The nationwide lockdown has thrown life out of gear for many residents living in the city’s slum areas. Those who depend mostly on the informal sector for livelihood have been badly hit. With no savings and large families to support, the sudden loss of jobs has made life difficult for many. If not for the timely help from the government and voluntary organisations, many families in these areas would have starved.

A survey conducted by the Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) across more than 50 slums in the Old City found that nearly 80 per cent of the weaker sections in the minority community are daily wage earners and of them, a large number, 56 per cent, are those who work in kirana shops, hotels, welding and mechanic shops while some eke out a living as electricians, plumbers, cooks, and pushcart vendors. The auto drivers constitute 24 per cent of the daily wage earners.

Only less than eight per cent of people have a salaried job working as salesmen in retail shops or as drivers and security guards. Nearly 12 per cent of women contribute towards the family income working as housemaids and doing zari work.

Given their socio-economic profile, every day is a struggle for most families. Meeting expenses like food, rent, medicine, and education is a big challenge. The prolonged lockdown has made matters worse. Luckily, the Telangana government is supplying rice to the white cardholders in the Muslim community. About 83 per cent of the weaker sections here have white ration cards that make them eligible for subsidised ration through PDS. But they have no money to meet the expenses towards milk, groceries, and other essentials.

Many feel a special package is needed to help the slum dwellers during the crisis. Otherwise, there is a danger of a significant number of daily wage earners slipping into poverty under the present circumstances, it is feared.

The survey showed that 73 per cent of the poor live in rented houses. Auto drivers are a worried lot as nearly 43 per cent of them have finance linked to their autos. They repay the loan through their daily earnings and now their dues are piling up. A health survey of the auto drivers showed that 35 per cent of them have one or more forms of non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and other ailments like heart and kidney disease.

If there is a silver lining, if one might say so, is the drastic fall in the pocket expenses of a good number of daily wage earners who are habituated to spending money on cigarettes, gutka, tea, and other such things.

For philanthropists, socially-concerned groups, and individuals, the survey data comes handy to take up relief work. “A stimulus of at least Rs. 200 crore is required from the well-off Muslim families in the form of zakat to meet the food and essential supplies of the weaker sections”, said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

The survey was conducted by 50 volunteers and local community leaders as part of the ration pack distribution programme in the pre-lockdown period from 1 to 22 March and later over the phone from 23 March to 10 April. Nearly 2,528 households were covered.

Some of the areas surveyed were Bismillah colony, Farooq Nagar, Bilal Nagar, Bada Bazar, Bibi ka Chashma, Chandrayangutta, Tekri Biryani Shah, Babanagar (C block), Balapur, Chashma Madannapet, Fatima Nagar, Ghouse Nagar, Milat Nagar, Imam Bada, Kala Dera, N.S. Kunta, A.R. Reddynagar, Jamali Darwaza, Shaheenagar, Sultan Shahi, Shakergunj, Himatpura, Chintalmet, M.M. Pahadi, and Aman Nagar.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 27,2020

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“The strict enforcement of lockdown by police is quite right. It is not a punishment but in your own interest to protect you from Corona virus which is spreading fast, Cooperate with the Telangana government and the police”.

“Don’t go out unnecessarily and become the cause of spreading the virus. Cooperate with police”. These messages in Urdu are being announced not from police or GHMC vehicles but from mosques in some parts of Hyderabad’s old city. The public address systems installed in mosques for giving ‘azan’ (prayer call) are now being used to warn people about Covid-19  and the necessary precautions to be taken.

A few mosques like Masjide Shaikh Hussain in Bandlaguda, Masjide Abubakar in Ghousia Nagar,  Masjide Ishaq in Achireddy Nagar and  Madinah Masjid in Umda Hills have come up with this novel idea to disseminate information about Covid-19. Three times a day these pre-recorded messages are being repeatedly pronounced from the Masjid minarets.

Social messaging from mosques may sound strange but it’s not altogether a new thing in these parts. The Masjide Ishaq is the first place of worship to take this initiative last year when it threw open its doors for a  primary health clinic run by the Helping Hand Foundation (HHF). The Masjid Committee started using the loudspeaker normally meant for ‘azan’ to inform people about the availability or otherwise of doctors and medicines at the community clinic. “And this proved to be a big help to people living in and around the Masjid”, says Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

The word that goes from a place of worship carries lot of impact. “This is why we now decided to make announcement about Covid-19 and the precautionary measures like social distancing to be taken”, says Mr Askari.

With the number of red zones and containment clusters increasing in the old city, police and health authorities are asking people to stay home and not to stir out unnecessarily. But there are few takers for this advise and people are seen flouting the lockdown rules. However, when the same message comes from a mosque it carries lot of weight. “From Tuesday the messages are being aired from the mosques and it is proving beneficial”, remarked a Masjid Committee member.

