Category Archives: Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Of passion and pure thrill of flying high

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

The Air Force Station at Begumpet was one of six heritages of the city to be acknowledged with an award by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) on the occasion of World Heritage Day 2014. The event brought into focus little known facts about Hyderabad’s history, including the city’s pioneering efforts in the field of aviation which commenced in 1911 when a Belgian aviator, Baron de Caters, along with his assistant Jules Tyck, arrived with a fleet of planes to give demonstration at the Secunderabad Parade Ground.

The three-day affair received wide publicity and drew large crowds of onlookers including quite a few women. A newspaper report preceding the event announced that “a popular society lady will be taken up by the Baron on the first day”. Unfortunately the identity of this enigmatic passenger remains unknown and it is believed that it must have been a member of the European community then living in the cantonment.

The first direct association of Hyderabad with aviation was established a few years later when during World War I, a British pilot challenged the enemy while flying an aircraft bearing the name of ‘Hyderabad’ over the skies of Germany in 1917. In recognition of contributions to the Imperial war effort, the names of native states had been inscribed on the aircraft of ‘Gift Squadrons’ raised and maintained with funds donated by the Indian rulers. Subsequently, the British formed two more Hyderabad Squadrons during World War II with public contributions raised at Hyderabad, and the Spitfires and Hurricanes of these units had the legend “Presented by His Exalted Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad” emblazoned on their fuselage. Among the three Hyderabad Squadrons of the Royal Air Force, the 152nd had the Nizam’s crown, the distinctive ‘dastar’, displayed prominently on its insignia.

The credit of introducing Hyderabad to flying as a hobby goes to two adventurous youngsters, Babar Mirza and Pingle Madhusudhan Reddy, who developed a keen interest in flying while pursuing their studies in England. While Reddy managed to keep his passion for flying in check long enough to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering from Leeds, Mirza concentrated more on developing an expertise in handling aircraft. Reckless by nature, he purchased a Simmonds Spartan and set out from Croydon in late 1932 with the sole obsession of reaching Hyderabad within the shortest possible time despite his father having explicitly banned him from undertaking such a “perilous and foolish adventure”. Without giving a second thought to the logistics involved in undertaking such an arduous journey and despite refusal of permission to transit Turkey, Mirza successfully bluffed his way out of tricky situations including some perilous moments at Konya where he inadvertently landed on a military parade ground and was promptly marched off at gunpoint! Unable to take the punishment of the “Air Mad” Hyderabadi anymore, the plane’s engine gave way over the Iraqi desert. Rescued by Bedouins, he was packed off to India along with the wreckage of his aircraft.

Within a year of the mishap, Babar Mirza had somehow convinced his father Manzoor Jung to support his plans of establishing an Aero Club at Hyderabad. Laying out a landing strip on the polo ground of the family estate at Habsiguda, he flew in the now restored Spartan from Karachi and applied to the Nizam’s government for permission to start a private Flying Club and ordered another aircraft from London. Meanwhile Reddy, having purchased an Avro Avian in England in 1933, flew it to Hyderabad and touched down at Habsiguda to join the Deccan Aero Club. Official permission still pending, Babar Mirza took it upon himself to garner support and went about it in a unique way. Inviting the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad Maharaja Kishen Pershad and other elite to Habsiguda for an evening of flight demonstrations, he put on a show that they would never forget. After his colleagues had shown their skills in performing ‘loops’ and ‘rolls’, Mirza swooped down low over the heads of the visiting dignitaries creating ‘quite a sensation’! The dare seems to have had little effect on the administration as it was another three years before the Hyderabad State Aero Club was formally inaugurated in 1936. Mirza’s antics though, seem to have set a precedent for disgruntled aviators. Old-timers of the city narrate the exploits of another pioneer, a scion of the Bilgrami family who, jilted by his beloved because of a stubborn refusal to give up his ‘dangerous’ passion for flying, made repeated low passes over her wedding venue; blowing away the shamiana, scattering the guests and turning a lavish spread inedible with a coating of dust!

