Cheers to a new year. But for Hyderabadis there is a spoiler alert. They will be ushering in the new dawn sans the Numaish. The eagerly looked forward to trade fair is likely to take a bow this year. Thanks to the COVID pandemic, the 81st edition of the All India Industrial Exhibition is being deferred this time. As a measure of abundant caution, the Exhibition Society has decided against organising the trade carnival beginning January 1.

"The exhibition is only postponed and not cancelled. It may be held sometime during the year", said Minister for Medical and Health, Eatala Rajender, who is also the President of the Exhibition Society. For the first time in 72 years the exhibition will not commence on January 1. In Hyderabad one can't think of the new year without the Numaish. The 46-day carnival has become an integral part of Hyderabad tradition. It is a record of sorts that the show is going on for the last 80 years without a pause. But this time round, there will be a break with the past.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the Numaish is not commencing on January 1. Way back during 1948 and 1949 also it couldn't be organised in the wake of the partition of the country. On a few other occasions too the exhibition had a delayed start in view of the curfew in the city. The Exhibition Society is expected to review the Covid situation after January 31 and take a decision. "We might start the show in March or April", the Minister remarked.

As of now the Covid situation has improved in Telangana with the cases and the death rate declining. There is no second wave in the State. But still the government doesn't want to take any chances since around 45,000 persons visit the exhibition on an average every day. Moreover traders from different parts of the country put up their stalls and stay here for 46 days. "The Exhibition Society is not a commercial organisation. We have to look after the welfare of everyone", Mr. Rajender said.

As per the Government of India norms which are in force till January 31, more than 200 persons should not congregate at one place. With the exhibition attracting huge rush, visitors and stall keepers cannot be exposed to risk, feels Dr. B. Prabha Shankar, Honorary Secretary, Exhibition Society. Besides being the cheapest entertainer, the annual exhibition also provides gainful employment to hundreds of persons every year. The proceeds of the Numaish come handy to finance and support 20 educational and voluntary institutions run by the Exhibition Society.

Started with just 50 stalls in 1938, the 'Numaish Masnuaat-e-Mulki' has grown beyond the wildest dreams of its founder, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam. It has also grown in content and coverage to assume an all India stature. That it draws visitors by the thousands everyday despite the presence of so many shopping malls and multiplexes speaks of its popularity and durability.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated December 31,2020

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 For sometime Khan Athar was part of Abid Aur Dedh Matwale and Hangama, the comic shows of Hamid Kamal and Munawar Ali.

Those who wish to sing, always find an occasion. You can say this about Khan Athar, Hyderabad’s well-known singer, who passed away the other day. He had only one passion, singing. And he indulged in it till the very last. His ailing heart didn’t stop him from regaling audience with a beautiful ‘Naat’ at the Urdu Maskan just two days ago.

Not a day passed without some organisation or the other inviting him to sing. And Khan Athar wouldn’t refuse despite his failing health. For him anything better than singing was more singing. He just grew with it and dominated the cultural scene in Hyderabad for decades. An abashed fan of Mohd Rafi, he paid tributes to the maestro every year on July 31 by organising the ‘Yaad-e-Rafi’ show. Only this year he couldn’t hold the programme on account of the Covid pandemic.

He sang all types of songs – filmi numbers, geet and bhajans. But he is best known as a ghazal singer. He shot to fame through his stage performances and ghazal programmes on All India Radio. His larynx had an enormous range, depth and malleability. Khan Athar’s shows at Gandhi Bhavan and Ravindra Bharati were a sell out, offering entertainment with style and sparks. Those visiting the annual Numaish looked forward to his musical concerts.

For sometime Khan Athar was part of Abid Aur Dedh Matwale and Hangama, the comic shows of Hamid Kamal and Munawar Ali. He had a lucky break when film producer, Lekh Tandon, chose him to sing for the TV serial, Farman. Later he also sang for Jeelani Bano’s TV programme, Manzilen Pyar Ki. He gained international repute when he performed at Doha and Jeddah to mark the 400 years of Hyderabad formation. Not many know that Khan Athar also sang the mythological dance ballet, Sri Krishna Parijatam and Bhamsura, in Hindi.

He was a bubbly four year when he gave his first performance at the Nizam College. The silver cup bagged by him still occupies the pride of place at his home. It was his uncle, Mirza Ataullah Baig, who inspired him to sing. But his father was opposed to the idea of his son taking up singing as a career. However, Khan Athar was determined and created a niche for himself.

