Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

World’s largest diamond, Mughal necklace in Geneva auction

May 14, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

A staff member poses with 'The Blue' diamond during an auction preview for Christie's in Geneva. (Reuters photo) — A staff member poses with ‘The Blue’ diamond during an auction preview for Christie’s in Geneva. (Reuters photo)

New Delhi :

A rare necklace, engraved with names of Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir goes under the hammer in Geneva tomorrow by Christie’s, which is also auctioning the world’s largest flawless blue diamond, in a sale expected to total $80 million.

Dating 17th century, the seven Mughal engraved spinel bead necklace is estimated to fetch between $1,500,00 to $2,000,000 at ‘Magnificent Jewels’ sale, auctioneers said.

Mughal emperors were known for their love of precious stones. The tradition of engraving titles and names on stones began with the Timurids, who were the ancestors of Mughals. They did their engraving on diamonds, emeralds and other outstanding quality stones with large spinel beads considered to be their favourites.

As much as these gems were a symbol of the opulence and dignity of the empire, they were also treasured as protective talismans.

The Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar exhibits an important necklace with eleven Mughal spinel beads with a total weight of 877.23 carats. Three of them engraved with names of Emperor Jahangir and one with that of Emperor Shah Jahan.

Leading the ‘Magnificent Jewels’ sale is world’s largest flawless vivid blue diamond ‘The Blue’ estimated to fetch between $21,000,000- $25,000,000.

The diamond leads the 250 lot strong sale, estimated to mop up a total in the region of $80 million, Christie’s said.

Six months earlier, Christie’s Geneva sold ‘The Orange’ the largest fancy vivid orange diamond in the world for $35.5 million, a global record for an orange diamond and a world auction record price per carat for any diamond at $2.4 million.

The sale will also feature many important coloured and colourless diamonds such as the 5.50 carat ‘The Ocean Dream’, the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond in the world to come to auction, with an estimate of $7,500,00- $9,500,000.

‘The Rajah Diamond’ a 26.14 carat old-mine brilliant-cut diamond of is among 14 jewels that are being auctioned under ‘A Passion for Jewels: Collection of an European Gentleman’. The diamond is estimated to go for $3,000,00-5,000,000.

Another section of the sale ‘Noble Jewels’ features a natural pearl and diamond necklace estimated at $550,000-700,000 and was orginally in the personal jewellery casket of Queen Elizabeth of Prussia.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / PTI / May 13th, 2014

Salman Khan’s protege Zarine Khan makes her debut in Punjabi cinema with ‘Jatt James Bond’

May 14, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentmpositiveone@gmail.com

Salman Khan’s discovery Zarine Khan is all set to make her debut in the Punjabi film industry with Jatt James Bond.

The second poster of the film is out and actress plays the role of a Punjabi girl in the film.

The actress, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Salman in Veer, will be paired with Gippy Grewal in the film.

Despite Zarine’s dream debut and a mentor like Salman, the actress did not have a very successful run in Bollywood. After Veer bombed at the box office, Salman gave Zarine another shot at fame with the item song Character Dheela in Ready. While the film did a good business, Zarine did not get enough adulation for her sexy act in the song.

The actress’ next film Housefull 2 did a decent business, but her co-stars Asin and Jacqueline Fernandez stole the limelight.

And given Salman’s penchant for spotting new talent and mentoring them, Zarine had no other option than looking for help somewhere else to keep her filmi dreams afloat.

Directed by Rohit Jugraj, the film also stars Vindu Dara Singh, Mukesh Rishi, Avtar Gill and stand-up comedian Gurpreet Guggi.

The film, produced by Fortune House Productions, will hit the screens on April 14.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Entertainment> Place:Mumbai, Agency: DNA Web Team / Thursday – January 02nd, 2014

The last of Delhi’s calligraphy brigade?

May 12, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

With the arrival of technology, calligraphic fonts are on computer keyboards now, pushing more and more the likes of Yakub to scurry harder for work. / Photo: Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty / The Hindu

With calligraphic writing now computerised, the katibs of Old Delhi’s Urdu Bazaar, once a vibrant community, have shrunk to a mere three

More he waits for work, more he fears it shall stop coming to him. Altogether.

When 62-year-old Mohammad Yakub, a katib or traditional calligrapher in Old Delhi’s Urdu Bazaar, breaks into a near monologue on a hot May day after some prodding, the fear of losing a job that he knows best — that too at an age when he “just can’t think of doing anything else” — is pretty blatant. “I have been without work for the last two days. Who knows, you might bring me good luck,” he says with a half-smile. Two teacups with the hot brew arrive from a nearby teashop, indication enough that he is in a mood to talk now.