(This is the first of a two-part series on Hyderabad’s aviation. The writer is a heritage activist)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Sajjad Shahid, TNN / April 27th, 2014

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PM Reddy: An aviator and engineer par excellence

The founding of the Hyderabad State Aero Club ushered in an era of relative decorum and the unchecked exploits of buccaneering aviation pioneers of the city were finally tamed to a large extent. Over succeeding years Babar Mirza and P M Reddy, matured into serious aviators who took on the task of ensuring that aviation in the Deccan kept pace with international trends. Their enthusiasm for flying inspired others to take up the hobby and also hastened the plans of the Nizam’s government to establish an airline. Aban Pestonji Chenoy, the teenaged daughter of the Nizam’s Mint Master, became the first woman member of the Hyderabad State Aero Club to qualify for an aviator’s license in 1938, a year in which 55 of the club’s 70 members were Indians.

The club’s operations were suspended during World War II and its pilots, aircraft and facilities were commandeered for use by a training squadron. The association of Begumpet with the Air Force has continued ever since. The acute need for pilots during the war resulted in the establishment of a center of the Indian Air Training Corps on the Osmania University campus in 1945. Trained by Hyderabad’s own pilots along with British officers, cadets of the very first batch passing out from the Osmania University made such a strong impression on the recruiting board that a majority of them were recommended for a commission in the Air Force.

Princess Durru Shehwar laid the foundation stone for the passenger terminal at Begumpet in 1936 as part of the Nizam’s Silver Jubilee celebrations and Deccan Airways Limited was incorporated in 1945, becoming the first airline to be promoted by a native State. A joint venture of Hyderabad State and Tata Airlines, Deccan Airways had a fleet of a dozen Douglas DC-3 ‘Dakota’ aircraft when Hyderabad was absorbed into the Indian Union in 1948.

It was with Pingle Madhusudhan Reddy’s encouragement that the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, first boarded an aircraft for a sortie over the city intended to check out his reactions to flying. Initially thrilled at being able to view from the skies, the Nizam is said to have later issued orders prohibiting any aircraft from flying over his palace. On one of his later flights in a twin engine aircraft, he enquired from PM as to what would happen if an engine conked off during flight. “Not a problem Your Exalted Highness”, PM replied, “We can safely carry on with the remaining engine”.

Years later when boarding a flight for Delhi, he pointed to the four engines of the Super Constellation and exclaimed; “Now that is what I call a safe aero-plane!”

By 1947 Deccan Airways had a fleet of sturdy Douglas DC-3 ‘Dakota’ aircraft which connected Hyderabad with key cities through regular services. Apart from scheduled flights, the airline also took on charters and diplomatic sorties on behalf of the Nizam and his government. The airline continued to serve the ruler of Hyderabad in his capacity as the Rajparmukh subsequent to merger and one of the tasks personally supervised by PM was to ensure a daily supply of fresh water for the Nizam during his sojourns away from Hyderabad. Drawn from a protected source which had supplied his ancestors, the waters of the Bam Rukn-ud Dowlah, a spring near the Mir Alam Tank, were shipped under guard in special sealed containers for the Nizam and his family.

Pingle Madhusudhan Reddy saw the airline through its most difficult phases of existence including a ban imposed by the Indian government just prior to the Police Action and later when Deccan Airways along with all other private airlines of the country, was nationalized in 1953 becoming part of the Indian Airlines Corporation. Having been appointed the first Operations Manager of Deccan Airways in 1945, he rose to become its General Manager and later Managing Director. Under his dynamic leadership Deccan Airways gained the reputation of being one of the best and the most efficient airlines in the country. Despite being named Regional Director of Indian Airlines, PM resigned and opted to revert to Hyderabad State service in 1954 and was put in charge of the Industrial Trust Fund and its operations; Praga Tools and Hyderabad Asbestos which was eventually handed over to the Birlas. At the request of the defense ministry, PM was released from state service and took charge of HAL Bangalore in 1957 to set up the jet engine factory from where he retired in 1967. After a long and eventful life PM passed away in Hyderabad in 1986.

