He did business his own way. No direct talk with traders, no haggling, no persuasion. That was his golden rule. Dealers came and left their merchandise along with the price tag on the huge table in Aina Khana, his drawing room at Diwan Devdi.
Mir Yousuf Ali Khan would take his own time to saunter in and examine the objects kept. One cursory glance is enough - he would either buy or reject them outright. That's the way the world's biggest art collector acquired things.
Unique as his collections are, more unique is the man who collected them. But not many who visit the Salar Jung Museum (SJM) are aware of this.
Salar Jung III, as he is popularly known, had a reputation that crossed borders. Merchants would come from all over the world to Hyderabad to sell rare antiques. But everyone had to abide by the same rules. Once a merchant from Jaipur arrived with a golden fruit knife of Mughal empress, Noor Jahan, and wanted to meet Salar Jung right then. He was in a tearing hurry and would not take no for an answer. Salar Jung, who was in a jovial mood, agreed to meet the merchant.
Kya kheemat hai Maharaj (What’s the Price?), he enquired.
Huzoor teen lakh rupiye (Sir, Rs. Three lakhs) , the merchant replied.
Main sirf teen hazar doonga (I’ll give only three thousand ) , Salar Jung said.
At this the man was visibly upset and shot back Aap paagal hain kya (Are you mad).
Everyone was shocked at this impudence. But Salar Jung did not utter a word. He quietly left the room only to return after a while. As the trembling merchant looked on, Salar Jung offered Rs. 3 lakh and bought the golden knife which adorns the Jade collection section at SJM.
Nawab Ahtram Ali Khan, the grand nephew of Salar Jung, recounted the little known things of the SJM founder on the occasion of the latter's 126th birth anniversary being observed from June 14 to 22.
An art connoisseur, nobody could take him for a ride. If somebody quoted an exorbitant price, Salar Jung would immediately know and reject the product itself. Endowed with a refined taste, he went on a collection spree from an early age. So obsessed was he with this passion that he relinquished the post of Prime Minister in 1914 after serving the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, for just two years.
Interestingly, ‘Veiled Rebecca’, the prized treasure of the Museum, is acquired by Mir Turab Ali Khan, the grandfather of Salar Jung. The latter built upon this family tradition and turned the extraordinary collection into an art treasure.
Salar Jung never wanted to set up a museum. He was so possessive of his collection that he did not allow anyone to touch the artefacts. It was only after his death in 1949 that his family members decided to donate this fabulous objet d’art to the nation.
And the Museum authorities have not let down the nation.
They have preserved the cultural legacy in the best way possible.
