It seemed to me as though his spirit was in
eager and constant pursuit of some alluring vision
on which fell the light of a far-off age of glory.
And to me he himself was a fleeting vision of it:
so suddenly brought into light and so suddenly
snatched away !
His personality was a revelation in more ways
than one. Besides his uncommon worth, there
is the no less memorable fact that he was an
indigenous product and a pure Hyderabad!. He
came to prove to all India that the soil of Hyder-
abad contained such precious ore within its depths.
I had seen his grandfather and known his
father and I knew him as a boy. He was educated
chiefly at home ; and his school career was by no
means remarkable. He remained in complete
obscurity in his chrysalis state till he came out to
dazzle all beholders. What was his college ? And
what was his university ? Nature and life, the
only academy in which genius is fostered and
nurtured and taught to grow towards the highest!
My estimate of him, his work and his worth
may be found in these lines which I wrote soon
after his death : —
A brave and righteous leader sent
By Providence men's hearts to guide—
Not his the voice of power and pride,
But of great deeds and high intent.
In every uttered word his breath
Flashed forth a pure heart's truth as light;
He saw the dawn beyond the night,
And chose the way that conquers death!