In the bustling and crowded streets of Koti, stands a majestic building, complete with neo-classical features, a grand flight of steps, an impressive facade, and a regal bearing which precedes the life of the Koti Women’s College, the institution it now houses, by more than a century and a half. The 19 century building, once known as the Hyderabad Residency or the British Residency where the British Resident used to stay during the days of the Raj, is also one of the ailing structures in dire need of restoration.
On the occasion of the Koti Women’s College’s 90 anniversary this month, the administration put up several inscriptions in one of the rooms of the Residency building, giving the complete history of the hoary building, and its tryst with time. With much of its space unusable due to damage over the years, students and old timers feel that it is time that something is done to bring back its past glory.
“When I joined the college in 1964, every part of the Residency building was accessible. The Durbar Hall, chandeliers, gardens, and the landscape, made the place very beautiful. Now, due to concern and negligence, there has been a gradual degradation of the place,” said Anuradha Reddy, a former student of the Koti Women’s College, reminiscing her good old days spent at the college.
T. Ankita, another alumna of the institution, said that it was only in the last three decades that the Residency building’s condition had begun degrading. Ms. Reddy, who is also the convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH), Hyderabad, also added that had the edifice been maintained well, it wouldn’t have been in the condition it is today.
When I joined the college in 1964, every part of the Residency building was accessible. The Durbar Hall, chandeliers, gardens, and the landscape, made the place very beautiful. Now, due to concern and negligence, there has been a gradual degradation of the place
Anuradha Reddy, convenor of INTACH Hyderabad
