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and in the following Persian lines which came
to me one day immediately after prayers : —
Past and Present
" From the time of the late Nizam to the pre-
sent day there has been a transition period of
not less than 33 years which has brought about
many important changes affecting personal and
communal life. And what is surprising is not
so much the change of outward appearances as
the change of mental habits. This affects the
power of choosing the proper course in life. Peo-
ple now seem to be guided in their choice more by
imitation than by judgment.
" It was inevitable that with the changing con-
ditions of life around us we should change our
mode of living. But was there any need to aban-
don those habits which served to uphold our self-
respect merely because they belonged to the past ?
The tone and colour which they had given to old
Hyderabad life we miss more and more every day.
This is owing largely to the influx of ' modern '
ideas from outside ; but I feel that if we had been
* The light of faith illumined the way of the heart
And the heart's emotion surged up in speech
He brought with him from the Eternal those powers which
Imparted to the voice of the Deccan the fervent tone of liberty.