Beyond Charminar

When we talk about Indian history, the Deccan and South India's narratives are largely missing from popular narratives, given that most of it is looked at from a prism of Delhi.

Breaking away from that is author Anirudh Kanisetti's latest book, Lords of the Deccan, which gives a comprehensive idea of what went on in the Deccan between the 6th and 11th centuries.

Host Yunus Lasania speaks with Anirudh for this episode of Beyond Charminar, to understand how the Deccan functioned and developed as a separate entity throughout centuries.

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When we talk about Hyderabad or its history, one major aspect people often miss out on is Secunderabad. A former British cantonment, its 216 years of history is rich and much lesser known about. Host Yunus Y. Lasania sits with Secunderabad historian Pankaj Sethi to discuss at length its origins, and how the cantonment area was built and former over a century.

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Hyderabad’s connection with both the Persian and Arab worlds is well-known. In fact, Barkas in the city is considered as a ‘mini Yemen’ because of the Arab soldiers who came to work under the Nizams of Hyderabad.

However, many don’t know that Hyderabad’s ties to Yemen during the Nizam or Asaf Jahi period was very strong. So much so that part of present-day Yemen under the Al-Qaiti family was essentially considered as an extension of the Hyderabad princely state.

Host Yunus Lasania who’s writing an oral history account of Operation Polo (the annexation of Hyderabad to India in 1948) speaks with Sam Dalrymple (who is also working on a book which looks at ‘five partitions’) about this deep connection between Hyderabad and Yemen.

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The Golconda fort is one of Hyderabad's major tourist attractions, but many don't know that the ticketed area they go to is just one part of the fort - the royal area.

And beyond that, there's a massive 6.5 km area of the fort which lies completely unexplored. The fact that the Golconda fort has (or at least had) 87 bastions and eight gates, is massively underrated.

Moreover, years of neglect have led to many historical parts of the fort either getting encroached upon as well. Host Yunus Lasania speaks with his former colleague and fellow journalist Serish Nanisetti about the history of the Golconda fort, and how years of neglect by authorities led to the destruction of many important sites within it.

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September 17 this year (2021),  will mark 73 years since the annexation of the princely state of Hyderabad to India in 1948. The major historical event is remembered for the violence that people in the state witnessed after partition, and also post annexation. 

For a better understanding of Operation Polo, oral history’s importance and partition, host Yunus Y. Lasania speaks with authors Aanchal Malhotra (Remnants Of A Separation, on the partition) and Narayani Basu (VP Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India).

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If there is one place in Hyderabad that can usurp the Charminar and Golconda fort and replace both as the main tourist attraction in Hyderabad, it’s the Qutb Shahi tombs.

The Qutb Shahi tombs are the royal necropolis of the Qutb Shahi or Golconda dynasty (1518-1687), which ruled from the Golconda fort, and later founded Hyderabad in 1591.

The complex has nearly 100 structures, including tombs, gardens, pavilions and mosques. The site is currently being restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in association with the Telangana Department of Heritage.

In a detailed conversation, AKTC CEO and well-known conservation architect Ratish Nanda discusses the ongoing work on the Qutb Shahi tombs and how it has the potential to even surpass the Charminar, which is considered to be Hyderabad’s main tourist attraction.

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When we think of history, we often ignore the most important and closest things – our own material possessions which connect us to our past.

And one such person who has treasured his family heirlooms, and had literally preserved his own past in the form of small priceless possessions, is 74-year-old BS Prakash.

An ex-banker who worked for SBI his whole life, he comes from a family which had formally educated persons even four generations ago, a rarity in the pre-independence period.

Between his book collection of thousands of books, Mr Prakash has also seen Hyderabad evolve from the quiet city it used to once be, into the metropolis it is today. 

We went down memory lane with him to understand how our city grew, just as he did alongside it.

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Many Hyderabadis often go to the Moula Ali shrine, sometimes with religious intent, and otherwise just to go up the huge hill for its view. However, many are perhaps unaware that the shrine is in fact one of the city’s oldest historic or heritage sites, that even predates Hyderabad.

Not only does it go back to the time of the third Qutb Shahi (Golconda) king, Ibrahim Qutb Shah, the Moula Ali hill shrine has been in use since as far as the city has existed. Keeping that in mind, it may be noted that some years ago a ramp was built for vehicles to make it easier for people to reach halfway up the shrine. And the site’s original structure is about to be changed once again, as another ramp is being built by the state government, which heritage activists say will endanger the shrine. 

In this episode, host Yunus Lasania speaks with budding architect Mohd. Sibgatullah, who also runs the Instagram handle The Deccan Archive, about how the ongoing work at Moula Ali hill will impact the heritage site.

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The corona virus pandemic today has changed the world, and one by one, country after country, is dealing with challenges. While most of the problems are unique to what's happening, Hyderabad in fact also dealt with a similar situation a century ago under the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, in the first half of the 20th century. 

The city, and the erstwhile state of Hyderabad, was first hit by the bubonic plague, and later the Spanish Flu. Tune in to this latest episode, where host Yunus Lasania speaks with journalist, author and former colleague Serish Nanisetti about it.

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In a city where students are still expected to study engineering, anyone choosing arts and social sciences is a step away from the norm. One can hardly imagine how difficult it must have been for anyone, especially women, to take up arts and pursue their own path. 

And artist Fatima Ahmed, who left Hyderabad long ago to carve out her own destiny, is a fine example of how difficult life can be when surrounded by patriarchy and convention. But she broke the barrier and did what she set out to do. This is her story.

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