Leveraging the public address systems of mosques, which are now closed, for social causes is seen as a powerful communication tool to disseminate information about precautions to be taken to check Covid-19. There are about 7000 mosques in the city and if all of them come forward to sensitize the community about better compliance of government regulations then the battle against the scourge could be easily won. On its part the HHF is trying to reach out to different mosques to adopt this strategy.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 23,2020

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 Farzana couldn’t believe her good fortune. She has enough money and provisions to see her through Ramzan. Last year she had to make several rounds of the houses she worked to get barely enough to celebrate Id. But now this maidservant of Afzalsagar has landed a bounty as it were even before the month of fasting commenced.

Every cloud has a silver lining. So is Covid-19. While its ferocious march is tugging at heartstrings, it is also leading to loosening of purse-strings. Though Ramzan is nearly a week away, the well heeled and comfortably placed Muslims are going all out to reach succour to the distressed and needy in the community.

This time round many families are paying their annual ‘zakat’ in advance so that the needs of the poor and daily wage earners could be met, particularly at a time when the lockdown has deprived many of their lives and livelihoods. Zakat at the rate of 2.5 percent of the total wealth accumulated over the year is obligatory on all Muslims who have money in excess of their needs. Although the annual charity is not linked to the month of Ramzan, many prefer to donate during the month of fasting to garner more virtues.

The local mosques are the place where the zakat is given away usually since the needy gather here in good numbers. Madrasas, which depend largely on community donations, are expected to see a dip in their revenue as their ‘safeers’ (representatives) will not be able to go around to collect zakat this year because of the lockdown. However, some think the zakat donations are going to be much more this year as many see the pandemic as a divine curse and feel the best way to extinguish the wrath of Allah is through almsgiving.

With the mosques now shuttered zakat givers are turning to various welfare organisations to handover their zakat, fitra and sadqa (voluntary charity). A number of charitable organisations are actively taking part in extending help to the poor ever since the lockdown came into force. The Jamate Islami Hind, Telangana and the  Safa Baitul Maal are in the forefront as usual and have redoubled their welfare activities. The Payam-e-Insaniyat forum founded by renowned scholar, Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, is also quite active in the present crisis. Its volunteers have so far distributed more than 5000 ration kits containing essential items to poor families in different parts of the city. The zakat donors are contributing generously to the ration kits  priced between Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1350 each. They consist of essential commodities like rice , wheat flour, tuwar dal, oil, sugar, tamarind and other such items. “The unprecedented crisis caused by Covid-19 demands extraordinary sacrifice”, says Siddique Nadvi and Mohd Salman of Payam-e-Insaniyat.

Some organisations like Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) are leveraging the zakat money to address the public health crisis in economically backward Muslims. Under the present lockdown situation its  volunteers are putting in heroic efforts to identify and supply ration packs and also cooked food to the deserving families. The HHF has received donations of Rs. 1 crore from all over the world, mostly from US.  “I thank the donors for coming to the aid of the poor in the community”, says Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF.

Ramzan is the month of spiritual cleansing and piety comes to fore even among the not so devout Muslims. But now the pandemic has made everyone a little more generous and considerate. Just do not donate but make a difference, if you can – is the motto.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 21,2020

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Hyderabadis are likely to miss the much sought after dish, haleem, this Ramzan. With the month of fasting commencing during the lockdown period on April 25, chances of the seasonal flavour making a comeback are pretty slim. Over the years, haleem has become synonymous with Ramzan with everyone rushing to sample the syrupy dish after ‘iftar’.

Normally the city would have been busier than a beehive this time of the year. But with Corona scare looming large, the hustle and bustle associated with Ramzan is missing now. With the lockdown extended up to May 3, uncertainty persists and none knows whether business establishments and hotels would be allowed to open after this period.

Haleem is a big business during Ramzan but its makers are now caught in a catch-22 situation – whether to prepare the dish or to drop the idea altogether. By the time the present lockdown is over, first ten days of Ramzan would be over and therefore selling haleem for the remaining 20 days doesn’t make sound business sense, it is felt.

“Nearly two months preparation is required to make haleem. And now hardly a week is left for commencement of Ramazan. Even if we get the necessary permission from authorities it is very difficult to start the business”, said S.G. Rabbani of Shah Ghouse chain of hotels.


The same view is expressed by Aziz Zafar, President, Twin Cities Hotel Owners Association. “Getting the labour, raw material and meat under the present circumstances is very difficult. Personally I am of the view that we should skip haleem this season”, he remarked. About 4000 small and big hotels are covered by the Association.
“In consultation with other haleem makers we will take a call on the matter in two days”, Mr. Zafar said.