(This is the second and concluding part of the column on pioneers of aviation in Hyderabad. The writer is a well known heritage activist)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Sajjad Shahid, TNN / May 04th, 2014

T-movement 60 Years Old. Hence, the Division: Sonia

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Unlike the TDP and the YSRC, the AICC chief Sonia Gandhi has not indulged in blame game for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh while addressing her maiden public meeting in Seemandhra post-division on Friday. Moreover, she has humbly tried to take the responsibility for the Centre’s decision.

In her rally held at the Andhra Muslim College here, the AICC supremo tried to defend her decision to bifurcate Andhra  Pradesh, saying, “You all know the fact that Telangana movement was 60 years old. That is why we took this difficult decision after a lot of brainstorming.”

Hitting out at the opposition for picking holes in the decision on Telangana, the UPA chairperson said the Congress decided to divide AP only after all other political parties, except the CPM, had demanded the same.

Though her speech was not inspiring and she failed to make any new promise to the Seemandhra people  on reconstruction of their new state, she made all-out attempts to placate them, saying, “For the first time in the history of the country we have tried to safeguard the interests of the people of a residuary state (Seemandhra) during reorganisation. We have accorded special status to Semandhra for its over-all development.”

Sonia said she had concern for Seemandhra development and assured that she would take care of its people. “I am aware of your feelings and concerns due to bifurcation. But Telangana was a long-pending promise and it had to be fulfilled.”

She also listed out the central government educational institutions and a railway zone that were promised to Seemandhra besides helping the new state develop its cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Kurnool, Nellore, Kakinada and Rajahmundry compete with Hyderabad.

Local Congress leaders mobilised a fairly good number of Muslims and Kapus for the meeting which was organised in the Muslim-dominated Guntur-1 town.

Seeing a good number of Muslims in the crowd, the UPA chairperson tried to win them over by using the social justice card.

“The Congress is the only party committed to the cause of social justice as it believes that the keys of political power must be with the weaker sections of society like SCs, tribals, BCs, minorities and women who have been, for long, deprived and neglected.”

Later, she assured Kapus and Balijas of inclusion among BCs if the Congress retained power. Her promise was cheered by  Union minister K Chiranjeevi and former minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, who were on the dais, and by the crowd as well.

Turning her attack on the TDP-BJP combine, Sonia said, “TDP and BJP are the two sides of the same coin. Both are old friends. The TDP had not left the BJP even at the time of horrific happenings in Godhra in 2002. Many parties walked away from the NDA but not the TDP. A vote for the TDP-BJP combine will be a vote for communal forces. A vote for the Congress will be for a new and resurgent Seemandhra and for a secular government,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi claimed that the Congress was the only party that always stood for secular values and principles and never compromised with communal forces. “It is these very values and principles that kept our country together and for these values and principles Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi became martyrs.”

Not giving any concession to the YSRC, Sonia fired a broadside at the fledgling party, saying, “YSRC is exploiting the name of the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy who was a valued and loyal member of our party. The Congress had given him an opportunity to serve the people and he worked hard and implemented the policies of the party. People who exploit his name choose to ignore the fact that YSR had dedicated his entire career to the Congress.”

Union ministers Chiranjeevi, Kanna Lakshminarayana, JD Seelam and Panabaka Lakshmi, and APCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy were present.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by J R Prasad – Guntur / May 03rd, 2014

Hassle-free temple fest for devotees this year

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

VISAKHAPATNAM:

Call it divine intervention if you will, but the sudden thunderstorm and rains on Thursday coupled with the absence of political VIPs thanks to election fever and early attendance by members of the Vizianagaram royal family enabled the ordinary devotees to have an unhindered and early darshan of the original form of the presiding deity of Simhachalam temple, Lord Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, on Friday on the occasion of the annual Chandanotsavam festival.

Usually during Chandanotsavam, devotees are allowed a glimpse of the real form of the Lord only after suffering through long hours waiting and jostling in serpentine queues only after 5.30 am because of visits by high-powered VVIPs like government officials and netas.

But this time if the rains resulted in a lower turnout of devotees at just around 1 lakh, the elections put paid the plans of politicians to hog the limelight at the temple and Poosapati Anand Gajapathi Raju of the Vizianagaram royal family, who is supposed to first see the real form of the idol, turned up much earlier than anticipated. Every year, the Vizianagaram royal family visits the temple at around 4 am to 4.30 am, but this time they came with sandalwood and silk clothes at 2.45 am.

