imported>Billjones94 at 06:14, 29 July 2021

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{{Use Indian English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
:''To be distinguished from his ancestor of the same name, [[Akbar Hydari]].''
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| name = Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]] [[Order of the Star of India|CSI]]
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1894|10|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1948|12|28|1894|10|12|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Waikhong]], [[Manipur (princely state)|Manipur]], [[Dominion of India]]
| nationality = Indian
| office = [[List of governors of Assam|Governor of Assam]]
| term_start = 4 May 1947
| term_end = 28 December 1948
| predecessor = [[Henry Foley Knight]] (acting)
| successor = Ronald Francis Lodge (acting)
| occupation = [[Indian civil servant|Civil servant]], politician
| parents = [[Akbar Hydari]]<br/>[[Amina Hydari]]
| spouse = Sigrid Westling
}}

'''Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari''', [[Order of the Indian Empire|KCIE]], [[Order of the Star of India|CSI]] (12 October 1894 – 28 December 1948) was an Indian [[Indian civil servant|civil servant]] and politician. He was the last British-appointed [[List of governors of Assam|Governor]] of the province of [[Assam Province|Assam]], who also continued in the role after Indian independence.

==Early life==

Hydari was born to [[Amina Hydari|Amina]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Lady Hydari Club|url=https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/32100|website=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]|publisher=dome.mit.edu|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506183235/https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/32100|archive-date=6 May 2017}}</ref> and [[Sir Akbar Hydari]], a [[Sulaimani Bohra]] Muslim family, on 12 October 1894. He was one of seven children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sir Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Akbar Hydari|url=https://www.meherbabatravels.com/personalities/sir-akbar-hydari/|publisher=meherbabatravels.com|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506191215/https://www.meherbabatravels.com/personalities/sir-akbar-hydari/|archive-date=6 May 2017}}</ref> The lawyer and eminent [[Indian National Congress|Congressman]] [[Badruddin Tyabji]] was his granduncle. He completed his studies in [[Bombay]] and [[Oxford]] and entered the [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Indian civil service]] in 1919 beginning his career in the [[Madras Presidency]].

==Career==

In June 1924, Hydari was appointed the undersecretary in the Department of Education, Health and Lands of the imperial government. He then served as Agent to the [[Governors of British Ceylon|Governor of Ceylon]] from October 1887 to June 1929 dealing with welfare and rights of the large Indian labour force in the plantations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Peebles|first1=Patrick|title=The Plantation Tamils of Ceylon|date=2001|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9780718501549|page=148}}</ref> After the creation of [[Indian Council of Agricultural Research|Imperial Council of Agricultural Research]] in 1929, he became its secretary.<ref name="rulers.org">{{cite web|title=Hydari, Sir (Muhammad Saleh) Akbar|url=http://www.rulers.org:80/indexh3.html|publisher=rulers.org|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812212414/http://www.rulers.org/indexh3.html|archive-date=12 August 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Hydari, in the position of joint secretary to the delegation from the Indian states first and later as Adviser to the delegation from [[Hyderabad State]] led by his father, visited [[London]] for the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conferences]].<ref name="ie">{{cite news|title="Serious Loss to the Administration"|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sc4-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=cUwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=7008%2C8494423|access-date=6 May 2017|work=The Indian Express|date=31 December 1948}}</ref> Speaking at the second Conference on the State's behalf, he called for "work[ing] in harmony ... for the Greater and United India".<ref>{{cite book|title=Indian Round Table Conference Proceedings|date=1931|publisher=Government of India|page=[https://archive.org/details/indianroundtable029616mbp/page/n29 16]|url=https://archive.org/details/indianroundtable029616mbp|access-date=6 May 2017}}</ref> On the discussions that followed the second Conference, he was a member of the Federal Finance Committee and the Consultative Committee.<ref>{{cite news|title=Round-Table Committee|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/maltribune19320203-1.2.123|access-date=6 May 2017|work=Malaya tribune|date=3 February 1932}}</ref>

Subsequently, Hydari returned to the Department of Education, Health and Lands as its joint secretary and then served as secretary of the Labour Department. During the early stages of [[World War II]], he represented India on the [[Eastern Group Supply Council]], a body set up to co-ordinate the build-up of supplies in the British colonies and dominions east of Suez. He was then placed on special duty in the Foreign Affairs Department. In 1945, he was appointed a member of the [[Viceroy's Executive Council]] and was given the charge of Information and Broadcasting Department.<ref name="ie1">{{cite news|title=Sir A. Hydari Passes Away|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sM4-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=cUwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6774%2C8349269|access-date=6 May 2017|work=The Indian Express|date=30 December 1948}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Information Department to be on Reduced Scale|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/indiandailymail19460315-1.2.18|page=2|access-date=6 May 2017|newspaper=[[The Straits Times]]|date=16 March 1946}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=M. Epstein|title=The Statesman's Year-Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year 1946|date=2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230270756|edition=83|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sk_ODQAAQBAJ|access-date=6 May 2017}}</ref>

