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He had a heart that felt for others.
It was said that when on the day following the
great flood of 1908 he rode out to see the scene
of desolation in the city, his eyes were streaming
and he could not speak. This incident has been
described by his ardent admirer, Sarojini Naidu
in a fine poem, ' The Tears of Asif. '
# # #
" All men knew how his own keen sensib-
ility made him careful regarding the feelings of
others. He shrank from hurting anyone's self-
respect ; and whenever he had occasion to dis-
miss an official for some serious fault, he did it
with secrecy and made it appear a matter of grace
by granting him full pay or pension. He seldom
allowed his displeasure to be publicly known,
and never did his displeasure deprive anyone of
his just rights.
# # #
" His heart was so tender that he felt even
for his dumb pets as though they were human
beings. There was a time when he had a large
kennel of English dogs, and they were kept in
one of his gardens outside the city in great comfort
while they remained in Hyderabad ; but during
the hot-weather they were sent to his house,
Snowdon, at Ootacamund, Nilgiri Hills, for a
change !
# # #
" It used to be said that valuable jewel-
lery lying in the palace was sometimes stealthily