In the opulent courts of Hyderabad, where wealth and extravagance were the order of the day, an extraordinary story unfolded. It was the tale of a simple servant who struck it rich overnight, not through the sale of diamonds or any other precious gems, but by trading something as mundane as old socks. However, these were no ordinary socks—they once belonged to Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the wealthiest rulers of his time.
Both tragedy and grandeur marked Mir Mehboob Ali Khan’s rise to power. He ascended the throne as a mere toddler, only two years and seven months old, after his father’s untimely death on February 5, 1884. Because of his youth, a regency council governed the state under the watchful eye of the British until Mehboob Ali Khan came of age. His upbringing was distinctive, as he became the first in his family to receive a Western education. By 18, he assumed full control of his kingdom, with none other than the British Viceroy, Lord Ripon, attending his grand coronation in Hyderabad.
Mehboob Ali Khan was a man of refined tastes, particularly enamored with French fashion. His luxurious lifestyle was renowned, and one of his more peculiar habits was wearing socks imported exclusively from France, which he discarded after just a single use.
One day, a servant in the Nizam’s household stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity. He began collecting the Nizam’s discarded socks, hoping to sell them in the market. However, the unusually small size of the Nizam’s feet meant that no one was interested in buying them. But the servant was not easily discouraged. He had the socks dry-cleaned and cleverly re-labeled them as brand-new imports from France. When he presented them to Mehboob Ali Khan as a fresh batch of luxury socks, the Nizam, none the wiser, bought them at a premium price, making the servant an overnight success.
The immense wealth of Mehboob Ali Khan was legendary, largely thanks to the riches of the Golconda mines. Among his many treasures was the rare ‘Jacob’ diamond, one of the largest diamonds in the world, now housed in the Reserve Bank of India. As recounted by historians Dominic Lapierre and Larry Collins, after Mehboob Ali Khan’s death, his son, Mir Osman Ali Khan, discovered the diamond hidden in a shoe wrapped in cloth. Initially mistaking it for a mere stone, Osman Ali used it as a paperweight until he realized its true value.
But Mehboob Ali Khan was not just a collector of wealth; he was also a learned poet with mastery in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. His poetry often graced grand gatherings, earning him admiration beyond his riches. His love for hunting earned him the nickname ‘Teesmar Khan,’ a title bestowed upon him after he killed 30 tigers—a feat that became legendary.
While Mehboob Ali Khan’s life was filled with wealth, power, and intellectual pursuits, the story of the servant and the old socks remains one of the most curious and intriguing. It’s a tale that reminds us that fortune can come from the most unexpected places, especially in the world of royalty where even the simplest items can hold extraordinary value.
