This man was India's first billionaire, owned diamond paper weight, private airline, Rolls Royce, he was...

Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, and Shiv Nadar have today become synonymous with the conversation regarding India's rich. The title of India's first billionaire went to none of these business magnates, however, but a ruler—Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan of Hyderabad.

Known for his extraordinary wealth, Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan reportedly used a diamond worth ₹100 crore as a paperweight. Despite his immense fortune, he was famously frugal, lived in unsanitary conditions, and rarely cleaned his surroundings. Historical records confirm him as India’s first billionaire due to the detailed accounts of his vast wealth and properties, although there might have been other rulers with comparable riches whose assets remain undocumented.

Time magazine had declared Nizam Osman Ali the "Richest Man in the World" in its February 22, 1937 issue. Even today, more than ₹3 billion of his wealth is said to be lying in a bank in England. He was very rich but led a remarkably modest life. He was known to wear simple clothes. His hospitality was notoriously minimal—guests were served just one biscuit and a cup of tea. His bedroom was reportedly cleaned only once a year.

He began to rule in 1911 and was still the Nizam of Hyderabad at the time of the area's integration with India in 1948. His net wealth was estimated at USD 230 billion (₹17.47 lakh crore).

The Nizam had his own currency, a private airline, and huge gold reserves of 100 million pounds and jewels of 400 million pounds. He owned the Golconda diamond mines, which were his primary source of wealth. His generosity extended to gifting Queen Elizabeth II a necklace with 300 diamonds on her wedding.

In his time, Nizam Osman Ali Khan was considered one of the richest men in history. In the early 1940s, his wealth was valued at ₹1,700 crore—approximately ₹29,57,70 crore in 2023. He owned 50 Rolls-Royce cars, including the Silver Ghost Throne Car, and some of the world's most celebrated diamonds, including Koh-i-Noor, Hope Diamond, Darya-e-Nur, Nur-Ul-Ain, Princie Diamond, Regent Diamond, and Wittelsbach Diamond.

The legacy of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan is the one of those special chapters in Indian history concerning richness and opulence.