Portrait of an Era

Hyderabad
In the days of the Nizam's 1828 - 1896

In this richly detailed and meticulously researched book, Dr. Sheela Raj offers her readers a glimpse into the life of the nobility in 18th and 19th century Hyderabad as seen through the eyes of Bansi Raja, the chief official ar the Nizam's palace.

Bansi Raja was involved in the political military and economic life of the region as well as being a linguist and renowned scholar in Persian, Urdu and Hindi. His diaries, Reports, letters and notes regarding his daily life, combined with his literary work, from the basis of this cultural history of Hyderabad.

Through researching the past, the author sheds light on possibilities for a more peaceful future in India. She concludes that the Hindu/Muslim harmony in the aristocratic society in the last century should serve as a guide religious tolerance in present-day society.