This left the aam janta heaving a sigh of relief as they could have a better and more peaceful darshan. “I am happy that this year I got a chance to have a Nijaroopa Darshan of the Lord at around 4.30 am on Friday instead of later in the day. Usually each year there is a heavy VIP devotee rush and the royal family too arrives late,” said M Appa Rao, an LIC agent working in Srikakulam town.

Appa Rao, an ardent devotee of Lord Narasimha, has been attending the festival for the last 12 years and arrived in the city on Thursday evening from Srikakulam town to stand in the general queue outside the hilltop temple. But this time he was able to finish his darshan by 7 am.

Simhachalam temple executive officer K Ramachandra Mohan said: “This year the turnout was lower than previous years because of the elections. Moreover this time we didn’t issue any free VIP passes either because there was hardly any demand for them. Besides last year there were some issues pertaining to VIP passes, due to which we decided not to issue any.”

Some devotees, including K Mahalakshmi, from Tuni, were not too happy with the arrangements. “Though the number of devotees were be less as compared with last year, the authorities have failed in making proper arrangements, especially when it comes to providing drinking water and shelter. Because of the rains and heavy gales, many makeshift shelters were damaged and no alternative arrangements were made ,” Mahalakshmi added.

It may be mentioned that Chandanotsavam is celebrated each year on Vaisakha Suddhatadiya when devotees get to see the real form of the presiding deity, which is otherwise covered by a thick coat of sandalwood paste during the rest of the year. The ceremony began in the wee hours of Friday with the removal of sandalwood paste. After that, the members of the Vizianagaram family led by Ananda Gajapathi Raju entered the temple with silk clothes and sandalwood paste. After giving a chance to the devotees to see the original form, the authorities restarted applying the paste from Friday night.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / May 03rd, 2014

Archaeologist Krishna Sastry dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence
V.V. Krishna Sastry
V.V. Krishna Sastry

Eminent archaeologist, Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry, who was involved in transplantation of several ancient temples including Alampur, passed away here on Wednesday. He was 78 and is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.

Fondly called “the digger” for his passion in excavating antiquities, Dr. Sastry was instrumental in the discovery of rare coins that established the succession of pre-Satavahana kings and Chimukha Satavahana, the founder of the Satavahana dynasty. It was again Dr. Sastry who established historicity of Keesaragutta on the outskirts of Hyderabad. He found antiquities from prehistoric to medieval periods as famous as those of Nagarjunakonda during the excavations at Yeleswaram. Discovery of many of the prehistoric rock paintings in Kurnool, Mahabubngar and Karimnagar are credited to him. He also pioneered salvage archaeology and is known for transplanting several temples that would have otherwise submerged in Srisailam, Jurala, Singur and Pulichintala projects.

Born on October 23, 1934, Dr. Sastry completed his BA from Andhra University and MA from Osmania University. After obtaining training in archaeology from a pioneer like Rayaprolu Subramaniam, he joined the Archaeology Department in 1961 and rose to become the Director in 1981, a post which he held till 1992, a record next only to the founder of the department, Ghulam Yazdani.

Having a number of publications, his magum opus, Pre, proto and early historic cultures of Andhra Pradesh , was released by Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Hyderabad in 1983.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – August 23rd, 2012

MELANGE : Royal treat for bibliophiles

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion
Books restored from different Asaf Jahi dynasties are in the Chowmahallah Palace library./ Photos: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Books restored from different Asaf Jahi dynasties are in the Chowmahallah Palace library./ Photos: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

The Mehtab Mahal library at Chowmahalla Palace throws open a treasure trove from the Nizam’s era

The Nizams, it turns out, had an eye for everything exquisite. From the jewellery they wore to the silks that adorned their wardrobe, the cars they rode in, and the cuisine they partook, everything simply spelt royalty. While these indicate their lavish lifestyle, their interest in books and literature is less known.

