Shamraj Bhalerao

Sham Raj II (born as Shamraj Bhalerao), (also popularly referred as Raja Shamraj Rajwant Bahadur), (15 August 1898 – 10 June 1987), was an Indian noble who served as a member of H. E. H the Nizam's Executive Council. He was the first Hindu member in the executive council. Some of the ancestors of Sham Raj Bahadur were themselves peshkars (deputy ministers) and diwan (prime minister) to the Nizams and still earlier their family served at various points in their career to Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor. A member of the powerful Rai Rayan family, Sham Raj built a magnificent personal library inside his palace containing 45,000 rare books, which he later generously opened to public.

Born to a Hindu Brahmin family which traces its roots to Raja Krishnaji Pant, a watandar of Devagiri under Shah Jahan. Shamraj studied at Madrasa Aliya school and later in Nizam College. He was a childhood friend of the Nizam and was a staunch Nizam loyalist throughout his life.

Shamraj was a patron of arts, literature and music. Newspaper Editor of Bennett, Coleman & Company, Sir Francis Low says, "Raja Shamraj Rajwant is a lover of Art and Literature and his museum contains a valuable collection of Old Indian Paintings".