With the city celebrating Dasara and also observing Muharram, the mood is of joy and sorrow

What Dasara is to Mysore, Muharrum is to Hyderabad. While the former marks the triumph of good over evil, the latter is all about the victory of truth over falsehood. The commonalities don’t end here. Both festivals are a big draw with spectators thronging from different parts of the country to have a dekko. Interestingly, both events culminate in huge processions. Mysore sees the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari taken out on an exquisitely decorated elephant while in Hyderabad the Bibi-ka-Alam is carried on a richly caparisoned pachyderm.

Joy and sorrow

The only difference is that while Dasara is celebrated with pomp and gusto, Muharrum is observed with solemnity and sombreness. With both the events coming in close proximity, the mood of joy and sorrow is palpable in Hyderabad. While the rest of the city throbs with gaiety, grief envelops parts of the Shia-dominated Old City.

Time flies, people change. But some things never change. Hyderabad sees the first month of Islamic calendar observed in the same sombre way year after year. A walk down Noorkhan Bazar, Yakhutpura, Dabeerpura, Itebar Chowk, Husaini Alam, Mandi Mir Alam, Moula Ali give out poignant vibes. It is black all the way — the mood, attire and the ambience. For the Shia sect, which is sizeable in Hyderabad, it is time for ‘ tark-e-lazzat ’ (abstinence) and a halt to culinary delights. No entertainment or celebrations. Television goes into hiding during the 68-day mourning period. Even young boys and girls are seen strictly adhering to the code.

Emotional high

As the sun sets, the Ashoorkhanas where the ‘Alams’ are installed, reverberate with unbridled emotion. The ‘zakareen’ (orators) recount in minute detail the events leading to the martyrdom of Hazrath Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, and 72 others in the battle of Karbala in Iraq. The public grief seem to come in waves - ebbing and flowing - reducing the audience to tears. The gathering indulges in ‘azadari’ (mourning) and ‘seena-zani’ (chest beating) to cries of “Ya Husain”.

Badshahi Ashoorkhana, one of the oldest, built by the city founder, Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, comes to life during Muharram. The latter used to visit this place and light 1000 candles everyday during the first ten days of Muharrum, it is said.

Food for the soul

Muharrum also sees evolution of fresh crop of ‘marsiyas’ (elegies) whose leitmotif is the tragedy of Karbala. Lamentations apart, there is a sweet side to the month of mourning. Come Muharram and Dum-ke-roat , the crunchy cookie, swamps the market. Bakeries like Subhan, Karachi, Pista House are flooded with customers seeking this sweet-baked treat which has a religious significance.

The seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, is believed to have offered roat to the ‘Nala-e-Mubarak’ Alam near Charminar for the safety and well-being of his grandson, Mukarram Jah Bahadur. This practice continues till date and people who take a vow for the safety of their wards break the roat on the Alam and distribute it to others.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated September 29,2017.

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Writer Allama Aijaz Farruq pens a vibrant book on Hyderabad

 If you find history dull and dreary you are not to blame. The lacklustre context and narrative often is the culprit. But history can be fascinating to read, a page-turner in fact. The events of past, dates and names can have readers on the edge of their seat. A new book on Hyderabad promises to do just that. Its style, approach and literary prowess hooks you right from the word go.

The Muraqqa Hyderabad authored by renowned scholar, Allama Aijaz Farruq, comes as a breath of fresh air. It sets new benchmarks in presenting history in a manner which is both engaging and illuminating. The description is inventive and the language, gripping. There is a lyrical touch to the whole thing.

It is not often that one gets to read Urdu prose these days. Farruq’s style reminds one about the remarkable practitioners of the delicate art such as Ismat Chughtai, Jeelani Bano, Nazeer Ahmed Dehlivi, Sa’adat Hassan Manto. When the book was released recently, Farruq enthralled the audience with his speech, which was as eloquent as his writing. “I have not done any favour by writing this book. In fact I have tried to repay the debt I owe to this land where I am breathing for 75 years,” he remarked.

The Muraqqa Hyderabad published by the Telangana State Urdu Academy records the history of the city from 1518 to 1911. Farruq brings his amazing erudition, intelligence and insight of the times to make it extraordinary. The book takes the reader intellectually and emotionally into the past and deepens the understanding of history, society and the individuals.

He just doesn’t cobble together facts but interprets them, adding analysis and context. Of course he employs all the literary devices at his command to make the book highly readable. The style of writing shifts from conversational to descriptive, narrative and persuasive. An author is always a product of his times. Farruq, who was born in the culturally vibrant Hyderabad, is well versed with the royal etiquettes, palace intrigues, warts and all of the shahi khandan. Chapter after chapter bears out his keen sense for accuracy and detail. No, Farruq doesn’t merely writes about an event but fills it will sensory details.