Yakub’s story turns out to be one of standing against the tide and not calling it quits. Not yet. Every day, at 9 in the morning, he steps out of his house in Okhla to board Bus No. 403 to bring him to Jama Masjid. A short walk from near the Mughal era masjid to Urdu Bazaar brings him to his designated seat in a shop that sells Urdu books. A shop he has been employed with for the last 28 years, a shop with blue paint peeling off at places, its lone copying machine standing at a cobwebbed corner, unused, discoloured with age. The books kept in glass showcases make you wonder which of them is older, their yellowing pages or the showcases with stains on the glasses.

“The last time I sold a book here was a month ago,” he plaits it in to the conversation to help you understand that his state of near joblessness is linked to a drastic drop in the sale of books published in Urdu these days, which in turn, is increasingly leading shopkeepers at the Bazaar to replace their bookshops with those of readymade garments and eateries.

It is also linked to where the art of calligraphy is heading. With the arrival of technology, calligraphic fonts are on computer keyboards now, pushing more and more the likes of Yakub to scurry harder for work. No wonder then, besides Yakub, Urdu Bazaar — once a vibrant hub of katibs — is now left with just three of this ilk.

Katibs Mohammad Yaqub at work in Urdu Bazaar / Photo: Sangeeta Barooah / Pisharoty / The Hindu

Yakub can do calligraphy in Urdu, Arabic and Persian. “But what I usually end up doing now is to write in Urdu the names of various offices and departments required to make stamps since Urdu is also an official language of the Delhi Government,” states Yakub. Out of the Rs.100 that he gets per stamp, Rs. 40 goes to the shop owner. “Most times, it doesn’t pay for my day’s trip from home and back,” he points out before startling you by suddenly breaking into a Mughal-e-Azam song. Even as you recover from the shock, he asks you, “Do you think I can end up as a singer at this age?” In his ensuing laughter, the fear of the foreseeable doesn’t quite get lost. No wonder his daughter, a trained calligrapher, is joining as a teacher in a school

Taking leave of Yakub, you walk along the Bazaar. A few shops away from him sits Mohammad Ghalib, one of the last of the brigade. In his early 50s, Ghalib seems the only one among the three to be getting regular work. “I can’t say that what I am earning is sufficient but I have been able to run my kitchen with it so far. I think it is God’s grace,” he says raising his head from writing a graduation ceremony poster in Urdu for a madrasa in the Okhla area. The colourful poster will thereafter go for printing a dozen copies of it. “Look at these fonts, the unevenness of them, the colour play I do here. No computer can do this because everything in it is of certain size and shape. You can’t play with those fonts, like you can do with a handwritten calligraphic work,” he stops his work to explain the finer point to you.

Like Yakub, Ghalib too picked his skills from Darul Uloom in Deoband years ago. “They still teach it but I ask, what for? Things can change only when the Government does something concrete to keep going the skill of people like us,” he minces no words here.

You enquire about the third katib of Urdu Bazar. Ghalib says he sits just opposite the road. “He has not been coming to work for some days now. He is unwell. Also, there is a wedding in the family,” he says. What Ghalib doesn’t say is said by a bookseller who gives the katib space to operate from, “He doesn’t get much work anyway.”

Riding on a rickshaw to the Chawri Bazasr Metro Station to return home, you only hope that you have turned lucky for Yakub. Because he just can’t sing!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Sangeetha Barooah Pisharoty / New Delhi – May 11th, 2014

DOWN MEMORY LANE : Quaint reminders of 1857

May 12, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Revisiting the half-forgotten episodes of 1857 when we almost embraced freedom

