HYDERABAD DIARIES

As far as the ultimate lot in life, there is but a single destination – the grave. Death is the one certain goal in life, but it is the one of which everyone has the least awareness. Whatever the concomitant factors were, this is an oft-repeated tale in the history of Muslim sovereignty—the rebellion against central authority, followed by a temporary autonomy, which comes to a disastrous end, due to the folly and short-sightedness of the local rule. The birth and death of Hyderabad are both tragic aspects of this turbulence in the Muslim history. Hyderabad now has about 70-lakh population, 41% of which is Muslim. But more than 80% of that number reside in the old city, with only a handful in the new city. The pattern is similar in most of the cities in India. It is symptomatic of Muslims having been outdistanced by others, whereas in former times, theirs had been the most advanced community. It is also significant that all communal riots to date have taken place in the old city, and never in Secunderabad or the new city. This can be explained in terms of the high level of literacy in the newer areas, as opposed to the general illiteracy of the masses in the older areas. Experience has shown us that education acts as a buffer against communal riots. Therefore, well-wishers who genuinely wish to put a stop to riots should work towards educating the community. One of old Hyderabad’s more acute problems is the narrowness of the roads and the increase in traffic. Sometimes the streets are so jammed with vehicles that you almost feel you could reach your destination faster on foot. There is a standing joke that if you offer a pedestrian a lift, he will refuse, because he’s in too much of a hurry to travel by car. There are several places of historical interest in Hyderabad, which are a great attraction for tourists. The most prominent of these is the Salar Jung Museum, where a wonderful assortment of 40,000 beautiful and exotic items are on display. Built by the former Prime Minister of Hyderabad, it is believed to be the only one of its kind in the East. Seeing great artistry I felt that perhaps God had endowed man with this creative genius so that he would be eternally reminded of his Maker’s superior creativity. When Hyderabad State was in its heyday, one of the great luminaries was Nawab Imad-ul-Mulk Maulvi Syed Hussain Bilgrami. Highly educated, he was fluent in English, French, Persian and Arabic, besides