Throwing light on their urge to discover and relate to the world around is the Royal Library in Chowmahalla Palace; its collection of books includes The Life of Samuel Johnson, History of Don Quixote, John F Kennedy – Portrait of a President, Glimpses of India,The Princes of India and an array of Encyclopaedias and much more .

Situated in the Mehtab Mahal of the Chowmahalla, the Royal Library houses more than 10,000 books and “is a haven for researchers and book lovers.”

The library that was thrown open to book lovers last year has been digitized recently, not only to help book lovers but also ensure safety of the royal treasure.

The idea of the library is to protect and preserve the valuable collection of the Asaf Jahi kings. The collection mostly belonged to the Mir Mahboob Ali Khan (VI Nizam), Mir Osman Ali Khan (VII Nizam) and Nizam Mukarram Jah. The books have been sourced from different Asaf Jahi palaces like the Nazri Bagh, Chiran Palace and Chowmahalla to be housed in the Royal Library here.

The books thus collected were sorted and segregated into various categories.

Books restored from different Asaf Jahi dynasties are in the Chowmahallah Palace library. / The Hindu
Books restored from different Asaf Jahi dynasties are in the Chowmahallah Palace library. / The Hindu

“A lot of work went into making them ready to be put in the cases for readers to read them in the library. Various professionals worked to clean, bind and make the books fit for reading. We have applied all preservation techniques, including fumigation, to protect the books,” informs G. Kishan Rao. He adds, “The collection of books range from history, literature, poetry, philosophy, geography, culture and religion. This library also houses the exclusive collection of Qurans by the Nizams which was inaugurated recently.” A few books also hint at the Nizam’s passion to learn languages. The number of English books is close to 3000, followed by Urdu, Persian and Arabic.

“There is also a good number of Persian manuscripts containing the firmans issued by the Asaf Jahis as well as several volumes of Mir Osman Ali Khan’s poetry,” informs the librarian. Qurans of different sizes are in the process of being restored and will find place in the library after that.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Prabalika M. Borah / Hyderabad – April 25th, 2014

ROCKSCAPE : The many uses of stone!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Burgula Narsing Rao. / Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu
Burgula Narsing Rao. / Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu

From pelting stones at the cops to hiding under Nayapul bridge, rocks were an integral part of Hyderabad’s history, says Burgula Narsing Rao

“In all Indian agitations, stones are very important!” laughs Burgula Narsing Rao. In one of the most riveting conversations we have had in our research for the documentary on the rocks and Hyderabad, he describes why he, an eminent Hyderabadi senior citizen, once threw stones!

His ancestral village is Burgula, 68km from Hyderabad. He served as its Sarpanch from 1976 to 1995. A student leader and freedom fighter himself, he has the regions’ political movements committed to a memory that is razor-sharp even at 84. I will recount here just one part of a dense, personally annotated account of the region.

To transition from the Nizam’s government, during the gap between joining the Indian Union in 1948 and the democratically elected state government of 1952, a parallel bureaucracy with officers from outside the state was brought into Hyderabad. Andhra was still a part of Madras presidency then, so Andhra officers came from there. There was simmering discontent with this Andhra bureaucracy that, in September 1952, broke out on the streets in the form of the Mulki/Non-Mulki agitation.

“It started from Warangal. I was President of Nizam College Students Union. We also called for agitation. We were not parochial and did not favour slogans like “Andhras go back”. We wanted Mulkis to be given preference in employment. We wanted officers who came after Police Action to be repatriated to their native states. We wanted education and employment opportunities.”

On September 3rd, students of City College came out agitating, were fired upon and 3 persons were killed. Students added the immediate demand, that the government hand over the bodies, to earlier demands.

On 3rd evening when Narsing Rao went home, there were summons from the Chief Minister. “I woke up Bharat Vajpayee (Secretary of Arts College Union) and took him along. Almost the entire cabinet was there and very disturbed. I reiterated that they had to hand over the bodies. My uncle, Chief Minister Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, became very emotional and promised to do so.”

Next day, September 4th about 20,000 people gathered at Osmania Hospital. “There were emotional speeches. Trouble erupted. I saw armed police all over: at the hospital, across the Nayapul Bridge (made of stone masonry, after the terrible 1908 Musi flood, under Mehboob Ali Khan’s rule). Police started firing and people scattered. We went under the bridge for protection, emerged to throw stones we found there at the police, went back under it for protection.”