Today is May 12, the day in 1867 when the British fugitives from Delhi were hurrying on their way to Karnal or some other nearby town. “The four children of Captain William Wallace were spirited away by a faithful khansama and found their way to Meerut. The merchant James Morley, whose family had been killed in his house in the Kashmiri Bazaar, put on a petticoat and veil belonging to the wife of his old dhobi, and following the dhobi, as he drove a bullock laden with old clothes through one of the city gates, managed to reach Kurnaul road,” says Christopher Hibbert in his book “The Great Mutiny of 1857”. A lady, said a fellow-survivor, put on a pagri and, dressed as a villager, with a small hookah in hand, made her way out of town but was recognised by her ex-cook who wanted to make the amply-built memsahib his second wife. But she gave him the slip at night and somehow reached Flagstaff Tower on the Ridge. A girl, who had been disguised as a rustic boy was kidnapped on her way to Sonepat by a group of eunuchs who planned to sell the youngster to a gay zamindar. When the man discovered that the “boy” was actually a girl, he told his sister to take care of her until such time as he could secure ransom for her release. All this happened 157 years ago but still comes to mind as one wanders over Delhi to piece together quaint events of which the nikaah of a sepoy with the wife of a “sahib” he had killed is an amazing one, indeed. The cannonading marks on the walls of the Kashmere Gate and the fierce attack on Mori Gate, where the Maulvi of Faizabad, Ahmedullah Shah stayed before the outbreak on his arrival from Agra, are vivid memories. It is said that the tall, gaunt long-bearded Maulvi “with coarse hair falling on his naked shoulders” and the same hypnotic gaze as that of the latter-day Mehdi of Sudan, however, did not stay here for long and moved to the denser locality of Bara Hindu Rao and finally the Jama Masjid where, according to old-timers, he was seen in the evenings; vehemently trying to convince namazis to throw off the British yoke.

In Ballimaran the haveli of Hakim Ahsanullah Khan can still be seen with its old ambience preserved. The hakim was not only the personal doctor of Bahadur Shah Zafar but also his closest adviser. Some distance away at Lal Kuan is the Zeenat Mahal, ancestral home of the emperor’s youngest wife now turned into a school, and not far from it Mubarak Masjid built by the Bibi of Gen Ochterlony. An ex-dancing girl she later married a Mughal soldier, Wilayat Khan and took active part in the First War of Independence.

In Karol Bagh, Rao Tula Ram School is a reminder of the brave ruler of Rewari whose ancestor, Rao Tej Singh sided with Scindia at the Battle of Patparganj in 1803, which Lord Lake won for the British. After Tula Ram’s defeat at the battle of Narnaul in November 1857, the gallant ruler joined Tantya Tope and in 1862 escaped to Russia. Another hero of the Revolt was Raja Nahar Singh of Ballabgarh who blocked the road to Delhi. This “Barrier of Delhi”, admitted Sir John Lawrance to the Governor-General Lord Canning, was very difficult to break unless “we receive reinforcements from China or England”.

According to Purushottam Salvi’s book, “A Long Drawn War of Freedom”, Nahar Singh tried to persuade Bahadur Shah to take refuge in Ballabhgarh but the emperor refused and was captured at Humayun’s tomb. However, Nahar Singh avenged the death of Zafar’s sons and grandson at the hands of Hodson by killing a large number of firangi soldiers. Eventually Nahar Singh was captured and hanged on his 35th birthday, September 21, 1858.

One prince who escaped the vengeful British was Feroz Shah, who had been away on Haj when the Revolt broke out. On his way to Delhi on August 26, 1857, the troops in Gwalior pleaded with him to lead them. The prince agreed and captured Dhar but was later defeated and, after joining Tope, managed to escape to Nepal. His not so fortunate younger brother was Mirza Nasir-ul-Mulk who became a cripple and was reduced to begging. Besides the more famous events of 1857, these remain half-forgotten episodes of those tumultuous times when Independence was almost achieved by the rebel sepoys.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by R. V. Smith / New Delhi – May 11th, 2014

Nawazuddin Siddiqui to endorse Spice Stellar 506 smartphone

May 12, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economympositiveone@gmail.com

Nwazuddin Siddiqui was initially hesitant and nervous about the brand engagement. ( Source: Varinder Chawla )

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has signed up for an ad featuring the introduction of a new smartphone Spice Stellar 506 into the market.

Along with the ad, the cell phone company will also showcase a digital film showcasing how smartphone technology is changing lives of the youth of India today.

‘The Lunchbox’ actor was initially hesitant and nervous about the brand engagement. But apparently, after a sit-down with the team and understanding the campaign’s objective, Nawazuddin felt more at ease.

“The film resonates with my own life journey and my belief that the size of one’s dreams isn’t defined by the size of one’s town. Shooting the film was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. When I was growing up I’d trek miles, in the same manner as shown in the film, and finally reach the city exhausted. But as soon as I saw the cinema theatre all my exhaustion would just vanish and everything would be worth it,” said the actor.

The ad will feature Nawazuddin’s life of struggle, deprived of comfort and luxury and has been shot in the town where Nawazuddin spent most of his time growing up.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / by Express News Service – Mumbai / May 12th, 2014

Salome Roy Kapoor visits Hyderabad to make it a fashion hub

May 12, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & EconomyAyesha Azara Mujahid, Deccan Institute of Design (DID), Lakhotia Institute of Fashion Design, Mohd. Azhar Mujahidmpositiveone@gmail.com

Miss India (1972) and mother-in-law of actress Vidya Balan, Salome Roy Kapoor. (Photo: PTI/File)

Hyderabad:

Thursday evening saw a gathering of people who one would assume were strangers; but in real life they have known each other for as long as they can remember.

