Nawab Shah Alam Khan (1921-2017) was an Indian industrialist, educationist and cultural connoisseur from

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The main commercial venture he ran was the

Hyderabad Deccan Cigarette Factory Hyderabad Deccan Cigarette Factory is an Indian company which produces cigarettes. The factory is also known as Golconda Factory. The factory used to manufacture the popular ''Golconda'' brand and ''Amar'' brand of cigarettes. The road junction ...

. He was also the chairman of the Sultan ul Uloom Educational Society.

Background and family

Shah Alam Khan was the son of Mir Khan (also known as Nawab Zabardast Khan) and belonged to an affluent Muslim family of

Hyderabad state Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

. Born in 1921, he grew up in an environment of wealth and privilege. However, he lost his father when he was a child, and his mother died when he was a teenager. His maternal uncle played a large role in raising him after the death of his father. At a young age, while he was still a college student, Shah Alam was married to Abida Khatoon, daughter of Mohammad Abdus Sattar, a successful tradesman turned industrialist who had founded the

in 1921. Abdus Sattar had already died, and Abida, his only child and heir, was barely into her teens when they were married. Shah Alam Khan was favored by Abida's mother because he was well-educated and hailed from a respectable Nawabi family, but had little money or immediate family. The match was arranged by their families in the usual Hyderabadi way, and the marriage, which lasted all their lives, was harmonious. The couple had seven children, all boys, including

Mehboob Alam Khan Nawab Mehboob Alam Khan is an Indian food connoisseur and culinary expert of Hyderabadi cuisine. He has restored many lost recipes of the Hyderabadi tradition. Early life Mehboob Alam Khan was born in Hyderabad in a noble family. He did his sc ...

, who runs the

and is a food connoisseur. Not long after their wedding, Shah Alam Khan and Abida Khatoon had to adjust to change on a grand scale. The end of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, the extinguishing of the

State of Hyderabad Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

and the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

changed the society in which they lived.

Career

Shah Alam Khan soon took charge of the cigarette factory, which had been faltering after the death of his father-in-law. Despite a challenging social situation, he nurtured the factory to unprecedented heights of success. The "Golconda" brand of cigarette was popular in India for several decades. It became a major money-spinner, and Shah Alam Khan, who was a sensible and even canny businessman despite his gentlemanly deportment, made intelligent investments in urban real estate, agricultural lands, a dairy farm and so on. Nevertheless, by the mid-1970s, the cigarette business was again faltering for several reasons. The tax regime was very unfavorable; cigarettes were now strongly discouraged by government and society alike. More importantly, multinational companies run by foreign-trained MBAs had changed the entire marketing paradigm of cigarettes and other consumer goods.

Other interests

Shah Alam Khan was the chairman of the Sultan ul Uloom Educational Society. He was also a member of Board of Management and Academic Senate of

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate university, collegiate Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, issued a ''firman'' calling f ...

. He had other interests as well. He was the founder member of Hyderabad Rose Society and was known for his intimate knowledge about cultivation of roses. He had won many awards both nationally and internationally for his rose cultivars.

Death

Shah Alam Khan died on 23 October 2017 aged 96. His mortal remains were laid to rest at the Masjid-e-Salima Khatoon in Himayatnagar at 5 pm the same day. He was survived by his wife, seven sons, and many grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Shah Alam Indian industrialists 1921 births 2017 deaths Indian Muslims People from Hyderabad State Businesspeople from Hyderabad, India