In Photos: Remembering Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, the Keeper of Lucknow's Tehzeeb

Here's a look at the life and legacy of Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, a member of the Awadh royal family.

Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, a prominent face of the royal family of Awadh, passed away in his sleep at Lucknow's Vivekananda Hospital on Tuesday, 18 April.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, a prominent face of the royal family of Awadh, passed away in his sleep at Lucknow's Vivekananda Hospital on Tuesday, 18 April. He was 72.

Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah had been battling a kidney ailment for the last one year. He was admitted to the hospital on Friday for a dialysis, after which he fell sick. 

He is survived by his brother Nawab Masood Abdullah (left) and three daughters -- Shirin, Nishat and Manrukh.

As condolences pour in from across the globe, we take a look at the life and legacy of Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah. 

Nawab Jafar Mir was fond of collecting unique things and was an aficionado of  antiques and artefacts.

He had a separate room in his palatial residence -- popularly known as the Sheesh Mahal -- in Lucknow, where he placed all his memorabilia.

The antiques included old, gilded chandeliers, brass spittoons and hookahs made of pure silver. 

"He was a preserver and promoter of Lucknow's heritage, and ironically, he died on the International Heritage Day," Nawab Masood told The Quint. He added that the family has appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to honour him with the Padma Shree award.

"Lucknow ki tehzeeb sanjone aur logon ka apna mureed bana dene waali shaksiyath the (He was a preserver of Lucknow's culture, and someone who people could easily relate to and get influenced by)," a local told The Quint. He added that people would just approach him with their problems, and he would sit there listening to them patiently. 

Nawab Jafar Mir is the direct descendant of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, who was the ruler of Awadh from 1775 to 1797 and had commissioned the construction of the Bara Imambara in Lucknow.

Born on 17 March 1951, Jafar Mir pursued B.Sc (H) from Aligarh Muslim University, and then Law from Lucknow University. He worked as a manager in a pharmaceutical company before taking over the family business of antiques when their father Mir Abdullah passed away on 2 November 1994. 

"His lineage can be traced back to Safdar Ali Khan and Sajjad Ali Khan from Shahbur in Iran, who had come to Awadh when Asif-ud-Daula was the ruler," Nawab Masood Abdullah, brother of Nawab Jafar Mir told The Quint. 

Nawab Jafar Mir was very fond of acting, theatre and movies. "He acted in several plays which portray the 'Ganga-Jamuna' culture of Lucknow. These include, Jaan-e-Aalam, Dilli Mushayire Ki Aakhri Shama and Main Urdu Hun," said Nawab Masood, who is the youngest of the seven siblings. 

Sharing an anecdote, Nawab Masood told The Quint that the director of Umrao Jaan was not convinced by the character of the Nawab (played by Farooq Sheikh in the film) until Jafar Mir lent him one of his antique rings for the role.

"Unki angoothi ke bigair adhoori thi Umrao Jaan (The film Umrao Jaan was incomeplete without the Nawab's ring)," he said.

Nawab Jafar Mir has appeared in cameos in several Bollywood films including Gadar-Ek Prem Katha and Ishaqzaade and Madam Chief Minister, in which he played the role of UP's Governor.

He was even seen in the latest BBC miniseries A Suitable Boy, which was an adaptation of Vikram Seth's novel by the same name.

"He will also be seen in upcoming films Gadar 2 and Lal Batti, for which he shot only last month," Nawab Masood told The Quint, as he reminisced how the two used to act together in films and plays.

He also stated that they have shared old jewellery, costumes and props for the making of many films including Amitabh Bachchan starrer Gulabo Sitabo.

Seen here with former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had invited Nawab Jafar Mir during an Eid Milan Samaroh when he was in Lucknow.

Nawab Mir Jafar was also called as a representative of the Nawabi culture of Lucknow to felicitate former President APJ Abdul Kalam when he had visited the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Science Centre in Lucknow. BJP leader and former deputy prime minister LK Advani is also seen at the same event. 

Here Nawab Jafar Mir is seen exchanging pleasantries with Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav after the Nawab was awarded the Yash Bharti Award at the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow in 2016.

"He was the oldest brother; naturally, I was very attached to him. I used to look up to him as my father. We used to do everything together. His death has created a vacuum in my life," Nawab Masood said, a lump in his throat.

"As far as cultural heritage is concerned, Lucknow has been orphaned with his passing," he added as he recalled how the duo would give lectures on Lucknow's tehzeeb and teach young students how to gesture Aadaab properly.

Nawab Masood is a professor of commerce at Lucknow University and also looks after the family business.