Snippets of life in Hyderabad

Women’s College, Kothi: (former British Residency) My quiet neighborhood of Shantinager well behind me, I drove along Lakdi-ka-Pul Road (Wooden Bridge Road), though it was no longer a wooden bridge the road was still called by its old name. Going past Ravindra Bharati, the new theatre, I turned right into the wide, tree-lined road leading to the Public Gardens. My commute to college about 50+ years ago took me through contrasting scenes of the city.

Avoiding Abid Road, the affluent shopping area, a shortcut brought me to Sultan Bazaar. Here the streets are narrow, restaurants mingled with offices, clinics, and shops selling everything from shoes, tires, clothes to electronics. It is office hour and pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and buses compete with each other to reach their destination as quickly as they can. I arrive at the Residency, an opulent mansion built for the British Resident in Hyderabad, which was now my college.

My college, the 211-year-old former British Residency, is undergoing restoration.

Climbing the imposing stairs with the two marble lions on either side I enter the Durbar Hall (audience hall). Inevitably I look up at the grand crystal chandeliers before moving on to the smaller halls where our classes were held. I remember the grand clock on the staircase landing which was later sent to a museum.

Who can forget studying in the beautiful formal gardens where once the British Resident probably held garden parties. And the dungeons in the lower level where the Residency guards and soldiers were housed and prisoners incarcerated, so we were told. Here we waited for our cars to take us back home.

Nampally Train Station: Hyderabad’s train station where we said so many tearful goodbyes or waited excitedly to welcome friends and relatives arriving from out of town.

We bade farewell to newly married couples leaving Hyderabad, or family members going for Hajj. Our own vacations to Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai (Madras) began with a train journey from Nampally Station.

I remember the excitement of watching an incoming train bringing our guests, or the train whistle indicating the start of our journey. Always crowded and buzzing with activity. People young and old, passengers, guards, baggage, food carts, but somehow no one seemed to mind. Everyone was polite, this was Hyderabad.

Secunderabad City: My brother, sister, and I would drive all the way to Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad to watch a Hollywood movie. The Plaza Cinema near Percy’s Hotel, Dreamland, and Tivoli theatres all showed English language movies.

We left home early in order not to miss any part of the movie or the newsreels. Pathe News covered international events and was as interesting as the movie itself. Those were the days when we did not have television or the internet.

Gadwal’s Saree Shop: The salesman would throw open fabric after fabric, saree after saree on the white mattresses spread on the floor. This was the best way to see the beautiful colors, texture, and designs of the material. One could sit on the mattresses or if preferred ask for chairs that were readily provided.

It was easy to spend an hour or more making your selections. I loved the Gadwal style of sarees with their beautiful wide silk border in contrasting colors. Always deferential and polite the two or three salesmen assigned to each family never tired of displaying their materials. Soft drinks and chai were ordered for us as we shopped.

Laad Bazaar: We did not go often to Laad Bazaar, but when we did, it was never on our own. Somehow we always crowded in one car with my mother, aunts, and cousins. No seat belts were required.

The bustling street with shops on either side was filled with colorful sparkling bangles, semi-precious jewelry, embroidered fabrics, silks, henna, and much more. It was said this one street had everything you needed for celebrations from birth to old age.

A trip to Laad Bazaar had to be made if there was a wedding in the family or before Eid. There were so many stores to visit, bargaining to be done and everyone’s shopping list checked off. On the way back we just had to stop at Madina Hotel for haleem and ice cream. It was all part of a day of shopping in Laad Bazaar.

Abdullah “Kapre Wala”: (fabric merchant) Then there was shopping done peacefully at home when Abdullah arrived in his horse-driven carriage accompanied by his son. He brought beautiful fabrics and sarees stored in metal trunks. His imported chiffons and silks were much sought after.

Abdullah would spread out his dhurries on the veranda floor while we sat in rattan chairs and watched him unload the trunks. My mother and aunts would pick up each material to “feel” them, then take them indoors to see the colors under electric lighting. After much discussion the fabric was put aside in the pile we were planning to purchase.

Abdullah didn’t seem to mind the long time taken in selection, he was busy giving us news of families he had visited already. Since he went to many homes in our area he knew where the next wedding was taking place, who had graduated, or which family was out of town. We already knew this but Abdullah liked to give us the news anyways.

Hosh Ruba Gardens: It was the first park of its kind in Hyderabad. Hosh Ruba was beautifully designed with step-down gardens, fountains, and waterfalls with multi-colored lights. The large guest house could accommodate two or three families for overnight stay. On our first visit, we went with a group of friends and relatives. Our cook and his helpers came too.

While my parents, uncles, and aunts relaxed in one part of the garden we were allowed to move around freely. It was a gated park and deemed safe for us. We had taken with us our gramophone, an antique record player. It was bulky, but it was the only way we could listen to music in the park.

I remember the aroma of freshly cooked biryani and seekh kebabs coming from the lower levels of the gardens as the food was prepared. Dinner was served in the garden with myriads of multi-colored lights hanging from surrounding trees and bushes.

I am sure Hyderabad has better parks and gardens now but I still remember Hosh Ruba’s magical gardens and fountains.