Pista House, which has the largest chain of haleem outlets, is also faced with the same quandary. It is expected to go about the decision taken by other haleem makers in the city. At the same time, Pista House proprietor, Abdul Majeed, is toying with the idea of launching parcel service to provide haleem to its customers. He plans to prepare the dish in clean and hygienic environment and supply the same through Swiggy or Zomato food chains. Orders will be received on line and haleem will be supplied through delivery boys since there is no bar on take away service, it is said.

Pista House plans to engage a function hall at Pillar No. 210 in Attapur for preparing haleem while adhering to the social distancing norms. The take away centres will be established at different parts of the city so that it is easy for the customers as also the delivery boys to distribute the haleem packets. The online service will be available only up to 5 p.m and no orders will be entertained after iftar, it is said.

“Everything will be done in consultation with the authorities. A final decision will be taken in a couple of days”, Mr. Majeed said.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 17,2020

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A muscle in my jaw worked convulsively as the cold finality of death swept my mind like an arctic wind.

For the nth time I walked up to the window and peered into the emptiness. There was nothing to see. Yet I would drag myself every so often to stare into the stillness of the night. The sepulchral silence is so eerie. Only the occasional movement of a police car or the bark of the street dog breaks it. A muscle in my jaw worked convulsively as the cold finality of death swept my mind like an arctic wind.

It is the 23rd day of internment—lockdown by day and curfew by night. For the last two months it’s been nothing but coronavirus that has held everyone in awe. I have lived through the horrors of prolonged curfews but the present crisis is totally different. Death seems to breathe down your neck even in the relative safety of home. The whole thing appears so unrealistic; yet, it is true. Like most people I vacillate between hope, despair and helplessness. The staggering statistics of lives claimed by corona and the frightening findings only make matters worse. 

Death is a great leveller. It doesn’t differentiate between people. I sat in motionless silence as I thought of the trail of corpses left across the world. Sirens of police vehicles interrupted my train of thought. “Why don’t people stay put and follow medical advice?” I wondered. How many more lives would go before the magic bullet is developed to drop corona in its deadly tracks?

Time walks on crutches. Each day seems a xerox of the day before. In these desperate times, the smartphone is the only window to the outside world. But again there are problems, with traffic jams moving from the roads to the internet. Rather than allowing monotony to take over, I resolved to make the best of the situation. I turned to my modest library and pulled out a book I had long wanted to read but couldn’t. Nevil Shute’s novel, Trustee from the Toolroom, kept me occupied for a week. I had heard the story as a child when my father read it out to my mother, a reluctant listener.

The lockdown is continuing beyond the initial 21 days. The news is unnerving. A cold sick feeling developed in the pit of my stomach as the enormity of the situation sunk in. You are not alone in this crisis, I told myself. Only in the darkness can one see the stars. I tried to enliven the situation at home rather than giving into despair. We recalled family anecdotes, flipped through old albums and played traditional games. Surely adversity has its own comfort zone.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The New Indian Express

Dated April 16,2020

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Eminent heritage artist, Sahebzada Nawab Mir Azmath Ali Khan, passed away in Hyderabad on Sunday midnight. He was not suffering from any illness but died after he fell from the cot he was sleeping. He was 74. Mr. Khan is survived by wife, three sons and four daughters. A scion of the royal family, he was known for his sketches depicting historical monuments. Over the years he produced a wealth of drawings of famous monuments across the world.

Though his lineage went back to Nawab Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikandar Jah Bahadur, popularly known as Nizam III, he did not put on any airs. As artists go, he was simple and down to earth. He held close to 40 solo exhibitions of his works in India, US, UK, Germany and Saudi Arabia. The artist in him was captivated by the beauty, majesty and scale of architecture of India, Middle East, Turkey, Europe and Egypt. For students of art and architecture there is a lot to learn from his sketches and paintings.

Mr. Khan, who worked at the J.B.R. College of Architecture, used just pen and ink to portray historical edifices. He came into limelight following his resolve to sketch monuments in public places to create awareness about the need to preserve heritage. Mr. Khan launched the ‘save heritage’ mission in Hyderabad during 2012 by portraying the historic Makkah Masjid and the nearby Charminar. The on-the-spot sketches attracted lot of attention. Those who saw him work were amazed by his dexterity and speed. With deft strokes he managed to bring out the tones and shadows in his sketches.

This artist-architect also published four books on World Architectural Heritage, Mosque Architecture, Rendering in pen and ink and Rendering in pen and pencil. Some of his eye catching sketches include: Al Hamra Palace, Spain, New Makkah gateway, Jamial Azhar, Cairo, Taj Mahal. Closer home he drew extensively the architectural heritage of Deccan. He also sketched the Thousand Pillar Temple, Nasik Temple, Alampur Brahma temple complexes.

