The State of Bhopal | The India Project with Josy Joseph

Did you know that Bhopal has a rich history, and a role to play in the cloak-and-dagger drama that preceded Independence?

Before it came to be the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was the second-largest Islamic princely state in British India. In fact, Bhopal State had a long lineage of rulers, including a succession of female Nawabs or Nawab Begums, unique in Indian history. The last ruling Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, enjoyed a closeness to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was campaigning for the independent Islamic nation of Pakistan, as well as Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. The Nawab had made up his mind to join Pakistan, but things didn’t quite go according to plan.

As the date for Independence drew near, the Nawab was a troubled man. His letters to Jinnah seemed to receive a cold shoulder, while the Viceroy was unsupp ...