Hyderabad Hazir Hai: Writings from the City of Nizams holds a mirror to the city that is not only historically rich and glorious but has also in recent times emerged as a booming economic hub. Hyderabad is a city that you can never have enough of once you fall in love with it. The intent is to capture the city's matchless indefatigable spirit that echoes in the heart of every Hyderabadi. The unique blend of ancient history and modern technological growth positions it in a league of its own; the ornate quaint beauty of the Deories and the Charminar rubs shoulders with the towering skylines in Cyberabad and the resplendent new GMR Hyderabad International Airport.
This collection consists of a series of articles on Hyderabad by a kaleidoscopic range of contributors all of whom have been bewitched by the city's charms. Covering topics as vast as the history of Hyderabad, Nizams and courtesans, emergence of Dakhni, Deodis of Hyderabad, sports, Hyderabadi food, its emergence as an IT hub, the new cosmopolitan culture, jewellery, art, and theatre, it is treat for the true blue Hyderabadi as well as for all those people who desire a tryst with the city of pearls.
About the Author
Vanaja Banagiri is the former editor of Hyderabad Times, the Times of India's city edition. She has been associated with Savvy, Society, Femina, Filmfare, Health & Nutrition and the Economic Times in various editorial capacities. She has also written for the Sunday Observer, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Me and New Women. She has won many awards for excellence during her journalistic career for her path breaking stories. At forty, she quit active journalism to pursue her long cherished dream of writing a book. Her debut novel Butterflies and Barbed Wires published by Rupa & Co was released in 2006. She also writes poetry. Hyderabad Hazir Hai is her second book. She lives in Hyderabad and is currently working on her third book-a psychological thriller.
Preface
I remember vividly the scene when the seeds for this book were sown. My first book Butterflies and Barbed Wires had just been released. R.K. Mehra, the man responsible for my birth as an author, was in Hyderabad. He had invited me and a fellow author for dinner at the Taj Banjara. We were sitting by the lake, digging into kebabs, enjoying the breezy weather. RK said, "The best part about Hyderabad is its food.' Even before he had completed the sentence, I jumped up and went on and on about how food was just one facet of Hyderabad. Undoubtedly most famous but other aspects like the jewellery, culture, lifestyles, Dakhni Urdu and most importantly the people, were all equally, if not more unique. 'You know,' I said with bursting pride, 'if anybody lives by the adage-If life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade-it's us Hyderabadis.' As I regained my breath from my self-indulgent hyperventilation, RK said, 'I smell a book there.' And I thought to myself, now I know why this man is one of the most sought after publishers in the country. He sees a book in anything that captures his imagination. Though I said it was a great idea, I must confess, I never really believed at that point that he actually meant it. It was more like a dinner table conversation that gets relegated to the recesses of one's memory and is sometimes even forgotten.
A week later I received a mail from him, which referred to our discussion of that night. 'I would like to know your thoughts on the subject,' it said. I was taken by surprise at the speed of his response and almost feel off my swinging chair as I read the mail. I suggested we do an anthology instead of my researching the city since we had enough and more stalwarts and authorities who were nothing short of living encyclopedias and also the ones who had experienced the charms of the Charminar city. RK loved the idea and before I could collect my thoughts, the contract landed in my post box promptly.
I got the message. I was left with no time to drag my feet. I had to take the plunge right away. And that's exactly what I did. What followed was an exciting journey, Herculean at times, but exciting nevertheless. Exciting as tracing the journey of a city that has its origins in the richness of romance, wealth, culture to the bustling IT Mecca that it is today can't be anything but that. Which other city can boast of a name that is derived from a ruler's beloved? Quli Qutb Shah had originally named the city-Bhagyanagar-after his beloved Bhagmati and when she became his wife and changed her name to Hyder, he rechristened it as Hyderabad. Now, that's what we call royalty. And there lies the true mark of a romantic man. And that for us is Hyderabadi ethos. But before I lose the plot and get a tad carried away, let me get back to the anthology. Indeed, it was a formidable task because the writers I had zeroed in on were as elusive as the Hyderabadi punctuality. However, I must thank each one of them for tolerating me and entertaining my calls as well as my pestering emails (sometimes five in a day, no exaggeration!) at all odd hours.
My wild goose chase had its funny moments too. Lake the time I ran into one of the anthology writers at a dinner. She waved a quick 'hi' from a distance and disappeared before I could get to her. Eventually, I tracked her and she said very sheepishly, 'I just realized the deadline for my article was yesterday when I saw you.' We had a good laugh over it.
And then there were amazing writers like Narendra Luther, who went out of his way to ensure that his piece reached me much before the promised date even though he had received my mail very late due to some cyber aberration. I would also like to mention Lakshmi Devi Raj who has been as endearing as the Hyderabadi tehzeeb, keeping the communication lines open 24x7 with not so much as a hint of irritation. And at her age, that is almost unreal. One day I kept sending her text messages and all she said when I finally called to check why she hadn't responded to any of my sms was 'beta, I don't know how to operate the sms. Please excuse me.' I can never forget how silly I felt in front of her humility despite her looming presence in all-important walks of Hyderabadi life. That, to me, is trademark Hyderabadi royalty minus the crown or the title. Her article gives us a peek into the life and times of Hyderabad that once was.
So what makes this anthology extra special? Yes, certainly the choice of our writers but more importantly, their choice of subjects. Like the typical Hyderabadi Dastarkhan-served to titillate every taste bud and satiate every palate-in true Hyderabadi mehman nawazi style, the contributors have handpicked every single spice to dish out this irresistible buffet.
Here are the people who have lent their very special touch to the banquet. Vijay Marur with his Hyderabadi wit treats us to side splitting tales; Vinita Pittie and her version of Hyderabadi adventure in the lingo; Syam Prasad Reddy's typical Hyderabadi enterprise of creating wealth; Iqbal Patni's poetic first person account of the Charminar tracing Mahboob Ali Pasha's life and times; Bakhtiar Dadabhoy's walk down the memory lane of the Salar Jungs and the famous namesake museum; Dinaz Noria's first hand experience of lavish weddings, the big fat Hyderabadi wedding as she calls it; Shankar Krishnamurthy who is an outsider for all practical purposes gives us a ring side view of the hospitality business; Rani Sarma's fascinating account of the Deodis; Pratibha Karan's mouth-watering journey of the legendary Hyderabadi cuisine; Mohammad Ali Baig's rich legacy of theatre; Sangita Reddy's Apollo story; Dr Aminuddin Khan's nostalgic account; Fawad Tamkanat's kaleidoscopic view of Hyderabadi influence on his art and his special gesture of letting us use his work for the cover; Mithi Chinoy's fascinating account of Hyderabad Parsis; Syed Ali Zahir's historical account of Dakhni Urdu; G. Rajaraman's tribute to Hyderabadi sportsmanship Phew, I just realized what an exhaustive list that makes. So, what are we waiting for? Aiye, Hyderabadi daawat haazir hai, Sirf aap ka lutf uthana baqi hai.
Like the legendary Hyderabadi poet Maqdoom Modiuddin once said of our city: 'Mohabbat baqi hain. Shehar ka nishaan abhi baqi hain.' Tasleem.
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