Syed Ahmed El-Edroos (; 3 March 1899 – 20 July 1962) was the commander-in-chief of the Hyderabad State Forces at the time of the annexation of Hyderabad State by India in 1948.

Life

Syed Ahmed El-Edroos was born into a family belonging to the Ba'Alawi Sadah, a

Hashemite The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the Dynasty, royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz (1916–1925), Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria (1920), and Kingd ...

tribe that had been settled in

Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...

, he was a descendant of Abu Bakr Al-Aydarus, who descended from

Ahmad Al-Muhajir Ahmad al-Muhajir (, ', ; 260-345 Hijri year, AH or c. 873-956 Common Era, CE), also known as al-Imām Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā, was an Islamic scholar and the founder of Ba 'Alawi sada group which is instrumental in spreading Islam to India, Southeast ...

, who in turn was a descendant of

Ali Al-Uraydi Ali al-Uraydi ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq, () better known simply as Ali al-Uraydi, was the son of Ja'far al-Sadiq and the brother of Isma'il, Musa al-Kazim, Abdullah al-Aftah, and Muhammad Al-Dibaj. He was known by the title al-Uraydi, because he liv ...

, grandson of

Ali Al-Sajjad Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (, – 712), also known as Zayn al-Abidin () was the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the fourth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle, Hasan ibn Ali, and his gr ...

, son of Imam Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the

Prophet Muhammad In Islam, Muhammad () is venerated as the Seal of the Prophets who transmitted the Quran, eternal word of God () from the Angels in Islam, angel Gabriel () to humans and jinn. Muslims believe that the Quran, the central religious text of Isl ...

. His grandfather and father had immigrated from Yemen to Hyderabad in 1887, with El-Edroos being born upon Indian soil in 1899, making him a first generation Indian. His maternal family is said to have descendant from an Arab general who had fought against the Byzantines in the 7th Century. He was commissioned in 1919. El-Edroos participated in both World Wars, serving in the 1st Hyderabad Lancers. El-Edroos was a close confidante and trusted aide of the Nizam of Hyderabad. His brothers were also senior officers and distinguished members of the Nizam's army. He was ready for a war but was advised by the

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

, Mir Osman Ali Khan, not to fight and surrendered to the Indian Army forces outside of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

city so that there would be no bloodshed of innocent people. In September 1948 El-Edroos held the rank of Major-General and Commander of the State Army of Hyderabad. This numbered 6,000 men and consisted of three armoured regiments, a horse cavalry regiment, 11 infantry battalions and artillery. It was supported by 18,000 poorly armed and trained irregulars. In the course of Operation Polo, the Indian Army was able to scatter this mixed force in five days of fighting. General El-Edroos, who had advised the Nizam against opposing the entry of Indian forces, surrendered on 17 September. In 1950, General Edroos was arrested on the allegation of helping Mir Laiq Ali to escape to Pakistan. After two months he was released after an enquiry did not find any evidence against him. He left Hyderabad and settled in Bangalore. His children emigrated to Pakistan.

Autobiography

His autobiography ''Hyderabad of the Seven Loaves'' was published in April 1994 and presented a historical account of the Asaf Jahi dynasty with an autobiographical sketch of the author, covering the events of Hyderabad's merger with the Indian Union. It narrates several anecdotes and facts about the city during the Nizami reign. The book also contains some rare pictures of the royal and aristocratic events that took place at the time.

References

External links

INDIA: The Happy War

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, 27 September 1948
End of a State

Life (magazine) ''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...

, 11 October 1948
Video of Soldiers of NIZAMS of HYDERABAD
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edroos, Syed Ahmed El 1899 births 1962 deaths People from Hyderabad State Hyderabad State Forces Commanders in chief British Indian Army generals Indian military personnel of World War I Indian military personnel of World War II History of Andhra Pradesh House of Aidarus Hadhrami people Indian people of Arab descent Indian people of Yemeni descent Indian State Forces officers Ba' Alawi Tribe