Upon the formation of an [[Interim Government of India|interim government]] in 1946, Hydari was given the charge of labour, works, mines, power, information and arts, and health. In January 1947, his appointment as the Governor of Assam and was approved by [[King George VI]], and was to take office in May after the completion of Sir Andrew Gourlay Clow's term.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Governor of Assam|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/indiandailymail19470128-1.2.61|page=4|access-date=6 May 2017|work=The Straits Times|date=28 January 1947|location=London}}</ref> He took office on 4 May and he continued to hold the post following [[Independence Day (India)|independence]].<ref name="rulers.org"/> With the [[Naga nationalism|Naga movement]] on during the time, in its demand for an independent [[States and union territories of India|State]], Hydari signed a nine-point agreement with [[Naga National Council|Naga National Convention]] in June.<ref>{{cite web|title=Naga-Akbar Hydari Accord (Nine Point Agreement)|url=http://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IN_470628_Naga-Akbar%20Hydari%20Accord.pdf|website=South Asia Terrorism Portal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517075409/http://www.ipcs.org/TheNaga-AkbarHydariAccord1947.pdf|archive-date=17 May 2008|publisher=peacemaker.un.org|access-date=6 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kashyap|first1=Samudra Gupta|last2=Swami|first2=Praveen|title=Explained: Everything you need to know about Nagaland insurgency|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nagaland-insurgency-and-the-efforts-to-solve/|work=The Indian Express|access-date=6 May 2017|date=4 August 2015}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Hydari married Sigrid Westling,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari,K.C.I.E., C.S.I., I.C.S|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_01/ACC%20NO%20001-BR/RAS-1947-01-25_005.pdf|website=[[Press Information Bureau]]|publisher=pib.nic.in|access-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510034057/http://www.pib.nic.in/archive/docs/DVD_01/ACC%20NO%20001-BR/RAS-1947-01-25_005.pdf|archive-date=10 May 2017}}</ref> a Swedish woman, and they had three children together: son and namesake Akbar Hydari III (1919–1998)<ref>{{cite web|title=Biographical Data: Akbar Hydari|url=http://www.salaam.co.uk/knowledge/biography/viewentry.php?id=226|publisher=salaam.co.uk|access-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030105101551/http://www.salaam.co.uk/knowledge/biography/viewentry.php?id=226|archive-date=5 January 2003}}</ref> and two daughters.<ref name="ie1"/> His son Hydari served as the Chairman of Western India Match Company (WIMCO) Ltd. from 1964 till the 1980s,<ref>{{cite book|title=India Who's Who 1984|year=1984|publisher=INFA Publications|page=142a|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.133563|access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref> later, the Director of [[Facit|Facit Asia]] and Honorary Swedish Consul in [[Madras]].<ref>{{cite web|title=When the postman knocked…|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/When-the-postman-knocked%E2%80%A6/article16160464.ece|publisher=The Hindu|access-date=10 May 2017|date=6 November 2016}}</ref>

Hydari died from a [[stroke]] at 6:30 p.m. ([[Indian Standard Time|IST]]) on 28 December 1948 in a [[dak bungalow]] in [[Waikhong]], a village {{convert|30|mi|km}} away from [[Imphal]] in the [[Manipur (princely state)|princely state of Manipur]]. Serving as the Governor of Assam during the time, he was on a tour of Manipur with his wife and son; his tribal adviser N. K. Rustomjee and military secretary Major Dhamija.<ref name="ie1"/> Starting 3 p.m. (IST) on 29 December, his body, in a coffin draped in the [[National Flag of India|National]] and Governor's flag, was carried in a procession led by a contingent of [[Assam Rifles]] to the cemetery in the Imphal Cantonment and was buried at 4 p.m. (IST). The cemetery is housed in the [[Kangla Palace]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ahmed|first1=Syed|title=Kangla Fort holds the historic graveyard of Akbar Hydari|url=http://twocircles.net/2011nov18/kangla_fort_holds_historic_graveyard_akbar_hydari.html|publisher=twocircles.net|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506185929/http://twocircles.net/2011nov18/kangla_fort_holds_historic_graveyard_akbar_hydari.html|archive-date=6 May 2017|date=18 November 2011}}</ref> A three-day mourning was observed in Manipur. In an obituary, ''[[The Gazette of India]]'' wrote, "Sir Akbar will be remembered above all for the remarkable catholicity of his religious outlook and his genius for friendship. In this he maintained the distinguished record of his illustrious father."<ref name="ie"/>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Henry Foley Knight]], ''acting''
| title=[[Governor of Assam]] | years=1947–1948
| after=[[Ronald Francis Lodge]], ''acting''
}}
{{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydari, Muhammad Saleh Akbar}}
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:Governors of Assam]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:Sulaymani Bohras]]
[[Category:Indian Ismailis]]

Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari - Revision history

imported>Billjones94 at 06:14, 29 July 2021