But later he learnt that organising musical shows was not a profitable venture. “You can’t live on wah-wahs alone” he used to say, his voice betraying a touch of bitterness. Nonetheless he gave break to upcoming singers in his Jawan Dil Cultural Troupe and at the same time advised them not to depend on art alone for survival.

Of late the master singer was upset at the dwindling patronage for ghazal singers although the government talked of promoting art and culture. He gave expression to his disappointment thus:

Kis ko ghazal sunayen ghazal aashna hai kaun

Shehre ghazal bata ke yehan reh gaya hai kaun

(To whom should ghazal be sung, who’s conversant

Oh city of ghazal tell who is left here)

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today 

Dated December 15,2020

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 Even with designer abayas and hypermod cyber symbolism, the Pearl comes wrapped in the spirit of its purana sheher, like a warm cup of one-by-two chai with Osmania biscuits

Easy Like A Hyderabadi

Think of Hyderabad and what comes to mind is biriyani, sherwani and pareshani. While the first one continues to be a rage, the other one still marks sartorial excellence, although its use is on the wane. The third attribute sticks out like a sore thumb. However, Hyderabadis, as is their wont, take it in their stride. “Light ley le yaar”, is the spirit in which they try to blow away the worries.

Much water has flown down the Musi, now reduced to an open sewer dry most of the year. Today the city of domes and minarets boasts of structural and spatial expansion. A city of contrasts. The Orient and the Occident meet here. Historic and modern structures commingle while palatial buildings and slums exist cheek-by-jowl. But the buzzword of late is—raze the old and raise new edifices.

Nonetheless, the socio-cultural ethos survives. The Jhas and Jungs have yielded place to Raos and Reddys, yet the quintessential Hyderabadi remains the same—simple, accommodative and outgoing. Despite growing self-centeredness—a result of living in a global world—the human bond survives. The divide on religious lines is of recent origin. The Hyderabad of yore presented a successful example of pluralistic society with everyone taking part in the dominant public culture. Muharram is observed by Hindus as ‘Peerla panduga’ in Telangana, while Muslims join them in the Diwali festivities.

Rhythm Of Change

Hyderabad is in a flux today with its beat, tenor and character undergoing a shift. The pace of life has become fast thanks to the cluster of software giants and technological strides. And yet  I find life leisurely and laidback in parts of the city, particularly the purana sheher. Drop into any Irani hotel here and you can find people ordering one-by-two chai with Osmania biscuits, something hard to find elsewhere. Don’t be surprised if you are greeted with the usual honorific ‘hello boss’. For the office boss they use demag kharab—an euphemism for ‘idiot’. Where else can you find people getting annoyed for disturbing them at ‘subah subah’ when you call at 11 in the morning? And they haggle on prices, even after seeing a ‘fixed price’ board.

Deccani Diction

The two oddities Hyderabad is known for still remain—hau (yes) and nakko (no). The most popular joke is how once a person from Delhi asked a Deccani scholar the meaning of these words. The latter informed that  hau and nakko are used by illiterate persons. Upon this the other guy remarked, “Nawab sahib you surely are a highly educated man.” “Hau,” came the reply. If you think this is strange you are wrong. The cosmopolitan city throws up funny linguistic styles, a result of Telugu, Urdu and English words impacting each other. “Nuvvu gadi bhagainchukunta pote we will end up in hospital”. Howzzat?

Some things never change in Hyderabad. And that includes the incorrigible autowalas. Though taxi aggregators are giving them a run for their money, their fleecing ways have not gone. The kiraak autowalas remain a law unto themselves. Time was when hapless commuters could at least take comfort from the amusing verses painted on the back of the autos. But the mobile shayeri is on the wane now.  Most autos carry the line phir milenge—raising fears of a rerun.

Modishly Traditional

Of late, Hyderabad is witnessing a revolution in manners and morals. While the generation next tries to be flippant, turning their noses up at conventions, the oldies stick to the time-tested values religiously. Though westernwear and fashion have stolen a march over traditional apparel, the good old ‘burqa’ survives. On the contrary, it has reinvented itself. Young college girls can be seen making a fashion statement with designer abayas.

