It’s a motley group. A retired principal, an advocate, milk man, social activist, builder, corporate filmmaker and many others. Some known faces, some utter strangers. What brings them together every month is their memories of Hyderabad. An unnamed forum as yet, it is open to all. The only condition is you should have a strong bond with Hyderabad and be willing to share your fond memories of the city.
A city of nawabs, kebabs and yearning, Hyderabad has a rich history, but sadly most of the anecdotes and little known things connected with it are now part of the folklore. And there is a danger of this history being lost forever. But a few die-hard Hyderabadis are determined not to let this happen. Senior advocate, Ghulam Yezdani and educationist Anand Raj Verma, have decided to preserve and convey to posterity the rich cultural heritage and apnapan (camaraderie) of the nawabi shahr as best they could. The idea floated by them to form a platform to relate one’s experiences of Hyderabad is gaining traction. So far, three meetings were held with a dozen odd enthusiasts participating.
At their last meet, the group had a baithak at the Urdu Hall in Himayatnagar and reminisced about the gold old days over Osmania biscuits and creamy Irani chai. The animated discussion veered from hotels to theatres and personalities. “You know theatres those days had a curtain for ‘ purdah nasheen khwateen’ (women audience). When the picture started lights were switched off and the curtain drawn to one side,” recalls Verma. Of course there was an exclusive ticket counter for the ladies where a woman would issue tickets. “If I am not wrong there used to be a ‘ namaz wakfa ’ (break) too and during this time the devout offered prayers,” Yezdani interjects.
Tasveer Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Zamrud Mahal...no they are not names of palaces but of top theatres of the 40s. The Select theatre in Diwan Deodi, of course, was for the royalty. The Nizam and a select few used to watch films here. A 16 mm projector was imported from London to screen films. Aalam Aara , the first Indian talkie movie which marked the end of mukka (silent) films, was screened in Sagar Talkies on Abids road. This theatre along with 59 others are now relics of the past. Theatres those days were infested with khatmal (bugs). Moviegoers used to carry newspapers to burn below the benches to force the khatmal out.
How about some famous hotels of the past? Shanker Sher Hotel, Jalal ki Hotel, Tafreehe Deccan, Gade ka Chaikhana, Orient Hotel and Viccaji Hotel were all landmarks in their heydays. People were proud to hang around here. There is an interesting tale about the frustration of famous poet, Makhdoom Mohiuddin, when he visited one of these hotel late in the night and placed order.
“Roti-kheema lana,” the waiter replied “ Khalas ” (Finished) The poet then asked for dal-chawal. Pat came the answer, “Khalas”. When he received the same reply again an irate Makhdoom shot back, “ Ye hotel hai ya Makhdoom ka ghar ?”.
Narration is another USP of Hyderabadis; they can describe a complicated accident in simplewords. “ Gadi baigan main milgai,” says social activist, Aleem Khan Falaki. If you miss the magic of the good old days, turn to this forum.
