his public life. He was happily married to Rehmath Khatoon Saheba.
After his retirement in the 1952 Subedar Amir Ali Khan decided to go on pilgrimage to Makkah to perform his obligatory HajjIt would have remained an ordinary event in his life, had it not been the fact that a person of age and status who was a celebrity among the people of Hyderabad, decided to take his old mother too along with him, not only that he took his mother for pilgrimage, a lot of people do, but he stands out among the pilgrims because he carried his old mother on his back during the whole process of Hajj spread over almost 10 days in Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat i.e. he performed all the 7 obligatory Tawafs(Circumambulations)around the Holy Ka’abah and performed the Sa’aee (brisk to and fro walking 7 times between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa within the precincts of the Holy Mosque) completed the Waqoof-e-Arafat (the day long stay and prayer offered standing under the scorching sun in the open sky in the field of Arafat, 10km away from the Holy Mosque), completed other Arkaan (the obligatory acts) of Hajj including the Ramee Jamraat (throwing of pebbles at the 3 pillars representing the devil) and he brought her back safely to Hyderabad and this was no ordinary feat.
