Discovering Heritage: A Head
Full of Dreams, Charminar and
Hussain Sagar
M.S. Bhavith| 18BBA7014 | 12/07/2019
Key Findings:
1)Charminar’s Rich Heritage and Culture.
2)The Business Point of View during Ramadan in
Charminar
3)The Food and Festivities during Ramadan
4)Hussain Sagar’s History
5)An Outsider’s Perspective of the City of
Nizams.
6) Fun Facts about the Pearl City of India.
Introduction
Hyderabad, the Pearl City of India, it has a very rich and historical tradition which has
been laid down through many centuries, to be more precise from the year 1591, as it was
first named by the Fifth Sultan of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Golkonda, Muhammad Quli
Qutb Shah. He was the one to build the world-renowned Charminar which stands for 4
Minarets in English. According to the Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Places Names
(J, 2005), Hyderabad means Haydar’s City or Lion City.
Charminar, the four pillared miracles of Hyderabad, which doesn’t have a rich history but
also has a very lively presence world over especially during Eid. According to the
Archaeological Survey of India (Hyderabad, -) Charminar was built with the intention to
commemorate the cessation of an epidemic of plague.
Hussain Sagar, the heart of the world as declared by the UNWTO is also part of the Qutb
Shahi dynasty and is the place which separates Hyderabad from its twin city
Secunderabad. It also has an 18 metre Buddha Statue, which has become one the reasons
many people still visit Hussain Sagar, even after the dirt which is present.
CHARMINAR- THE FESTIVITIES AND FOOD DURING EID
Well, it was an enlightening and a very stressful experience visiting Charminar during Eid
as it that time of the year when Charminar is at its busiest ever, bangles, jewelry, clothes,
etc. You name it, the shops around Charminar had it, it almost felt like you weren’t in the
21st century but rather in the late 16th century of Hyderabad, the food, the lighting, the
architecture around Charminar all of which are quite reminiscent of the Islamic
architecture in the Middle East. The atmosphere there, was also very breathtaking and
well obviously quite busy. It felt as if you could see the world around me, if I stood still in
that crowd, I felt like was moving and not standing still. During my visit to Charminar I
interviewed a local shop keeper there who floor mats, and who has been selling them for
the past fifteen years. He told that people usually had come only during the time of Eid, as
it is a fully-fledged festival in Hyderabad and is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm
throughout the city.
Now coming to the food, well it can’t be described in words because it was truly
mouthwatering and all you want to do is to eat, not to talk about it. Every Eid, there is a
dish known as Haleem, this is type stew consisting mostly of meat and sometimes
vegetables. It’s been part of Hyderabad tradition throughout the years, however during
Eid, it is the most desired dish apart from the usual biryani. Now Haleem is quite a special
dish and is something which good for quite selective eaters, as in not everyone may have
the taste for Haleem.
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However, after tasting the Haleem near Charminar it was absolutely delicious.
Charminar is in the Old City (what the hyderabadi’s call it), it not only famous for the
monument but also for its Irani Chai (Tea) and Osmania Biscuit. This is evening routine of
people in the old city and it is pretty good one, because who knew something as simple as
tea! Could give such a pleasant experience and headspace.
Hussain Sagar: The Heart that connects Cities
Hussain Sagar is the place which connects two cities together, you could also say it divides
both Hyderabad from its twin city of Secunderabad. The reason I said Heart which
connects both the cities is because it is heart shaped. Another fact about Hussain Sagar, I
found out during my field work was that it is recognized by the UNWTO (United Nations
World Tourism Organization as the “Heart of the World”. Hussain Sagar consists of many
things which makes it really famous in Hyderabad, such as Lumbini Park, Prasad’s IMAX
Cinema Hall, Birla Mandir, etc. However, it is known most commonly for The Buddha
Statue which in the middle of the Hussain Sagar lake which could be seen from quite a
distance and can also be seen up close.
To have a deeper understanding of the Hussain Sagar and the Buddha Statue, I went up to
the Buddha Statue in the middle of the lake via a boat. Now you could go to the Buddha
Statue on various boats, but the most common boat used is a long-mechanized boat,
which comes with life jackets, in case of emergencies. This will be clarified more in the
documentary I have taken. The challenge was to find a foreigner or an outsider who
doesn’t have any prior knowledge of the Hussain Sagar, someone who was visiting the
place for the very first time and well I was in great luck, as I had met with a foreigner from
Columbia and it was great experience talking to him and well interviewing him about his
thoughts about Hyderabad and what all he has experienced in his tour to Hyderabad. The
interesting part of this story is that, he was also a vlogger who was also recording his
experiences in the pearl city of Hyderabad, we both were part of each other’s videos and it
was honestly a very happy feeling and to make end the conversation on a much lighter
note, I asked a question about another Columbian. Now there isn’t much you can do at
Hussain Sagar lake and the Buddha Statue unless you went there exclusively for pictures
and videos or just the view from there in general.
