Writer : Sobia Saleem
Roll Number : 2K15/MC/84
Class : B.S III
The
Unsaid Tale of Hyderabad City
Hyderabad formerly known as “Neron Kot” which
is famous for its cold breeze. Hyderabad is one of those cities where the
magnetic pull of reminiscence can be felt to an utmost, owing to the ever
glorious landmarks of a ancient era. It is one of those cities where the past
silently tramp along with a noisy and loud present. Apart from its new face
where it is adorned with high rise buildings, bustling, busy markets jammed with
heavy locomotive traffic; there is another face where the past lurks
behind colonial buildings hiding under electrical wires and large
hoardings. The same old face can be seen written over the aged, gnarled and
wrinkled face of an elderly person who has witnessed it, in all of its glory,
and sailed through some of its sadness.
The story of
this city traces back to the time of the Arab took over when it was a mere
fishing village. It came into eminence when Kalhora ruler Mian Ghulam Shah
Kalhoro established it as a capital of his empire in 1768. Afterwards, it was
transferred on to Talpur and into British hands until the creation of
Pakistan in 1947.
Despite
having a very uneven history, this city has shared many happy and prosperous
times as well, like when its streets used to be washed with rose water. It once
hosted a large number of gardens that overflowed with green parks where
children played and their laughter echoed, and libraries that were overflowing with
book, all that were evidence of its splendor and peaceful public life. However,
those times seem to have been overlay in dust now.
The majority of this city was partly owing to
rich and well-to-do Hindu businessmen and merchants who traded in native goods
and exported them all across Europe, Middle East and South East Asia and were
generally called ‘Sindhi Workies . Then there were Amils, literate Hindus who
first served in Kalhora and Talpur courts and then joined the British civil
administration. They built many large buildings ranging from public to private,
domestic, religious and welfare types. At the time of partition, most of
the Hindu population of Hyderabad left for India, emptying the
buildings that were then occupied by refugee families from India.
The British government and civil society also built many
distinctive buildings that are scattered across the older sections of the city.
The main clusters are located at Tilak Incline, Heerabad, Pakka Qila , market
area and Serey Ghat sections. A vast majority of these buildings have now been demolished
to the ground due to commercialization and, now, only a handful of them are
still standing.
If you take walks from my old campus, past
Hyder Chowk, Gari Khata and into an old market that is a thoroughfare for women
of Hyderabad also known
as Resham Gali. Despite how crowded this particular path is, you will
still be struck by the beautiful buildings prevalent here that were built in
the pre-partitioned era. Your path will be bordered by books stalls, stationary
shops, bakeries and small dhabas along the road. If you look up, you’ll be
mesmerized by the magnificent stone work galleries, trellises, floral motifs
inscribed on facades, windows, balconies and Jharokas.
Oblivious to
the heavy traffic and commercial activity, the silhouettes of these once
magnificent buildings have an aura of sadness that swells and seemed to befall
the entire area. Occasionally, a window would open up and a woman or a child
would peer outside and then close it, leaving the building in its solitude
again. Perched above the facades, the pigeons would flap their wings and fly
away.
But now, city
is losing its charm due to carelessness of authoritities, the rapid destruction
of such old buildings is a threat to the city’s vibrant cultural and
magnificent heritage. It is time that this risk is soon identified and taken
charge of by the concerned authorities.
Otherwise,
it’s a saying you must be familiar with it that “History, once lost, cannot be
restored.”
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