Princes and South Asian pioneers in Birmingham

THE visit of the princes of Awadh (Oudh) to Birmingham on April 4, 1857 was long expected and long anticipated.

- 

Arriving by train at Snow Hill Station, the Persian speaking Prince Mirza Hamid Ali, the heir apparent to the kingdom in northern India, was accompanied by his father's brother, General Mirza Sikander Husrat, and an impressive retinue.

It included a vakeel (adviser), two aides-de-camp, a tutor, English teacher, Persian translator, secretary, physician, two chobdars (mace bearers), one hooka berdar (hooka bearer), a valet, and six other servants.

The Great Western Railway Company put on a good show for their distinguished travellers.

An elegant canopy of evergreens and flowers had been erected for them, the platform was covered with crimson cloth, several flags and banners animated the scene, and a magnificent royal standard was hoisted over the arch of the tunnel.

As they stepped from the train, the visitors were welcomed by the Mayor, Sir John Ratcliff, and other prominent people and then escorted into carriages.

Leaving the station, the prince's eyes sparkled with pleasure at the "lusty cheers" that broke out from an assembled crowd.

Throngs of excited spectators watched the cortege pass along Bull Street and High Street and upon reaching the Hen and Chickens Hotel, the princes were again cheered vociferously.

Prince Mirza Hamid Ali particularly impressed the local journalists. A fine-looking young man aged 21, he was tall and slender, "with a soft dark eye that glows with pleasant good humour".

His manner was described as affable but somewhat diffident, his voice low and musical with "a touch of pathos in it corresponding to the expression of his eye."

It's not surprising that there was sadness in him. Just over a year before, in February 1856, the British East India Company had taken over Awadh after deposing his father, Wajid Ali Shah.