Tipu descendants in battle royale to escape penury

Kolkata, March 11 (UNI) How many royal families in the world live in abject poverty? There may be a few, but what makes the story of Firoz Shah so bitter is that his sorry tale has so often ringed across the tall towers and narrow lanes of this city that the people have got used to it.

So used, that they tend to be oblivious of the fact that in Firoz's veins run the blue blood of Hyder Ali and Sher-e-Mysore Tipu Sultan.

Feroz Shah, a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan's brother Karim Shah, was almost furious to see this UNI correspondent at his doorsteps. The reason was obvious. Many had come and written stories, splashed with coloured pictures of the nakedness in which the royalty decayed. But no help came.

This address--2 Anwar Shah Road has been the house where Firoz lived with his family for decades.

Their ancestral 'mansion' is in ruins and they now live in this small house right next to it. Interestingly enough, they had to fight a legal battle for 12 long years to get back this piece of land from their tenants.

The family has been selling off their property over a period of time to eke out a living. A little park right beside their house - Jagobir Park-- was one of those distress sales.

The Sultan's descendants are, in fact, spread across the city.

While some sections of their family live on Anwar Shah Road, some live in Howrah's Carry Road, some in Metiabruz, while others in Park Street.

Most among them live in shanties and are unable to provide for their children. There are many other pieces of land that is legitimately theirs' and yet others have set in their power claws over them.

Among the several disputed lands that belong to the royal family is a five storeyed building covering two bigha six cottas, at 4&5 Bankshall Street that houses the Shaw Wallace&Co land; 25 bigha 11 cottahs Kalighat Mysore Family Burial ground at 51/1/1A and 1B, Satish Mukherjee Road, behind Kalighat Tram Depot; 305 bigha Tollygunge Club and 83 bigha Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).

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