So, after finishing up, at Hussain Sagar, I did go to Prasad’s to get lunch and I found out
more information which I previously had very little idea about. Most of the heritage sites
in Hyderabad have a very eventful history and are quite meticulous, in the construction
part of it. However, the Buddha statue which is now placed firmly in the middle of
Hussain Sagar Lake (Lumbini Park), once in the late 20th century did fall into the lake and
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only after two were the able to remove the statue from the depths of the lake and at 1992,
it was installed.
Procedures, Methods and Transport:
There weren’t many methods used here, I had interviewed only 3 people, in which two of
them are present in the documentary. Interviews were used and well in one case it was
just one question about the Buddha Statue and whether there was something other than it
being the biggest monolithic statue.
I have also used the information on the internet along with my previous knowledge and
my interest of the history of Hyderabad. 80% of the data collected is primary information,
20% of the data collected is secondary information.
Now how I collected the data has varied, I was a non-participant observer for a at least
30% of my field work, even though it didn’t help me gather any relevant information
about Charminar or Hussain Sagar, it did help me understand the businesses there worked
and economic concept of Perfect Competition came into the picture.
I did take interviews of mainly two people, a street hawker from Charminar and a tourist,
these were the most insightful interviews I had taken, as it had two very different
perspectives on life and well Hyderabad in general.
Another note about the transport, it was quite enjoyable as it was my Headphones and I,
for most of the fieldwork, however due to the scorching heat, it wasn’t as enjoyable as it
should have been. As mentioned, I had used the newly constructed Metro to get around,
the city as it fast and reliable. However even in the metro, it is really crowded as I had
gone in the peak hours in the morning due to the unbearable heat.
To shoot a part of the documentary, mt friends and I drove to the Rajiv Gandhi
International Airport at midnight for the shot, and it was worth the journey, every second
of it.
Transport Used: Local Trains, Metro Rail, Auto Rickshaw, Bikes.
No. of Hours Spent: 60 hours. (Excluding Travel)
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Fun Facts about Hyderabad, Charminar and Hussain Sagar
1) According to Legend, there is a secret underground tunnel from Charminar to the
palace in Golconda, this built in case of emergencies.
2) The Kohinoor Diamond started off in the city of Pearls. It was unearthed in the
kollur mines
3) The Buddha Statue was inspired by the Statue of Liberty, former Chief Minister NT
Rama Rao saw the Statue of Liberty and wanted to replicate it.
4) World’s biggest film complex in terms of Area is present in Hyderabad, Ramoji
Film City.
5) Hyderabad is to be 2500 million years old, well at least its rock foundations dated
back that long.
My Memories and Experiences (Conclusion)
Over all it has been quite an amazing adventure, from driving to the Airport at Midnight
to asking people for lifts in every other gully, it has been one to remember. Travelling
around in the city I thought I knew about; however, I was completely taken aback by how
much I didn’t know and how much more there was to learn, I believe I did learn a lot
about my city, things which I had little idea about. It was fun, when I interacted with
different people apart from family and friends about the City of Pearls. I felt like a tourist
myself, when I went travelling around the city. Even though it was unbearable heat even
during the morning hours, the experiences I had were all worthwhile and I would love to
do a project like this once again, but this time when it isn’t very hot and the weather is
quite bearable.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to Dr. Madhulika Sahoo and the VSB department for giving an opportunity to go
out there and explore the city I love and live in more than I usually do, it was great
learning experience.
I’d also like to thank everyone else who has helped me complete this fieldwork, including
My Family and Friends for supporting me and also accompanying me on this wild
adventure and very fun one.
I’d also like to thank Mr. Pablo and Mr. Rabbeth Hussain for giving me the chance to
interview them.
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References
1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussain_Sagar
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Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names – John Everett
Archaeological Survey of India Hyderabad Circle.
Conclusion:
Finally, it was an amazing learning experience, I couldn’t collect more information as I
had put it in my documentary, which made into a vlog as well, as I felt like it was personal
learning adventure rather than just a documentary. Information I didn’t know about, I
found out and I loved it. As learning is a continuous adventure and well I’m prepared for it
every step of the way, because Sic Parvis Magna( Greatness from Small Beginnings) starts
here in Hyderabad. Once a Hyderabadi, Always a Hyderbadi.
Thank You!
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