“All schools, colleges were closed for one month curfew. We regrouped and demanded an inquiry into firing. The Government responded with an inquiry and the outsiders being repatriated.”

“But the one month turmoil shook the government. Nehru and Maulana Azad came to Hyderabad. At the Fateh Maidan public meeting, Nehru assured us about our demands. Next day he addressed students at Nizam College grounds: a 45-minute class on the meaning of democracy. As Chairman of the Action Committee and President of the Students Union, I was on the dais and began a vote of thanks, ‘Thanks Panditji for your advice and guidance, we will try and restore normalcy…’, when I suddenly found myself being lifted up high. It was Nehru! There are many Hyderabadis around the world, who were there that day, who still remind me of that! My mike had failed, the audience could not hear and was restive. Nehru simply lifted me and put me onto the other mike! It was one of the most exciting moments of my life.”

“Seriously though, the Telangana agitation against denial of opportunity to the Telangana people began there: in the 1952 student movement.”

Narsing Rao had a book-worthy amount of invaluable information to share. There is space here for just so much. Clearly though, those were times of passionate action for socio- political justice. Inspiring times! Somewhere in all this excitement, the stone masonry of Naya-Pul culled from our rocks gave young agitating students shelter and a means of self defence. Our rocks have been sentinels in our history and enduring protectors. They are as inspiringly strong and remarkable as the history of our region. Etched in various ways into memories of our city, they must be protected in our current development in order to remain unique markers of our city’s human and physical geography.

(The writer is a documentary filmmaker, writer and teacher.)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Rockspace / by Uma Magal / Hyderabad – April 24th, 2014

INTACH Demands Audit of Historic Monuments

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
P Anuradha Reddy
P Anuradha Reddy

Expressing fears and doubts regarding what the bifurcation of the state will bring for heritage sites across Andhra Pradesh, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has demanded a heritage audit to be conducted on all historically valuable buildings and artifacts to ascertain the damage done and recommend steps to be taken for division of cultural assets post-bifurcation.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, convener of the Hyderabad chapter of INTACH P Anuradha Reddy said this audit must be conducted with the involvement of the Department of Archeology of Andhra Pradesh. ‘’The audit will help in determining the basis on which these artifacts will be divided,’’ she said.

The creation of  the Telangana state, the convener feels, will do more harm to monuments, historically significant buildings and culturally important artifacts than the last 66 years have done.

Citing the example of the old Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly built in 1913, she said that the building will be renovated and this will destroy its identity as an important cultural landmark of Hyderabad.

‘’The old Assembly has not been given the official status of a heritage site because it makes it easier to destroy it because there will be less resistance from the people’s bodies,’’ she felt.

Anuradha Reddy, along with co-convener, Sajad Sahid, pointed out that no committee has been set up to look into the repercussions of bifurcation on heritage sites.

Bringing to light an alarmingly true trend, Anuradha Reddy said that no political party has mentioned the protection of historic sites and culturally significant artifacts in their manifestos.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / April 23rd, 2014

Railway exhibition a big draw

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology
A visitor records the exhibits on his mobile at the exhibition organised as part of the Railway Week celebrations, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. / Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM / The Hindu
A visitor records the exhibits on his mobile at the exhibition organised as part of the Railway Week celebrations, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. / Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM / The Hindu

It was a trip down memory lane for some of the visitors as they went through old photographs and stamps on locomotives, rail bridges, and our national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Sastry, and Jawaharlal Nehru travelling in trains.

The exhibition was organised by the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway as part of the 59 Railway Week celebrations here on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There were stamps issued on Howrah, Chennai, Mumbai CST, and Old Delhi stations with the imposing vintage buildings, the BNR locomotive, built by the North British Locomotive Company, introduced by BNR in 1913. It was continued till 1921 for heavy shunting and coal traffic.

Later in the evening, cultural programmes were organised by the Personnel Branch of Waltair Division as part of the celebrations.

