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title: '*Hyderabad: A Biography (2012)* by Narendra Luther'
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title: "*Hyderabad: A Biography (2012)* by Narendra Luther"
tags: presentation, hydlit
author:
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# Introduction

## Narendra Luther (1932-2021)

- Born in Punjab, but migrated to Hyderabad and considered it his second home
- Wrote many books about Hyderabad's history
- As a bureaucrat, he was associated with Andhra Pradesh since its formation in 1956
- His love and beliefs about the city are reflected in his writing

# Introduction (contd.)

## What is the book about?

- Chronicle of Hyderabadi history
- Begins when the city is founded
- Ends with the politics occurring in the city at the time of publishing (2012)

# Overview

## Major claims made in the book

- Greatness of Hyderabad
  - Praises of its beauty, opulence and prosperity in all sections of the book
- Glorious past and desire to return to it
  - Deluded by the traditional depiction of monarchic Hyderabad and its grandeur
  - *"I was drinking a toast to two worlds - one that I wished I had seen, and the other which now belonged to me."* (339)

# Overview (contd.)

## Features which stood out

- Mysticism, horoscopes and prophecy
  - "The horoscope of the new baby predicted long life and glory for her." (30)
  - "My son, you have eaten 7 loaves. Your family will rule for 7 generations. God bless you.." (103)
  - "But Panditji, the house meant for life is empty." (157)
  - "His warning was to prove prophetic" (254)
- Importance of arts, especially poetry
  - "In Islam, traditionally, the ideal ruler should be master of the pen as well as the sword." (204)
  - "Then there was the red-light area called Mahboob ki Mehndi. There, for a small amount, beloveds of a night can be had aplenty." (219)

# Overview (contd.)

### Other notable themes:
- Materialism
- Erotic romanticism
- Orientalism
- Anglicisation of Nizam's court in Mahboob's reign

# Overview (contd.)

### Cover and epigraph

- Cover has image of the Charminar, with a woman clinging to it and man staring up at her
  - Charminar is iconic to Hyderabad and its rich cultural heritage
  - Woman seems to represent Bhagmati
  - Man is a scholar, in awe of Bhagmati
- Epigraph is a haiku which yearns for the Kyo of the past
  - Mirrors the main undertone of the book, which is the author's longing for the Hyderabad of the past

# Overview (contd.)

## What we thought worked well

- Very comprehensive narrative, from origin to present
- The sections were well organised, and with good flow between sections
- Parallels between biographies of kings and the biography of Hyderabad -- Hyderabad is treated as a majestic entity

# Writing

## Comments on the writing style

### General observations

- Biography in a true sense
  - Hyderabad treated not so much like a place but like a being
- Full of tangents, which makes it non-linear
  - Seems to mimic oral storytelling format of introducing new characters with compete backstory and ending before proceeding with the main plot
- Descriptions used are revivalist, and reminiscent of standard depictions
- Titles of sections and subsections are representative of the content -- where they are not, they indicate what the author considers most important

# Writing (contd.)

### Patterns in writing

- Unreliable narrator -- biased and inconsistent
  - Abul Hasan was a "distant relation of the Sultan", he was a "champion drunkard" and a "parasite". He was "expelled from the palace and told to fend for himself." (63) 
  - Later, once he is accepted back into the royal family, he is treated with more respect, said to have "represented the high point of indulgence and love of fun" (69) 
- Overtly masculine, attitude towards women and their objectification
  - "The horoscope of the new baby predicted long life and glory for her." (30)
  - "No woman, before before or since, has played so dominant a role in Golconda or its successor state. She was the daughter, wife, and mother respectively of three successive Sultans." (61)

# Writing (contd.)

- Originally seems to imitate the writing styles and perspectives of the respective periods, but later on its becomes evident that those might be his true opinions only cloaked under the style 
  - On the reason for inadequate sunlight in private chambers: "the manager explained with a mischevious smile, 'it was deliberate. The ladies here were required not to be dressed.'" (336) 
  - "That night, I wished I had been a guest here some years earlier - during the 'good old days'." (337)

# Writing (contd.)

### Tone of the text

- Vacillating style and tone based on topic
  - Reverent body with more objective tone for depictions of early history
  - Direct speech and anecdotes for narration of human lives and actions
  - Justification through accounts in journals and travelogues (especially of European authors)
  - Body of modern content is less emotionally charged, more factual -- conclusion shows contrast by being blatantly biased and subjective 

# Writing (contd.)

## Comments on the evidence

- Unreliable evidence, convincing as a fantasy but not historical fact
- Sources are quite varied, but questionable
  - Legend as a factual source
  - Several oral sources (rich in personal biases)
- Only single perspective depicted for most content, and lots of author bias
- Cherry picking of sources and examples
  - In the case of prophecy, only successful prophecies are mentioned
  - Prediction by Qazi Abdul Ghaffar about the downfall of Hyderabad -- *"His warning proved prophetic."* (266)

# Writing (contd.)

## Depiction of Hyderabad

- Popular depiction, not academic
  - More subjective than objective, catering to the hegemonic view
- Still technically factual, but blatantly biased 
  - Especially in favour of the Qutb Shahi dynasty

# Rationale behind the book

## Why those choices

- The writing style seems to be unconscious realisation rather than deliberate depiction
  - Can be seen due to inconsistency of both style and opinion
- Choice of content might be to promote his own perspective of Hyderabad
  - Use of the legend of Bhagmati, the interjection of verse, praise of the people and place all promote a love for the mystical and romantic city

# Rationale behind the book (contd.)

## Intended readership

- Romantic, hegemonised depiction of Hyderabadi history
- Caters to general public memory
  - People who are convinced of Hyderabad's greatness
  - People new to the greatness of Hyderabad

# Rationale behind the book (contd.)

## Does it do Hyderabad justice?

- Good coverage of major personalities and events
  - Mir Osman Ali Khan, Maharaja Kishen Pershad, Sarojini Naidu, Makhdoom Mohiuddin
  - Razakars, Telangana freedom struggle, Police Action
- Has basic factual content present -- but even opinions presented as fact, and some undesirable facts are brushed over or omitted
- Overall, not a holistic depiction and cannot be consumed as a reliable historical account

# References

Luther, Narendra. Hyderabad: A Biography. Revised and Updated ed., New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2012.