Hyderabad in fragments: a city's story told in micro-histories

Hyderabad's rich, layered history has long captivated writers and scholars. But with Telangana marking its 11th anniversary on June 2, there is a renewed interest around the State and its capital city, which has been shaped by dynasties, cultural syncretism and centuries of transformation. Tapping into this growing interest, author Daneesh Majid's new book, The Hyderabadis: From 1947 to the Present Day, paints a nuanced portrait of the city, weaving together micro-narratives of its people.
Majid profiles families displaced by Operation Polo and its bloody aftermath, chronicling lives that were once comfortable but later upended, at times by the very hands that had once served them. The book presents diverse perspectives: from those who opposed the Razakars, to the story of a Hindu woman, heartbroken that her Hyderabad had fallen.
Majid also turns his gaze outside India, tracing the lives of expatriates who spent several decades in West Asian countries, which became their second home. Upon returning, they had to rebuild their lives in a city that was rapidly changing. Through these different stories, he captures different lived experiences. He also seeks to reconcile the often divergent narratives many of which continue to carry political overtones.
'There was a lot of literature on the Partition which was evocative, but I found that the stories of Hyderabadis weren't many,' Majid says. 'Micro-history, which is about asking the big questions in smaller places, outside the corridors of power, these narratives are sometimes contrary to — let's say — mainstream histories. There is some truth in both narratives. And this is why micro-histories are important: they offer nuanced perspectives.'
In the chapter 'From Jagirdar to Jamaati', Majid records the story of Omar Farooq Quadri, a student whose family fled Bamini in Marathwada on account of Operation Polo. They first sought refuge in rural Telangana and later moved to Hyderabad. A change in the family's fortunes turned them from landlords to paupers, even as a family member became a dervish. While 'Qadri' indicates either Sufi lineage or affiliation, the family had to change course spiritually.
'The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind played a crucial role in rehabilitating them socio-economically in Hyderabad. Omar is now a student leader at Maulana Azad National Urdu University. What struck me was that he is one of the few students from Hyderabad in place where one finds people largely from Kashmir, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,' Majid notes.
Through the story of Narayan Raj Saxena, the great-grandson of Bansi Raja, a close aide of sixth Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, Majid illustrates how the Kayasth community has been an inalienable part of Hyderabad's history. 'He witnessed the tumultuous period of 1948. He saw Hyderabad change with his own eyes. There are few now who are well enough to remember,' says Majid. 'The Kayasthas were skilled administrators in the Nizam's government and were great with languages. They knew Persian, and when the official language changed to Urdu in the 1880s, they mastered that too.'
Post-1948, some Muslim families moved to Pakistan. Ali Adil Khan, one of Majid's subjects, was born in Hyderabad in the 1960s during one of his parents' visits to the city from Pakistan. His father, Mohammed Anwar Ali, had left for Karachi on August 14, 1950. In 1948, when his grandfather Ishaq Ali was posted in Bidar, Operation Polo was launched. While Ishaq Ali was in Hyderabad, his family was still in Bidar. It was a Hindu neighbour who arranged for their safe passage to Hyderabad.
However, Majid deliberately steers clear of discussing mainstream politics. For instance, the complex history of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, now led by the Owaisi brothers, is largely missing. While he does mention Abid Ali Khan, the influential Hyderabadi journalist, who co-founded Siasat Daily, the tussle between the heads — past and present — of these two power centres of Muslim politics does not find a place in the narrative.

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