An artist of international repute, Mr. Khan’s drawings figure in the private collections of Queen Elizabeth, Ronal Reagan, Garry Martin, Sultan Ghalib Al Quaiti of Mukallah and A.P. Legislative Assembly. As a consulting architect to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he designed several prestigious palaces, commercial buildings and mosques.

“Azmath sab was also a strong advocate of separate Telangana. His demise is a great loss to heritage lovers, architects and artists of Telangana”, said Vedakumar Manikonda, chairman, Deccan Heritage Academy.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 14,2020

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Remaining cooped up in home day after day could be scary. More so in these trying times. But she doesn’t let claustrophobia to get the better of her, much less dull her sparkle. So how does she overcome the lockdown blues? Well, she simply dances them away.

For Dr. Mythili Maratt Anoop the present containment has not been much of an upset. In fact it has given her more time to improve her balletic movements, graceful gestures and dainty actions. In the initial days of lockdown, of course, she experienced the shut-in feeling like everyone else. But rather than waiting for the storm to pass, she decided to dance in the rain. It’s the perfect time to give vent to her pent up talent.
A performing artist and scholar, Mythili has turned the spacious hall in her Banjara Hills residence into a dancing floor. Her household chores and research work over, she devotes the afternoons to her passion – dancing. She busies herself in practicing and composing the padam  (lyrical poem) and varnam (music composition) she is currently working on. Her husband, Anoop, and daughter, Avanthika, takes turn filming her performances.

Thereafter, it’s time for online dance classes. With the lockdown in place, more students have joined Moham, her Mohiniyattam institute. “I explain the movements, see them dance and make corrections wherever necessary”, she says.

Mythili also makes short videos for the students to follow and practice at home. In fact she had planned many things as part of her annual show which had to be postponed on account of the Janata curfew on March 22. “There is a grand scheme of things and we as individuals are minute and insignificant”, she explains philosophically.

Dancing with feet is one thing and with heart quite another. Right from the age of five Mythili has been grooving on the dance floor. Strangely she has found herself through dance and lost herself in it. Though she works as a guest faculty at the University of Hyderabad, dance remains the integral part of her dream world. “It helps me express my innermost feelings and emotions. It’s an alternate world, a beautiful one, where I escape and come back rejuvenated”, remarks the Mohiniyattam exponent who juggles many roles – teacher, writer, mother and dancer.

The lockdown, she agrees, has restrained movement. But at the same time it has given more family time. She is happy to breath the clean air and hear the chirping of birds – things unheard of in the urbanscape.  As night sets in she loves to close eyes and dance in mind to a beautiful padam of  Swathi Thirunal or sway to Amir Khusrau’s verses.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 9,2020

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As the number of Corona virus cases has been increasing in the country, the Central government has been looking for buildings to use as quarantine centres. Resources of the private sector, NGOs, and international organisations are being tapped to contain and manage the pandemic in association with the state governments, Union Territory administrations, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders.

The Centre has constituted an empowered group under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to coordinate with the private sector and NGOs for COVID-19 response-related activities. Services of NGOs registered under the FCRA 2010 are being enlisted to complement government efforts to contain the virus.

Anil Malik, the additional secretary of the ministry of Home affairs, has written to the heads of various NGOs in the state and asked them to let them use buildings, if any, in their possession to set up makeshift COVID-19 hospital or quarantine centres. The buildings could be hospitals, school campuses, or any other large space. The NGOs have also been requested to assist the local administration in identifying hotspots and deputing volunteers and caregivers to extend services to elderly persons, those with disabilities, children, transgender persons, and other vulnerable groups. They have further been told to help the administration in setting up community kitchens, particularly for migrants and homeless persons.

“You have a special role to play in creating awareness about COVID-19, especially in vernacular languages, and partnering with the administration in promoting social and behavioural changes,” Mr Malik urged the NGOs.

Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), the Hyderabad-based public health organisation, has two rehabilitation centres at Rajendernagar and Kukatpally for the elderly and paralytic patients. “We have expressed our inability to offer these premises for quarantine as there are already patients here,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari, HHF founder.

However, the HHF is actively taking part in distributing ration kits to the needy. So far, it has helped 50,000 people in the slum areas and provided them with ration kits containing essential items to last 15 days. Besides this, it is also distributing cooked food to migrant workers across the city.

The Central government has also decided to convert the premises of Haj Houses in different states into temporary quarantine centres. At least 16 Haj Houses have been identified for this purpose. However, the Telangana State Wakf Board, which owns the Haj House in Hyderabad, has politely refused the request of the Union minister for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, to hand over the premises. The 11-storey Haj House is home to several government offices, including the Wakf Board, Minority Finance Corporation, District Minority Welfare Officer, and the State Urdu Academy. Moreover, the rooms here are not suitable to house quarantine patients, said Mohammed Khasim, the chief executive officer of the Wakf Board.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated April 5,2020

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