As one reads the book historic characters of the past seem to come alive and converse with the reader. Printed on art paper with rare pictures, paintings and couplets, the 214-page book is a collector’s issue. It covers not just the historic events but also the culture of Hyderabad, its rich cuisine, costumes, jewellery, festivals and marriages. There is also a chapter on the famous Chloroform Commission and discovery of malaria parasite in Hyderabad.

History never really says goodbye. It tells “see you later”. Farruq also says the same. He promises to come back with a second volume covering the events right from 1948 till the formation of Telangana in 2014.

Sure, the more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.

Farruq’s style reminds one about the remarkable practitioners of the delicate art such as Ismat Chughtai and Jeelani Bano.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated September 21,2017.

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There is only one pretty child in the world. And every mother has it. A child is God's opinion that the world should go on. Little babies are simply irresistible and defy definition. That's what I experienced when I became a grandpa two months ago. It was a momentous occasion, one I would cherish forever. It was as if I was living my own parenthood all over again. The moment Khadija came, the days became shorter, nights longer, clothes shabbier and the home happier than ever. I discovered one more thing: you can't buy happiness, it is born. The bundle of joy arrived early in the morning. Bleary-eyed, I rushed to the hospital as I got the glad tidings. Sugar, spice and all things nice. That's what came to my mind when I set eyes on the baby cuddling close to the mother.

Khadija immediately occupied a huge place in our hearts which we never knew was empty. The problem arose when she started crying a short while later throwing a challenge of sorts. My wife immediately rose to the occasion and started crooning  ''. Lo and behold the baby calmed down in no time. Most of us blindly ape the West. But when it comes to singing lullabies Indian moms are indigenous to the core. Lullabies are time-tested solutions for all baby problems. Generations of children have been nurtured on them. The mother gently rocks the baby in her arms while humming in soft low tone and it has a magical effect on the infant.

Children have an instant connect to soft rhythmic songs and modern research too supports this view. The motion caused by simultaneous rocking and singing has a soothing effect on infants. Besides lulling them to sleep, lullabies also help build an intimate bond between the mother and child.
Be it 'dhire se aajare akhiyan main or chanda mama door ke', there is no dearth of lullabies. But most moms prefer to sing bedtime lories hummed by their own mothers.

I am sure each region and family has its own set of popular jingles rendered by grandmas over the years. Singing lullabies comes naturally to women and they know how to switch over from one to another changing the tone and tenor to suit the mood of the baby. In Telangana homes many mothers rock their babies to sleep with lories like: ‘paon jahad machli paon jahad’ or ‘aage aage gaima dema tera duddoo’.

There is no way one can be a perfect mother but there are millions of ways to be a good one. What children need is your presence more than your presents.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The New Indian Express

Dated September 19,2017.

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And it flows A view of the Musi river from its banks Satish H, Mohammed Yousuf

   For most old-timers in Hyderabad, September is associated with the ill-famed flood of 1908

Come September

Everything wrong gonna be all right


Come September


Hyderabadis wouldn’t swing to this romantic number. They await the month’s advent with dread. For most, September is a ‘sitamgar’ that evokes memories of death and destruction 109 years ago. The havoc wrought by the floods of September 28, 1908 is still fresh in memory.

The great disaster has become a folklore now. The catastrophic events set in motion with a sharp shower and drizzle are recounted with all seriousness. And so is the role of the famous tamarind tree in the Osmania General Hospital premises that saved the lives of 150 persons. In fact this historic tree becomes the venue where concerned citizens gather year after year to recall the calamity and recite poetry that grew around it.

Recent torrential rains brought Mumbai, the maximum city, to its knees. Two years ago it was Chennai which faced the nature’s fury, recording its worst rainfall in over a hundred years. More than a century ago it was Hyderabad which battled the floods that changed the civic character of the city for ever. What stands out in all these calamities is the never-say-die spirit of the people. As the water receded and clouds cleared one is flooded with stories of grit and determination. Differences of religion, caste and language seemed to drift away in the swirling waters as utter strangers stood together and carried the burden of each other.

The great Musi floods left a trail of death and destruction. The river that meanders through the city was the cause for at least 12 such floods in the past. But the devastation caused in 1908 was unprecedented. The flood was the result of bursting of several irrigation tanks following an unusually heavy precipitation over an extensive area. According to the flood report prepared by Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the rain 'descended in sheets, flooded the small tanks and overburdened their waste weirs'. In Kolsawadi alone about 2000 persons got washed away while an equal number perished in Ghansi Bazar. Many sought refuge atop the city wall near Petla Burj and the tamarind tree in OGH.

