Celebrating Hyderabad | Deccan Chronicle
For the very first time, Hyderabad will celebrate a seven-day 'Heritage Week' between April 18 and 24.
"The Heritage Week, will be the first of its kind in the city. We have never conducted one before. Bengaluru celebrates heritage week every year. We too should organise and celebrate a heritage week regularly and celebrated grandly," said G. Kishan Rao, IAS, Consultant at the Tourism Department at a press conference.
Starting today, the city will witness a variety of events at popular heritage sites like Chowmahalla Palace, Qutub Shahi Tombs and the Taramati Baradari. The programmes will include jugalbandhi of classical music, classical as well as contemporary dances, ghazals, qawwali, mushaira, deccan dholak–ke-geet, instrumental music, plays and more performed by legends such as Dr Mangalampalli Balamurali-krishna, Pt Birju Maharaj, Pt Viswa Mohan Bhat, L. Subramanyam and Kavitha Krishnamurthy besides illustrious artistes of Hyderabad. A celebration of Hyderabad's unique culture, art and architecture, the week also marks the conferment of the "Best Heritage City Award" on Hyderabad by the Union Tourism Ministry.
Although the seven-day celebrations come as an encouraging initiative to protect the heritage of the culture-rich city, a fraction of artistes and culture enthusiasts the feel that the enthusiasm will fade away in seven days and things will go back to how they were earlier.
"The first thing we need in Hyderabad is to create awareness among schools and collages to educate the younger generation. In fact, we are lucky to be in one of the richest heritage cities in India. The government should promote more art and cultural shows keeping in mind the interest of the younger generation. Now, the Heritage Week is symbolic, the programme should have diverse activities comprising workshops, talks, lectures, arts and crafts, among others, then it becomes participatory," says Kaali Sudheer, curator of Muse Gallery.
For Dr N.D. Safiullah of the Deccan Heritage Trust, the primary concern is to tag more buildings with the "heritage" site tag. "Right now we are following the regulations that were enforced in the late eighties, under which there are 137 buildings listed as heritage sites. But the current efforts are directed at getting over 1,500 sites under the category. People who own these buildings are backing off and hampering the process. So the government needs to take steps like concession in taxes or provide developmental rights to the people to get them to co - operate," he says.
Among other concerns is the apathetic attitude of even the educated citizens towards our heritage. "Even simple things like cleanliness and the need to preserve our monuments need to be grilled into the citizens," says Harini Ganti, a classical singer and a event organiser.
DON'T MISS
* Intrumental music by Dr L. Subrahmanyam and Kavitha Krishnamoorthy will be followed by a Kuchipudi performance by Balatripura Sundari.
April 20, 7 pm onwards, Chowmahalla Palace.
* Quadir Ali Baig Foundation will present the play Taramati, the legend of an artist.
April 21, 6 pm onwards, Taramati Baradari
* Deccani Dholak-ke-geet by Begum Kaneez Fatima and group, followed by Ghazals by Swathi Srinivas and Zaheeruddin Babar.
April 23, 6 pm onwards, Qutub Shahi Tombs.
* Ghazals by Sultan Mirza, S. Fouzia and Meraj Sufi followed by performance by Nizami Brothers Qawwals.
April 22, 6 pm onwards, Taramati Baradari
* The play Biryani aur Haleem will be performed by Suthradhar.
April 19, 7 pm onwards, Chowmahalla Palace.
* * *
We love our city for...
As the biggies gear up with cultural treats for the heritage week that begins April 18, the aam junta of the city are not only celebrating the tangible heritage of the city. They are celebrating everything uniquely Hyderabadi!
"The Deccani language that includes words like nakho, khaiko, parso and of course things like chai and our beloved Osmania "biscoot" — these form our identities and these are the elements of the city's heritage that I wish to preserve."
- John Dez, event organiser, music producer
"It's the simplicity of the people here that I love the most. The warmth in the way people respond is very informal, which adds to the comfort. Also, the fact that it is metamorphosing into a cosmopolitan city and this transformation being peaceful is amazing!"
- Himanshu Sharma, vocalist, Mehraj
"Hyderabad heritage would be the 'Nawabi' attitude. Hyderabadis have an air of sophistication even in today's rat race. Then, the 'tameez' (manners) and 'tehzeeb' (etiquettes) is valuable heritage for me
For the very first time, Hyderabad will celebrate a seven-day 'Heritage Week' between April 18 and 24.