Miss India (1972) and mother-in-law of actress Vidya Balan, Salome Roy Kapoor, designer James Ferreira, make-up artist Cory Walia, jewellery designer Suhani Pittie, fashion designer Shravan Naresh, Shilpa Reddy and others were present at the launch of the Deccan Institute of Design (DID), which they will be part of when it starts operations.

“I last came to Hyderabad many, many years back. I used to be a model and we had come to the city for a show,” says Salome, who dances, choreographs, directs plays, fashion shows and also conducts grooming classes. Her role as a visiting professor would be to conduct grooming sessions, which include deportment, etiquette, table manners, body language etc.

Salome’s sons — Siddharth, Kunaal and Aditya — are all connected with Bollywood and talking about the latest addition to her family from the industry, Vidya Balan, she says, “Vidya is down-to-earth and a lovely daughter-in-law. There have been times when people have tried to get in touch with Vidya through me regarding some event or something else, but I have never encouraged that. She has a busy schedule and I can’t interfere.”

Salome has known the “talented James” (Ferreira) for over 40 years, having also been the one to give him his first break. “It was right after college and I was very nervous, but she saw my work and pretty much gave me my first job,” says James, who is also the creative head of the institute.

DID is an institute by Mohd. Azhar Mujahid and Ayesha Azara Mujahid of the Lakhotia Institute of Fashion Design. Talking about the institute, James says, “Our (institute’s) aim is to make Hyderabad the fashion capital of South India. Not only is Hyderabad the most happening place down South, but it also has the most number of affluent people. We are going to take people back to the roots.

There are 108 ways of wearing a sari, 45 ways of wearing a turban and 60 styles for wearing a dhoti; but in this fast-food age, we have not given our Indian traditions much importance and we hope to change that.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by ADC / May 03rd, 2014

Tindipotha gastronomic delight from a food truck

May 10, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

by Phalgunn Maharishi

The residents of Mysore, especially in the neighbourhoods of Bannimantap and Rajeev Nagar are now familiar with a big truck parked on the roadside near JSS Dental College with shining lights and people surrounding it eating costly food. But wait a minute! Costly food in a big truck? Well, it seems to be costly as the big truck sells fresh American-Mexican food but that’s not really costly. “A Mysorean can now fill his stomach with some classy food for just Rs. 80 on an average,” said Syed Manju while speaking about his big boy “Tindipotha.”

Syed Manju previously held the position of an Area Manager handling Public Relations and Marketing for 28 years in Costco, USA, the Number 3 retailer in the world which directly competes with Walmart, before heading towards Mysore to come up with his dream boy. “I had a passion towards cooking due to which I quit the job and came to Mysore with an interest in doing something unique, something which never existed here. That’s when Tindipotha was born,” commented Syed Manju while speaking about how it all started. The ecstatic and energetic Syed Manju keeps travelling back and forth between Mysore and Bellingham (90 miles north of Seattle in the United States) where his wife (Diane Houston), little girl Zara (16) and a little boy Iyan (14) lives.

Originally born in Channapatna and brought up in Mandya, Syed Manju is a self made man. He studied B.Sc and Diploma in Film Acting. He soon landed into Kannada Film Industry during his late 20s by directing films like Neenakkaga and Kanoonige Sawaal after which he travelled to USA for a trip to stay with his brothers and sisters for a while. Manju said, “Don’t ask me how, but I got my green card over there” with a wink and also added, “I never wanted to be there forever. Infact I had plans of directing more films in Kannada, but my fate made me stay there,” with a sweet smile. The last film produced by Manju was Appaji starring late Dr. Vishnuvardhan in the lead role released in 1996.

Coming back to Tindipotha, it all started roughly an year ago when Syed Manju and his brother Rafi Manju bought an old truck and got it rebuilt in Mandya to bring the new fancy boy to the streets of Mysore. “I was scared in the beginning. It was something new, something which the Mysoreans never experienced before. A new food to a new market. We had to prepare American-Mexican style foods with the ingredients available in Mysore and it didn’t seem easy for us in the beginning. But we did it and still doing it. It’s been an year and we are doing good,” said Syed Manju while speaking about Tindipotha.

