Ziauddin Tucy talks of Moghuls, their grandeur, the last Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and his four wives till the period of what is called India's First War of Independence - the Mutiny of 1857. All these not because the children have inclination for history of Moghuls but because their grandmother herself is said to be the last surviving member and direct descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar and his first wife, Begum Ashraf Mahal. Eighty-year-old Begum Laila Umahani, who lives in Asmangarh, a small city in Hyderabad, is this grandmother. She narrates the glorious family history to her grandchildren, knowing that it won't have any takers if she goes to tell it to people beyond the periphery of her small house. Begum Laila Umahani helps tracing it when she reveals that after Bahadur Shah Zafar's exile to Burma by the British in 1857, his son Mirza Quaish - the first generation -- managed to save his life and fled to Kathmandu. After he secretly came back to India, he was given shelter by Maharana of Udaipur. His son Mirza Abdullah -- the second generation -- again a fugitive, went to Nagpur and then Aurangabad and finally Hyderabad. Here, Nizam of Hyderabad helped him. His son Mirza Pyre later married Habeeb Begum, hailing from the family of the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. One "Habeeb Mahal" near Char Minar in Hyderabad, belongs to her which is occupied by one family and they have moved High Court for its possession. Begum Laila Umahani, daughter of Mirza is the fourth and only surviving Moghul from the family. Begum Laila now lives in a rented house in Aamangarh with her two sons, Ziauddin Tucy and Masiduddin Tucy -- the fifth generation. Her husband died earlier. While Ziauddin Tucy is retired marketing supervisor from Andhra Pradesh Government, Masiduddin Tucy is a food consultant in Welcome Group of Hotels in Hyderbad. Pakeeza Begum, claims to be the another direct descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar. A resident of Neeti Bagh in New Delhi -- her ancestral house Chandni Mahal is in the Walled City. The heir apparent - Vali Ahad -- was supposed to be one and Mirza Qwesh -- whom she refers to as her forefather -- was never a crown prince. He wanted to be one and to do that he also accepted the humiliating conditions of the British but never succeeded. While he was only attempting to become one, the 1857 Mutiny broke out. My great grandfather Mirza Fatehul Mulk was the heir apparent." She narrates the historical background that she says is found in record books too. "Mirza Fatehul Mulk Bahadur” alias Mirza Fakhruh was appointed the heir apparent in 1853. At the time of Mutiny, the son of Mirza Fakhruh, Mirza Farkhunda Jamal was only four or five year old. When Major Hudson killed the sons and grandsons of Bahadur Shah Zafar at Khooni Darwaza, Delhi on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, and soon after this news broke out, the nurse - Anna -- of Mirza Farkhunda Jamal took the child secretly without even informing the family because those who were responsible for the Mutiny were among the family only. For years, she did not reveal his identity and nurtured him by doing different work at different places. That is how she managed to save the last successor." Some time after the Mutiny the British announced that there would be no killings and punishment, Anna brought the child back to the mother. The British Government released political pension in favour of Mirza Farkhunda Jamal as the heir apparent. After the death of Mirza Jamal, the pension was received by his sons and daughters -- Qamar Sultan Begum -- daughter of Mirza Jamal who kept receiving this share even after Independence. She refused to take it sometime after the Independence saying now we are free citizens and everyone is equal in this democratic country. Sultan Begum died in June 1993. She had two daughters, Begum Tahira Sultan and Pakeeza Sultan Begum. The former is settled in London while the latter lives in Delhi and is also an ex-director ICCR and an expert on Africa. --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PCcalling worldwide with voicemail

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MUMBAI: In a litigious confrontation that will pit aunt against nephew, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia (BJP) is battling her Congress MP nephew Jyotiraditya Scindia (son of her late brother and Congress heavyweight Madhavrao) for control of the wealthy charitable trusts set up by Vasundhara's mother, late Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia. An application on behalf of Madhavrao's three sisters - Vasundhara Raje, Usha Raje and Yashodhara Raje - has been filed before S N Kapate in the charity commissioner's office claiming that the sisters are the real trustees of two trusts: Krishna Madhav Public Charitable Trust and His Highness Sir Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia Charitable Trust. A similar application has been filed on behalf of Jyotiraditya, asking to be named as the real trustee. Advocate Amol Inamdar, counsel for Vasundhara Raje, confirmed that a dispute has arisen over the trusteeship. Jyotiraditya's advocate K P Jadhav said he had moved an application asking for his client to be declared the real trustee. Set up by Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia in 1966, the trusts own three multicrore properties in south Mumbai, which were gifted to the Rajmata. While Vijay Vilas and Devoshine on Warden Road are managed by the Krishna Madhav Charitable Trust, Vasundhara apartments on Peddar Road is managed by the other trust. In 1982, the Rajmata, a BJP stalwart, added the names of her three daughters as trustees. ____________________________ The Scindia clan is no stranger to feuds. The passing away of two big names of the Scindia clan - mother Vijayaraje and son Madhavrao - may have masked the biggest story of family discord and mother-son estrangement in Indian politics, but the scars refuse to go away. An apocryphal story sums it up all. When Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje's son Dushyant won the Lok Sabha polls and came to Delhi, it created heartburn. He wanted his mother's house but was told that it was a high-category residence that could not be given to a first-time MP. This became quite an issue. Raje is said to have intervened to insist her son be given the house of his choice, just as Jyotiraditya was given his father's high-category residence on his debut. Things have never been normal in the household ever since Vijaya Raje and Madhavrao fell out in the wake of Emergency. The mother-son duo was in the Jan Sangh. But while Madhavrao left for Nepal to escape repression, his mother decided to stay put, and was sent to Tihar jail as punishment for her defiance. The rift continued to deepen with Madhavrao joining Congress, while Vijaya Raje remained loyal to BJP. According to those close to the family, Sardar Angre, a family aide, contributed to tension between mother and son. Property figured in the list of irritants. A close aide said that reported leasing out of royal property for running schools and other activities by an organisation hardened the differences, ensuring that mother-son ties were never repaired. ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

Can any one help me on where I can find some information on a family that went to India, I have joined the Indian sites but no contact or help,thanks carole William Ray was in India,c1830 he worked as a clerk. He married there to ???, a son William Edmund Edward Ray was born about 1835 in Madras.I have his mother as either Charlotte or Matilda,but as no birth record,only heresay. The son came to NSW in 1853,as both parents where dead. This is all I know of the family before coming to NSW, Hope some one can help me on where I can find records. Ive searched the IGI, plus other sites and no can find them, Thanks carole in NSW

I know of one Dr Theodore Roy who was from Lucknow and then moved to New Zealand where he headed a Department at the University in Hamilton. He is a famous scholar who has contributed seminal studies relating to the British in India, the Anglo-Indians, the Indians in Fiji, etc. Could he be a relative? VPS On 8/21/05 2:48 PM, "Carole Douch" <[email protected]> wrote: > Can any one help me on where I can find some information on a family that > went to India, I have joined the Indian sites but no contact or help,thanks > carole > > William Ray was in India,c1830 he worked as a clerk. > He married there to ???, a son William Edmund Edward Ray was born about 1835 > in Madras.I have his mother as either Charlotte or Matilda,but as no birth > record,only heresay. > The son came to NSW in 1853,as both parents where dead. > This is all I know of the family before coming to NSW, > Hope some one can help me on where I can find records. > Ive searched the IGI, plus other sites and no can find them, > Thanks carole in NSW > > > > ==== INDIA-ROYALTY Mailing List ==== > The posting of Copyright material, without permission of the copyright holder > is forbidden. Selective quoting, though, is appropriate. > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors at > the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targ > etid=5429 >