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A warning had come from an eminent English
lawyer consulted by some of the Ruling Princes,
to the effect that they would inevitably lose some
of their powers and prestige if they joined. This
increased the anxiety of the Hyderabad public,
and must have made Hydari uneasy in mind.
It was in such circumstances that the Firman
of His Exalted Highness announced the appoint-
ment of the Rt. Hon'ble Sir Akbar Hydari, Nawab
Hydar Nawaz Jung, P.C.,D.C.L., as Sadr-e-Azam
* for a period of five years. It did not cause much
rejoicing in Hyderabad—the clouds were gather-
ing.
All this was disquieting to me ; and as an old
friend of Hydari, I wrote to him that though I
congratulated him on attaining his object, I hardly
thought the prize worth winning. And I went
even so far as to say that I could see black clouds
rising above the horizon, and advised him to pray
to be guided aright. This was his reply :
"............Knowing how you are finding it more
and more irksome to keep in touch with the 'mere enthu-
siasms of earth, ' I appreciate your having troubled to write
at all to congratulate me on the appointment. I deeply
value the good wishes of old friends like you and am grateful
for the blessings you invoke on my behalf.........Thank
you very much also for your advice. I have long believed that
'prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night'
-and never shall my soul be empty of it, Insha-allah, though
my lips be silenced when I die............"(April 3rd, 1937).
In my mental vision of him I seemed to see
him enveloped in ominous shadows. After that