Chapter 2 The Commissioner of Hyderabad

“You think Nehru is a powerful man?” Barron asked in an uncertain tone as he crossed his fingers together.

“Yes, Sir Barron.” Alan Wilson nodded solemnly, “Nehru’s own ideas are more to be taken seriously than those of Gandhi, who has been thinking of an idyllic life.”

Alan Wilson’s voice was small but unmistakably firm. In fact now Nehru, the leader of the Congress Party, and Ali Jinnah, the leader of the PML-N, were all very powerful political figures.

In terms of Nehru alone, he is someone that the old Modi fairy of later times simply cannot be compared to. And Ali Jinnah, who represented the other faction, was also a thoroughly secularized political figure, and both Hinduism and the religion of peace were a tool in the hands of two men who had not a trace of religion in themselves.

More than Nehru, PMLN leader Ali Jinnah was a thoroughly pro-Western leader, and even the religious claims of the PMLN for a long time were not seen by Ali Jinnah.

Still, as a minority, Ali Jinnah was inevitably influenced by the PMLN, and with Ali Jinnah’s poor health, the PMLN, as well as Pakistan, quickly entered the path of religiosity after his death.

The Congress Party’s Nehru was a completely different story; Nehru paid lip service to respecting Indian culture, but was unambiguous when it was time to strike. During his time in office, he carried out land reforms and defeated Pakistan externally, reversing the world’s impression of Hindus as fighting cowards. The recovery of Portuguese Goa boosted self-confidence throughout India.

In the final analysis, Alan Wilson believes that this has a huge relationship with Nehru’s youth to visit the nascent Soviet Union once, the Soviet Union appeared to the entire world is a heavenly thing, on the then Nehru caused a huge impact is also very normal, resulting in after India’s independence, Nehru adopted a large number of Soviet solutions to solve things at home.

If there hadn’t been that one war, Nehru might have actually built India into a reputable power.

Listening to the young man standing in front of him in a serious manner, answering his own questions, Barron nodded with satisfaction, a strange emotion welling up in his heart, it was hard to imagine this kind of realization, coming from the mouth of a young man in his early twenties.

“There is a war going on right now, and many departments are in need of talent.” Sir Barron spoke after a moment of contemplation, “In the midst of the Imphal Campaign, your father did a great deal of work in Calcutta, whether it was the war zone, the Viceroy’s Office, or the Colonial Ministry, we also need to consider the views of those who are meritorious.”

With Barron’s words, Allen Wilson grew more and more cautious, knowing that his path was all at the other man’s whim.

“Let’s put it this way, Bombay, Calcutta and even Delhi are a little too conspicuous considering your age. It’s not the right place for you to start within the seventeen provinces of India right now. But for your father’s sake, I can get you started in an easy position, one of modest status.” Barron thought as he said, “What do you think about you going as Commissioner of Hyderabad?”

“Eh? Thank you Sir Barron.” Alan Wilson froze for a moment and settled down to thank with surprise in his heart.

British India by the Governor General’s Office as well as the British Commissioner’s management of the place, a total of seventeen provinces, occupying a total of two-thirds of the current British India, the remaining one-third of the land, the distribution of more than five hundred and sixty states of the soil. These states are large and small, the small state is only a little larger landowners, while the large state is treated with great respect in the United Kingdom, as the head of state.

Among the more than five hundred states, the strongest state is the Hyderabad state in Sir Barron’s mouth, both in area and population are the largest in British India, and the strength is much stronger than Kashmir, which has caused many Indo-Pakistani wars since then.

Alan Wilson is still thinking, Sir Barron has been self-centered open mouth, “Hyderabad although actually not under the control of British India, but the importance is no less than the Governor General’s Office control of the provinces. Among the more than five hundred native states, Hyderabad can be regarded as a weathervane, so you should have no qualms about it, the importance is the same.”

Sir Barron, still feeling that Alan Wilson was a little disappointed with his arrangements, explained the importance of Hyderabad, mentioning, “The local ruler is now Mir Osman Ali Khan, a ruler respected in London, and communication with him is no less important than working in the provinces under our control.”

Maybe it is more comfortable to enter the Indian provinces to work increase, but considering the age of Alan Wilson, Sir Barron is not good to go too far because of personal friendship, in the middle of the British Empire indirectly ruled by the Indian soil state, to give the other party a position of good status, so as not to appear too conspicuous, and will not be caught by other people’s handles.

Now, after all, is the period of the World War, some of the previous rules can be broken, but also to master a certain fire.

Alan Wilson was not displeased by this, he also knew that the Sir Barron in front of him had tried his best and could only do so much within the current rules.

“Your father helped me a lot during the Battle of Imphal, maintaining the stability of India.” Finally Sir Barron mentioned the past, and Alan Wilson understood.

To say that Alan Wilson’s father, the old Wilson since escaped to India, soon found the door to continue to climb in the civil service, and eventually stood firm in Calcutta.

Calcutta was the capital of British India before New Delhi, and Britain operated in Calcutta for half a century before placing its capital in New Delhi thirty years ago, and in this day and age it is unquestionably the second largest city in India.

After the Burma campaign, this center of Bengal was directly facing the Japanese threat until the outbreak of the battle of Imphal. As for old Wilson it was in the midst of this time that he kept Calcutta running, as Sir Barron had told him to do.

But this is not Sir Barron’s intention, the reason why the Allen Wilson high regard, the main reason is the outbreak of the Bengal famine, British India is always the outbreak of famine, but two years ago the Bengal famine more than three million people were starved to death, it is the time before and after the Battle of Imphal, the old Wilson can be said to be hard to blame, the same hard to blame there is also Sir Barron, this in the Viceroyalty to work in the British Indian Civil Service chief.

Alan Wilson heart relieved, because of the relationship between his father’s generation, he finally got what he wanted here in the Governor General’s Office, just at this time Sir Barron opened his mouth, “Do not be too happy yet, I only have the right to recommend the candidate, you should know that the final decision, or in the hands of the Governor General of the Wavell, no surprise, after a while I will notify you of the good news. ”

“Thank you, Sir Barron.” Alan Wilson held out a gold coin, and said to himself, “I got this from a merchant, and I personally hope that Sir Barron will not be concerned with his metallic composition, but will see in it the precious history of India, and, as in the case of the scholarly problems studied in the Oriental College, the wide world of the East.”

“Precious historical value, I suppose.” Sir Barron reached out and took it heartily, glancing at it in the sunlight coming through the window, and seeming rather to marvel at the pattern on it.