The sixth Nizam, Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, personally supervised the rescue operation and threw open the gates of the royal palaces for the flood victims. About six lakh persons were fed for several days, it is said.

But in the hindsight the historic deluge led to the planned development of Hyderabad and construction of its principle water sources - Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. After the flood there was a prolong drought, break out of plague and death of the sixth Nizam. Yet amidst these trying times, the Nizam government set up the ‘Aaraish-e-Balda’ (City Improvement Board) not just to rebuild the city but to embellish it.

The tragedy also led to emergence of some moving poetry. Nothing portrays the emotions and distress of the devastation like the ‘Rubai’ of Amjad Hyderabadi who lost his mother, wife and daughter in the flood. In the poem Qayamat-e-Soghra ( the minor doomsday) he wrote:

Jo hum ne saha hai na saha hoga kisi ne

Dekha hai jo kuch hum ne on dushman bhi na dekhe

Kuch ayese diye charqe sitamgar ne churke

Ek lakqt huye qalb o jigar ke kayee tukde

The same distress is captured by Hariram Sikhawat in his Lavni and Ammangi Venugopal in his poem Chettu Aatma Ghosha . The Centre for Deccan Studies want the entire Musi belt and the CIB office situated in the premises of the old Gandhi Medical College building at Basheerbagh to be declared as heritage monuments.

What calamities teach us is that sometimes you just have to pick yourself up and carry on. That’s what Hyderabadis did. Tough times don’t last, tough people do.


Rain nightmares

On August 24, 2000, Hyderabad received a record 24 cms of rain in 24 hours, turning the city into a lake. On September 21, 2016, a record 16.7 cms rain brought the city to a standstill.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated September 13,2017.

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It’s time authorities wake up to set right the many clock towers in the city

No one is wrong all the time. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Who knows it better than tourists visiting Hyderabad. As they set out on a sightseeing trip they discover to their surprise time standing still at many places. Clocks at several busy intersections have stopped functioning even as the city is racing against time.

London’s Big Ben has fallen silent recently but in Hyderabad the clocks atop towers are either not working or simply broken down for quite some time. No one can turn the clock back but at least something can be done to wind them up. But there is no concern, much less efforts to revive them. The city of domes boasts of eight public clock towers but sadly none of them are in working mode now, except for the clocks on Charminar.

Clocks in the iconic monument keep ticking on all the four sides as it happens to be the city’s pride. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which maintains Charminar, ensures that the clocks function properly. But that is not the case with other clocks taken care of by the GHMC. In 2006 Secunderabad saw celebration of its 200 years of formation. The historic clock tower, now a heritage structure, built by then Resident, Sir Trevor John Chichele Plowden, became the centrepiece of the bicentenary bash. But today if you want to set your watch by the 110 year old clock you will be way off the mark.

Time doesn’t exist, clocks do. But in Hyderabad the opposite is true. Clocks which are meant to indicate the passing of time have broken down or simply missing. The graceful tower rising above the Moazzam Jahi Market cries for attention. Built by the City Improvement Board in 1935, the granite structure is listed as a grade II heritage building. But shockingly one sees gaping holes where clocks used to exist. “Parts of the clock keep falling at regular intervals but authorities are simply not bothered to repair,” rue shopkeepers.

The clock towers at Secunderabad, Monda Market, James Street, Sultan Bazar, Fateh Maidan, M J Market, Mahboob Chowk, Shyamlal Devdi and Chowmahalla Palace are historic in nature and reminiscent of a time when few could afford a wrist watch. Even home clocks were rare. These heritage clocks are mechanical and need regular servicing. Till a few years ago the Ramesh Watch Company used to maintain them for the civic body. But due to non payment of its bills, the company has pulled out of contract with the result the clocks are now stuck in a time warp.

“e are planning to call tenders for maintenance of the clocks since the rate quoted by the Ramesh Watch Company are too high,” says Srinivas Rao, Additional Chief City Planner, GHMC.

The erstwhile rulers built turret clocks as public amenity. The idea was to instil a sense of punctuality. Some individuals also built clocks atop their houses. The Shaymlal devdi on the Charminar-Shalibanda road is a case in point. Even the Afzal darwaza at the entrance of Nayapul had a clock on it. This gate was pulled down by the civic body in 1954 for smooth flow of traffic. But today the clock towers are reduced to being mere landmarks devoid of their specific purpose.


“It is a pity that the authorities are not able to maintain the historical clocks when so much is being spent for the development of the city,” says M A Qaiyum, noted historian.

-J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu,

Dated 7th of September, 2017.

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