Tracing the Trails of India's Prized Heritage- The Nizams' Enigmatic Jewels

One of the biggest enigmas of Hyderabad's heritage are the famed Nizams jewels, a portion of which are with the Reserve Bank of India. The collection, which includes the infamous 186 carat Jacob diamond, is always a topic when we talk about the Nizams of Hyderabad.  To understand how big the enti…

It's Dakhni Not Urdu! - Understanding the Deccan's (spoken) language

Language is a means of communication, which often is shaped (or changes) based on our socio-cultural and political milieu. In India's Deccan region, the spoken language (widely) today is in fact Dakhni, and not Urdu. The former, often mistaken to be a dialect of Urdu, is actually older and was at o…

An extraordinary life: How a Hyderabadi helped set up CMC (now TCS)

Most of us today know of software giant TCS (Tata Consultancy Services). It's part of Hyderabad's Hitec City that emerged in the 21st century.  However, many aren't aware that TCS in fact was originally a government Public Sector Unit called CMC (Computer Maintenance Corporation) that came up after…

Who were the Razakaars of the Hyderabad state? A brief history

Off-late, the word Razakaars is being thrown around in political circles quite often in Telangana. Referring to the militia under ex-MIM Leader Qasim Razvi in the Hyderabad state during its last Nizam, the Razakars have once resurfaced in the state's politics.  The Hyderabad state, under its last …

Tales from Indian independence: Bose, INA and the man who coined our 'Jai Hind' slogan

When it comes to our freedom struggle from the British, one doesn't think of Hyderabad. More importantly, we're seldom taught about how the 'Jai Hind' slogan came about. Abid Hasan Safrani, a Hyderabadi, was one of those rare individuals who had gone to Germany to study in the 20th century before i…

The story of Chermas and Hyderabad's oldest fire temple

2022 July marks the 175th anniversary of the Seth Viccaji - Seth Pestonji Meherji Parsi (Zoroastrian) fire temple in Hyderabad. Founded by the two brothers in 1847, it's also the oldest fire temple in south India. Once bankers under the Nizams of Hyderabad, the brothers built the temple and set up…

Tale of the Charminar's Bhagyalakshmi temple

Over the last few decades, the Bhagyalakshmi temple on the Charminar, which is Hyderabad's foundation, has become a matter of heated debate given the fact that the religious structure is an unauthorised structure. Today, the temple has taken centre stage as it has now become a focal point for mains…

Understanding Telangana: The story of how the demand for a separate state was born

For many, the demand for a separate state of Telangana was something new when they first heard of it in 2009. It was perhaps out of context, given that school textbooks also barely mentioned the name. However, the origins of Telangana's creation and demand as a separate state in fact go back to wh…

King Kothi Palace and Hyderabad's Last Nizam: An unfortunate legacy

Earlier in April, Hyderabad woke up to the shocking news that over 100 goons tried to siege the Nazri Bagh complex, the only remaining part of the historic King Kothi Palace. It was followed by an alleged demolition attempt, which has seemingly been thwarted thanks to government intervention.  Unf…

Khajaguda Rocks: How activists saved one of our most ancient historical sites from destruction

When we talk of heritage, old buildings usually pop up in our minds. However, more than monuments, or anything else, our most precious historical sites are our rocks which have been around for millions of years. And sadly, rapid urbanization has caused a lot of our old sites to become victims of d…