Even as it embraces modernity, Hyderabad retains its old world charm. Its cultural calendar is hectic. For the pop generation there is the upmarket HITEX  and Shilpa Kala Vedika to catch up with music and dance performances. For middle-aged Hyderabadis there are mushairas and kavi sammelans to regale in other parts of the city. A melting pot of art and culture for sure. Charminar at one end and the 10-storyed cylindrical cyber tower at the other. That sums up the exponential growth of the pearl city. If one exudes vintage charm, the other sports a chic, energetic and upscale look. It’s lovable, and liveable too. I wish Hyderabad was less chaotic and noisy.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Outlook Magazine

Dated December 21,2020

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By now it's an established fact. Nobody can dare the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in its den. The recent GHMC polls have reinforced the near invincibility of the party yet again. Another factor the results have underlined is that voters in the Old City plump for the party - not the candidates. Anyone, irrespective of religion and caste, can have a cakewalk at the hustings if they contest on the Majlis ticket.

This time round the Majlis romped home from 44 divisions, a repeat of its 2016 performance. And among the winners are K. Tara Bai (Falaknuma), S. Raj Mohan (Puranapul) and Mandagiri Swamy (Karwan). They are among the five non-Muslim candidates fielded by the Majlis this time. In the 2016 civic polls four Hindu candidates won on Majlis ticket - D. Mohan (Jambagh), Rajender Yadav (Karwan), Raj Mohan (Puranapul), and Tara Bai (Falaknuma). In fact in the previous election, Majlis president, Asaduddin Owaisi, celebrated the win of Raj Mohan by tweeting, "Hindu candidate of MIM wins over Muslim candidate of Congress".

Myth, after all, remains the never-ending story. The popular perception among people is that the Majlis is a Hyderabad-based and Muslim-alone party. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In the last few years, the party has spread out of its traditional stronghold to contest both the local body and Assembly polls in Telangana, Seemandhra, Maharashtra, and UP. The party's performance in the Bihar Assembly polls is by far the best outside Hyderabad. The Majlis bagged five Assembly seats of Seemanchal with a comfortable majority. Flush with success the party has now set its eyes on West Bengal. Majlis successes outside its bastion have raised the eyebrows of other parties and earned Mr. Owaisi the sobriquet of 'vote cutter'. But unfazed Mr. Owaisi is bent on expanding his party footprints across the country. "Irrespective of whether we win or not we will contest", says the Majlis leader.

Efforts to widen the party base began in the early 1980s when the late Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi sought to spread his party's influence in several Telangana and Rayalaseema towns where the Muslim population was sizable. However, the party struck gold when his son, Asaduddin Owaisi, took over the mantle. For quite some time now Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi is playing the Dalit card to the hilt. He feels the Dalit-Muslim unity will result in a win-win situation for both the marginalized communities. "Empowerment of Dalit-Muslim is the need of the hour as both the groups are socially, educationally and economically backward", he keeps harping in election after election.

This is no empty slogan. The Majlis has, in fact, walked the talk. The party nominated three Dalits as Mayors and two as Deputy Mayors. K. Prakash Rao was the first Dalit Mayor from Majlis in 1986-87 followed by A. Satyanaryana (1988-89) and Allampally Pochiah (1990-91). The two non-Muslim Deputy Mayors were M.B. Shivraj (1987-88) and Hanmanthu (1989-90). Over the years the Majlis has kept fielding Hindu candidates in Assembly and local body elections. Other political parties that flaunt the 'secular' card find it hard to beat this record.

While the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh impacted many parties, the Majlis not only held its own but went on to reap electoral gains beyond its bastion. The party won 101 wards in Telangana and five in the Seemandhra region. The winners included six non-Muslims and 38 women candidates. In the Panchayat Raj elections held in 2014, the party bagged 21 posts of Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) members. The Majlis put up a spectacular performance in the 2014 Assembly election, securing a vote share of 3.7 percent. This helped the party gain recognition from the Election Commission of India as a State party in Telangana with 'kite' as its reserved symbol. The Majlis dream run continued with the party wresting two Assembly seats of Aurangabad Central and Byculla in Mumbai in the Maharashtra Assembly elections held in 2014. The party repeated its good performance the following year in the Maharashtra civic polls by winning 26 seats in the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation. Five of the 13 ST candidates it fielded won, creating a rare Dalit-Muslim social coalition. In the 2019 Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the party won from Malegaon Central and Dhule City.