"The Heritage Week, will be the first of its kind in the city. We have never conducted one before. Bengaluru celebrates heritage week every year. We too should organise and celebrate a heritage week regularly and celebrated grandly," said G. Kishan Rao, IAS, Consultant at the Tourism Department at a press conference.
Starting today, the city will witness a variety of events at popular heritage sites like Chowmahalla Palace, Qutub Shahi Tombs and the Taramati Baradari. The programmes will include jugalbandhi of classical music, classical as well as contemporary dances, ghazals, qawwali, mushaira, deccan dholak–ke-geet, instrumental music, plays and more performed by legends such as Dr Mangalampalli Balamurali-krishna, Pt Birju Maharaj, Pt Viswa Mohan Bhat, L. Subramanyam and Kavitha Krishnamurthy besides illustrious artistes of Hyderabad. A celebration of Hyderabad's unique culture, art and architecture, the week also marks the conferment of the "Best Heritage City Award" on Hyderabad by the Union Tourism Ministry.
Although the seven-day celebrations come as an encouraging initiative to protect the heritage of the culture-rich city, a fraction of artistes and culture enthusiasts the feel that the enthusiasm will fade away in seven days and things will go back to how they were earlier.
"The first thing we need in Hyderabad is to create awareness among schools and collages to educate the younger generation. In fact, we are lucky to be in one of the richest heritage cities in India. The government should promote more art and cultural shows keeping in mind the interest of the younger generation. Now, the Heritage Week is symbolic, the programme should have diverse activities comprising workshops, talks, lectures, arts and crafts, among others, then it becomes participatory," says Kaali Sudheer, curator of Muse Gallery.
For Dr N.D. Safiullah of the Deccan Heritage Trust, the primary concern is to tag more buildings with the "heritage" site tag. "Right now we are following the regulations that were enforced in the late eighties, under which there are 137 buildings listed as heritage sites. But the current efforts are directed at getting over 1,500 sites under the category. People who own these buildings are backing off and hampering the process. So the government needs to take steps like concession in taxes or provide developmental rights to the people to get them to co - operate," he says.
Among other concerns is the apathetic attitude of even the educated citizens towards our heritage. "Even simple things like cleanliness and the need to preserve our monuments need to be grilled into the citizens," says Harini Ganti, a classical singer and a event organiser.
DON'T MISS
* Intrumental music by Dr L. Subrahmanyam and Kavitha Krishnamoorthy will be followed by a Kuchipudi performance by Balatripura Sundari.
April 20, 7 pm onwards, Chowmahalla Palace.
* Quadir Ali Baig Foundation will present the play Taramati, the legend of an artist.
April 21, 6 pm onwards, Taramati Baradari
* Deccani Dholak-ke-geet by Begum Kaneez Fatima and group, followed by Ghazals by Swathi Srinivas and Zaheeruddin Babar.
April 23, 6 pm onwards, Qutub Shahi Tombs.
* Ghazals by Sultan Mirza, S. Fouzia and Meraj Sufi followed by performance by Nizami Brothers Qawwals.
April 22, 6 pm onwards, Taramati Baradari
* The play Biryani aur Haleem will be performed by Suthradhar.
April 19, 7 pm onwards, Chowmahalla Palace.
* * *
We love our city for...
As the biggies gear up with cultural treats for the heritage week that begins April 18, the aam junta of the city are not only celebrating the tangible heritage of the city. They are celebrating everything uniquely Hyderabadi!
"The Deccani language that includes words like nakho, khaiko, parso and of course things like chai and our beloved Osmania "biscoot" — these form our identities and these are the elements of the city's heritage that I wish to preserve."
- John Dez, event organiser, music producer
"It's the simplicity of the people here that I love the most. The warmth in the way people respond is very informal, which adds to the comfort. Also, the fact that it is metamorphosing into a cosmopolitan city and this transformation being peaceful is amazing!"
- Himanshu Sharma, vocalist, Mehraj
"Hyderabad heritage would be the 'Nawabi' attitude. Hyderabadis have an air of sophistication even in today's rat race. Then, the 'tameez' (manners) and 'tehzeeb' (etiquettes) is valuable heritage for me
