Mirza Ismail

Sir Mirza Muhammad Ismail Amin-ul-Mulq (24 October 1883 – 5 January 1959) was an Indian statesman and police officer who served as the Diwan of Mysore, Jaipur, and Hyderabad.

Indian lawyer and politician Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer considered him "one of the cleverest men in India". His longtime friend Sir C. V. Raman remarked, "His accessibility and personal charm coupled with his depth of knowledge and his keen sense of human and cultural values made him a great and highly successful administrator".

Premierships Ismail became the private secretary to Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV; the maharaja (king) had great faith in his administrative acumen and abilities to implement them. It was at this time that the maharaja urged his prime minister Sir M. Visvesvaraya to mentor Ismail.

Diwan of Mysore In 1926, at the recommendation of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar appointed him Diwan of Mysore.

Projects and initiatives Bangalore Town Hall, commissioned by Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar, was designed by Ismail. The first rural electrification programme in India were also implemented by him. 2nd Round Table conference 3rd Round Table Conference

Diwan of Jaipur

The Kingdom of Jaipur’s Diwan since 1939 Gyan Nath had taken with the support of the British a hardline against the Praja Mandal political organization who were pro- Congress. It was therefore a shock to them that following his resignation , Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II in 1941 appointed Ismail who they viewed as a progressive as his replacement. Soon after his appointment Ismail wrote to the Rajasthan Residency requesting that the maharaja and his family be referred to as “royal”. The British rejected this, being of the opinion that only the King-Emperor and family could be referred to as such. This caused one British official to write that Ismail was a ‘dictator of the “national socialist” variety’ and express the opinion that the sooner he was dismissed the better. Ismail immediately began cleaning up the walled old city of Jaipur, removing Hindu shrines from the middle of streets, encroachments on public streets and painting buildings, many for the first time in 25 years.

Essays, lectures and interactions Mahatma Gandhi -Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Page 143 onwards): "An Indian Statesman's Tribute" by Sir Mirza M. Ismail, KCIE (Dewan of Mysore; Bangalore, India) Indian Round Table Conference Proceedings The new India, 1948–1955: memoirs of an Indian civil servant By Asok Mitra Encyclopaedia of Higher Education: Convocation address By Suresh Kant Sharma (Pg 111-114) -Education and Unity for Economic Upliftment Sir Mirza M. Ismail: views and opinions on his retirement from the office of Dewan of Mysore. Studies on Dewan Sir Mirza Ismail: collection of seminar papers-Sūryanātha Kāmat Anecdotes of Quaid-i-Azam by Masud-ul-Hasan 1976 International PEN Indian Writers in Council by K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar-Inaugural Address by Prime Minister, Sir Mirza Ismail

Personal life

Ismail married his maternal first-cousin Zeebundeh Begum Shirazi. She was the daughter of his mother, Begum Sanaa Shirazi's brother Mirza Shirazi. She was a poet who publish ten volumes of religious nowhas (or hymns) called Baiz-e-Shakira. The couple had three children: a son, Humayun Mirza; and two daughters, Shah Taj Begum Khaleeli and Gauhar Taj Begum Namazie.

Ismail inspired many in the family to live a life in the service of the country. His son Humayun Mirza who would become Diwan of Banganpalli. Post-independence, he would serve as a diplomat for a short stint before being transferred back to Delhi. He became a key advisor for the layout and administrative systems of the Ministry of External Affairs, which earned him a Padma Shri.

Ismail's grandson from Shah Taj Begum, Akbar Mirza Khaleeli, joined the Indian Foreign Service served as senior diplomat and advisor to the Indian government on Middle Eastern affairs for many years after his retirement. Shah Taj Begum's daughter, Ameneh, was married to Mirza Ali Ispahani from the House of Ispahani. He was the son of Mirza Mahmood Ispahani, the younger brother of both Mirza Ahmad Ispahani and Mirza Abol Hassan Ispahani.

Ismail's nephews left India at the time of partition, dividing the family to serve Pakistan instead. Agha Shahi became Foreign Minister, and Agha Hilaly a senior diplomat.

Ismail's granddaughter from Gauhar Taj Namazie, Shakereh, was murdered in 1991. The murderer was convicted with life imprisonment.

Death Ismail died on 5 January 1959 at his residence in Bangalore.

C. V. Raman paid eloquent tributes to Ismail: "For many years, in fair weather as well as in foul, he remained the truest of friend to me, ever ready to give support and advice. He leaves behind him a memory which will be treasured and cherished by all who have known him."