Why do non-Muslim candidates root for Majlis? The style of functioning of Mr. Owaisi and his team is the reason, many feel. Once the electoral heat is over, the Majlis leaders settle down to work at Darussalam, the party headquarters. Right from the Hyderabad MP to MLAs, MLCs and Corporators - all are available every day for the people to meet. No prior appointment is required. People just walk in and represent their problems. "This is the reason why our party clicks with everyone. Moreover, we believe in working with all", says Majlis MLC, Syed Aminul Hasan Jafri.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated December 11,2020

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There are no permanent friends or foes in politics. But to continue to be friendly with a party while also intending to shun it at the same time is difficult. The TRS has found itself on the horns of this dilemma now. The GHMC results have queered the pitch for the pink party as it has failed to come up with the required numbers to capture the Mayoral post. It has no option but to tie up with the Majlis with whom it was engaged in a triangular fight in the just concluded civic polls.

The TRS has paid a heavy price for being 'friendly' with the Majlis. It gave a handle to the BJP to target the ruling party's 'unholy nexus' with the Majlis and reap rich dividends that catapulted it from a mere four seats in 2016 to 48 seats now. In the build-up to the GHMC polls, the TRS put up an aggressive posture and publicly declared that it had no truck with the Majlis. Now to reach out to the very same party for help for the Mayoral seat is quite embarrassing for the TRS. Having fought bitterly with the BJP, the TRS can't think of forging an alliance with the saffron party. So that leaves the ruling party with the only option to cosy up to its old ally.

The TRS has emerged as the single largest party with 55 corporators but fell short of 12 votes to grab the Mayor post. A minimum of 98 votes are required for any party to stake claim for the top post, a figure no party has now. There are a total of 45 ex-officio members, including MPs, MLAs and MLCs, who are eligible to vote in the GHMC council meetings. The TRS has 31 ex-officio members but still way behind the magic figure of 98. The MIM has 10 ex-officio members followed by BJP (3) and Congress (1).

Both the TRS and the MIM are in no hurry since the term of the existing Council is up to 10 February. They are weighing all the options. TRS working president, K.T. Rama Rao, and Majlis leader, Asaduddin Owaisi, refuse to be drawn into any controversy. "We will consult our MLAs, MLCs, the newly elected Corporators and party leaders before taking any decision," is all that Owaisi said when asked whether his party would support the TRS.

In case there is no tie-up between the two parties, the Majlis might ask its members to be absent on the day of the poll to thwart the chances of its arch-rival, BJP. The Mayoral election is held on the basis of members present and voting.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated December 05,2020

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The GHMC polls results of which were declared on Friday has put the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in a king maker's position yet again. Though the BJP has stolen a march over the Majlis pushing it to the third position, still the Asadudddin led party is poised to play a key role in the civic body. The ruling TRS has emerged as the leading party undoubtedly with reduced majority, it has to depend on the Majlis to capture the coveted Mayoral post.

Contrary to the expectations that the GHMC poll outcome would be on predictable lines, the results caused a major upset with the TRS failing to retain its supremacy in the civic body. Though the party aimed to cross the century mark, it couldn't even reach its previous best of 99. The TRS ended up with 55 seats with the BJP making inroads in its stronghold. The saffron party, the biggest gainer, put up a spectacular performance by improving its tally from 4 in 2016 to 48 now. The BJP reaped a rich harvest with host of party leaders campaigning vigorously for the local body polls. The main loser was the Congress which has to remain content with just 2 seats.

The bitterly fought and communally polarised elections did not cut ice with people which was clear from the low voter turnout. The civic polls showed yet again the vice-like grip of the Majlis in the old city. The party managed to retain its 44 seats in the face of the stiff challenge posed by the TRS and BJP.

Over the last three decades and more the Majlis has maintained its supremacy in the civic body. When elections were held to the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) in 1986 after the gap of nearly two decades, the Majlis emerged as the single largest party winning 38 wards in the 100 member Council. With the support of Congress, which won 24 seats, it ruled the MCH.

In the 2002 civil polls, the Majlis again emerged as the single largest party with 36 seats. The Majlis was pushed to the third position when elections were held to 150 divisions in 2009 after the formation of GHMC in 2007. The Congress topped the table with 52 divisions followed by TDP which secured 45 and Majlis 43 seats. The BJP got just 5 seats. However, the Majlis held the Mayoral post for three years in alliance with the Congress. In the 2016 elections, the ruling TRS stormed to power in the GHMC bagging 99 divisions followed by MIM which added one more seat to its tally to reach the 44 mark. Though the Majlis lost the king maker's position in the Corporation to the ruling party it, however, shared power with TRS in the Standing Council.

This time again the Majlis finds itself in a dominant position in the Corporation with its support becoming inevitable for the TRS to win the Mayoral post.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in NewsMeter

Dated December 04,2020

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