In his inaugural address, Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar listed the achievements of the Division during the financial year 2013-2014.

The Division achieved an originating loading of 52.56 MT, thereby becoming one of the few divisions in the country which had an originating loading in excess of 50 MT. On the passenger front, the originating traffic increased to 33.80 million, which was 3 per cent more than the previous year, and passenger earnings increased to Rs.366.51 crore, which was 17 per cent higher than the previous year. The Division has earned the highest ever total earning of Rs.6,265.58 crore.

Mr. Anil Kumar spoke on the development works initiated at Visakhapatnam railway station like commissioning of escalators on platforms 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, and works on improvement of Gnanapuram-side to ease traffic congestion.

Additional DRM M.L. Meena, ECoRWWO president Anju Anil Kumar, and Divisional Personnel Officer B. Mondal were among those who attended.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities>Visakhapatnam / Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – April 16th, 2014

Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

He played cricket and football for St Stephen’s Delhi with distinction. He did his masters in English as well as Arabic and he topped Punjab University in Persian. And if you are to name a saviour of the cave art of Ajanta and Ellora it is him: Ghulam Yazdani, a Padma Bhushan awardee as well as a recipient of OBE (Order of British Empire). 

Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage
Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage

As the Archaeology Department of Andhra Pradesh marks its 100 years the coming Friday, it is time to remember the man who created the department out of nothing.
If Hyderabad has a vestige of its heritage left, it is thanks to him. Deputed to Hyderabad as a Superintendent in 1914, he brought with him his expertise, energy and accountability. Not for him the claptrap of archaeology department doing the job of cataloguing and executing conservation work, Yazdani was a hands on man who got a road laid between Hyderabad and Bidar to protect the Bahamani heritage of Bidar and also between Toli Masjid and Golconda.
A man of sharp wit, he dismisses the decorative motifs of Toli Masjid as: “The impression made by such buildings overloaded with decorations is like the impression left by the ostentatious and lavish display of personal adornment, generally favoured by lowly persons suddenly become rich.”
For the restoration of the Ellora cave art, he tried to get Luigi Cavenaghi, the man linked to restoration of Leonardo’s Last Supper, to work on the paintings. Unfortunately, he could get only Lorenzo Cecconi, who applied shellac on the paintings, ruining them further. Ghulam Yazdani published a series of photographs and reproductions of the cave art with his explanations.
And by the way, Ghulam Yazdani’s salary was ` 560 per month. And just recently, the Archeology Department found it fit to name its museum after YS Rajasekhara Reddy!

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> People / by Serish Nanisetti, TNN / April 21st, 2014

Facelift for Abdul Wahab tomb

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence
Grandiose plans:The 400-year-old tomb in Kurnool is set to be developed as a tourist spot.-Photo U.Subramanyam / The Hindu
Grandiose plans:The 400-year-old tomb in Kurnool is set to be developed as a tourist spot.-Photo U.Subramanyam / The Hindu

Abdul Wahab tomb, popularly known as Gol Gummaz, located near Osmania College here will soon get a facelift under the Special Tourism package. Financial assistance was given under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Central Tourism package.

The Union Tourism Ministry sanctioned an amount of Rs 4.30 crore for development of Gol Gummaz, Kondareddy Fort, Vijayavanam as landscape and Rupala Sangameswara temple.

Special focus was laid on the 400-year-old tomb for development as tourist spot along with three other places, which will form a tourism circuit. Gol Gummaz has a special place in the history of Kurnool city. The tomb of Abdul Wahab, the military commander of Bijapur army and first Muslim ruler of Kurnool was believed to have been constructed in 1618 after the death of Wahab. After successful invasion of the Kurnool fort, Bijapur Sultan Adil Shah declared Wahab as its chieftain. His successors ruled the fort until another dynasty headed Davud Khan was installed as rulers of Kurnool fort.

The monument with a large dome was constructed in typical Bijapur style of architecture. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) notified the structure as monument and took all measures to protect its ambience. However, with the latest decision of developing it as a tourist centre, every care was being taken to preserve the originality of the monument, said Krishna Chaitanya of ASI.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by  D. Sreenivasulu / Kurnool – March 19th, 2014