Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of ''Khan'' "Leader" and ''Bahadur'' "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and India ...

Sir Mohammad Usman (1884 – 1 February 1960) was an Indian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, hakim and socialite who served as the Minister of Home for the Madras Presidency in the Justice Party government of the

Raja of Bobbili Raja Sri Ravu Svetachalapati Sir Ramakrishna Ranga Rao KCIE (20 February 1901 – 10 March 1978) was an Indian politician and ''zamindar'' who served as the First Minister of Madras Presidency from 5 November 1932 to 4 April 1936 and 24 ...

and as the first Indian acting Governor of Madras from 16May 1934 to 16August 1934. His name is often written Muhammad Usman. Usman was born into an aristocratic family of

Tanjore Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore,#Pletcher, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian c ...

in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

in 1884. He graduated from Madras Christian College and joined the Justice Party. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council and later, to the Governor's executive council. Usman served as the member of posts and air in the Viceroy's Executive Council between 1942 and 1947. He died in 1960 at the age of 76. He was a part-time hakim or doctor in

Unani medicine Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The term '' Yūnānī'' means 'Greek', re ...

and used his influential position in the provincial administration to promote indigenous systems of medicine. In person, Usman was both tall and very heavy. He was once described by

V. S. Srinivasa Sastri Valangaiman Sankaranarayana Srinivasa Sastri (22 September 1869 – 17 April 1946) was an Indian politician, administrator, educator, orator and Indian independence activist. He was acclaimed for his oratory and command over the English langua ...

as having a "magnificent frame", and Sastri's biographer says he was "of gargantuan size".

Early life

Usman was born to Mohammad Yakub who belonged to an aristocratic family of

More More may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka Shade, ...

, Pg 247

in 1884. Usman graduated from the

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institut ...

and joined the

South Indian Liberal Federation The Justice Party, officially the South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British Raj (current Tamil Nadu, India) It was established on 20 November 1916 in Victoria Public Hall in Madras by Dr C. Nate ...

. Usman practised

and acquired a reputation as an efficient physician.

Political positions

Usman was elected to the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator from 1920 to 1923. Usman served as the President of the Corporation of Madras in 1924–25 and as the Shera of Madras in 1924. In October 1921, the

Raja of Panagal Raja Sir Panaganti Ramarayaningar KCIE (9 July 1866 – 16 December 1928), also known as the Raja of Panagal, was a ''zamindar'' of Kalahasti, a Justice Party leader and the First Minister of Madras Presidency from 11 July 1921 to 3 Dece ...

, the Chief Minister of Madras, established a committee on Indigenous Systems of Medicine. He appointed Usman, the Secretary of the committee. In 1922, this Committee concluded that

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

was based on genuine scientific theories and noted that its practice has been waning over the years. On 30 March 1925, Usman was appointed member of the executive council of the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

. He was elected president of the Muhammedan Education Association of South India in 1930.

, Pg 121 When the Raja of Bobbili took over as the Chief Minister or Premier of the Madras Presidency, Usman was made the Minister of Home in the provincial government. However, Usman resigned in 1934 recommending A. T. Panneerselvam as his successor. Muslims of the Madras Presidency felt betrayed that Usman had not recommended a Muslim for the post and strongly opposed the candidature of Panneerselvam who was a Christian. Violent Muslim-Christian riots erupted in the province. Though the riots were eventually quelled, the incidents radicalized public opinion, both Muslim and Christian, against the Justice Party. In 1935, Usman became the first Indian President of the Rotary Club of Madras.

As Acting Governor of Madras Presidency

Usman served as the acting

from 16 May 1934 to 16 August 1934. He was the first Indian to act as the Governor of Madras.

Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council

The British trusted Usman and considered him loyal. He served as a member of the Indian Defence Council in 1941–42 and as the Vice-Chancellor of

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

from 1940 to 1942. On 2 July 1942, the Viceroy of India,

Lord Linlithgow Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 October 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun. The current holder of the title is Adrian Hope. Thi ...

, expanded his Executive Council to nineteen members, bringing in Usman, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer,

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

, Sir Jogendra Singh, and Sir J. P. Srivastava. This took the number of Indian members of the Council to fourteen, with five Europeans. Usman was made the member for Posts and Air. Usman's political views, according to the next Viceroy, Wavell, were "such that even a hardened Tory might regard as reactionary", and Wavell later noted in his journal that Usman "believed that God never meant India to be independent". At a conference of Post Masters General shortly after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Usman said of the need to improve postal and telegraph services "We have won the War. We have now to win the peace."

Death

Usman died on 1 February 1960 at the age of 76.

Honors

Usman was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

1928 Birthday Honours The 1928 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

and made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

in the

1933 New Year Honours The 1933 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were a ...

. On 14 June 1945, he was appointed a KCSI.The London Gazette
/ref> Usman Road, a thoroughfare in T. Nagar,

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

is named after him.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Usman, Mohammad 1884 births 1960 deaths Tamil Nadu politicians Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Bachelor Indian knights Tamil Muslims Indian Muslims Madras Christian College alumni Vice chancellors of the University of Madras Unani practitioners Members of the Council of the Governor General of India