Tindipotha has recently transformed itself from being just a food truck into a youth junction where we can find college going kids spending their cool evenings eating the sizzling new dishes like Nachos, Chicken Melt, Roti Lapat, Gilli Chicken, Turpi Chicken, Rollito, Apple Dream, Lava Pie, and many more summing up to over twenty different types of food.

“My brother Rafi Manju manages the front end and cash while my nephew Syed Umair Manju is our grill master. He even looks after the crew. Farhan, the cousin of Umair, assists the crew inside out and Tausif does all the deep fry and plating. Siddique and Atiq have been newly added to the crew and are learning ropes. Tausif, Siddique and Atiq are all family friends. We are all family and its a family business. The whole crew, except me and my brother, are college going kids,” said Syed Manju while introducing the team of Tindipotha.

People love the food. We had an interactive session with some regular customers of Tindipotha who expressed their hearts out. Bashar and Abdur Razzak, who stay in Bannimantap said, “This is really nice. It’s different than what we find elsewhere. We don’t find such tasty food at any other place, especially the Nachos! We come here for Nachos,” when asked to express how they feel about Tindipotha. Areb and his friends Mohammed Fahad and Rakshad, who come all the way from Bangalore just to eat at Tindipotha, said that they still haven’t yet got over the taste of Chicken Melt. The trio commented, “Its been a year and we still come here to eat the same thing,” with a laugh. Dental students Alley and Ahmad, who are from Iran visit Tindipotha atleast twice a week and mentioned that they love the tasty food and also the hospitality given to them by Syed Manju and his crew.

While speaking about the unpredictability of such food business in a city like Mysore, Syed Manju said, “Usually weekends are the busiest days for us, yet we can never predict. Sometimes customers ask me, which is the best dish prepared here! Well, I tell them to close their eyes and put their finger on the menu and we will serve it. If they don’t like the food, let them not pay us but if they like it, they need to pay us double.” He also added, “We are different from other eating places in the city saying that we smile at our customers which we can never find in any other hotels in Mysore. We also appreciate each and every customer, thank them and enquire in person whether they liked the dish. The food is also custom made for every single customer according to his likes and dislikes and we keep changing the taste one plate at a time.”

Tindipotha is for sure a place to be cherished and one of its kind in Mysore. It’s both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food truck with some tasty healthy and classy American-Mexican food at low prices. Do you want to try some different custom made food? Just head towards Tindipotha in Bannimantap near JSS Dental College between 7 pm and 11 pm any day! For more details, type in TINDIPOTHA in facebook and you will get the fan page.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / May 04th, 2014

Bangalore boys come first in aero competition

May 7, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Science & Technologympositiveone@gmail.com

Bangalore :

Bangalore, the aviation capital of India, has often had its young opting for careers in aerospace, many displaying their skills at various forums. Two teams from Bangalore only reaffirmed this fact by bagging the first two places at the recently concluded (April 12) Boeing India-IIT national-level aeromodelling competition.

The four Bangalore boys — three from ASC College of Engineering, and one from BMS — competed against 560 participants to clench the contest.

At one point, Tabrez Nadvi Anser, Pavan MJ, and Vignesh Arul of ASC College, who bagged the first place, stared at a missed opportunity. “Selection for the finals was to happen at four zones, IIT Madras (South), IIT Kharagpur (East), IIT Bombay (West), and IIT Kanpur (North). Unfortunately, we couldn’t enter the zonal-level competition at IIT Chennai, as it coincided with our semester exams. We finally got permission to participate from the East zone, and our college helped us with the funding,” Tabrez told TOI.

In the zonal round, Pavan said, the team focused on design and building of the remote control (RC) aircraft, keeping in mind the ability to glide. “We did not buy a ready-made aircraft,” Tabrez added.

Having qualified for the finals with 12 other teams from various zones, the four shifted their focus to flying and acrobatic flying, as per the problem statement given by the organizers. They built a depron-made 3D RC aircraft which performed all manoeuvres as planned. “Eventually, we won because of our strategy which was duly acknowledged by the jury,” Tabrez said.

While team ASC was busy clearing hurdles at the zonal levels, Mohammed Shadman Alam was steering a solo show. “While other teams had at least two participants, with the upper limit set at four per team, Alam did everything alone,” said one of the organizers.

At the end, the battle was between the two Bangalore teams, and Alam came second. “Going alone has its perks. I could conceive and design what I wanted, and also perform manoeuvres I liked. Also, if something were to go wrong, the blame would be all mine, and so was it with the credit,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / by Chethan Kumar, TNN / April 30th, 2014

MELANGE : Royal treat for bibliophiles

May 5, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Travel & Tourism, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

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

“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