History lives in Hyderabad’s homes

WITH ITS story that began over 400 years ago, Hyderabad’s legacy continues to live in its structures. In as many ways that the history of the city shapes the lives of its individuals, there is a symbiotic response in the reciprocal role of its citizens in shaping the built form of a city’s heritage.

   While the many familiar civic monuments such as Charminar and Golconda fort emphatically define the milestones of our history, old private houses of Hyderabad’s gentility tell the story of our past in a more intimate and personal vocabulary. Every home was a calm oasis into which one retreated each day from the larger agenda of nation building. Indeed, the intimacy of its ambience was the literal and metamorphical space within which growth of an individual, his family and eventually the community germinated and matured into a collective manifestation of the cultural and socio-economic matrix of a city’s affluence.
   Architecture has been characterised as frozen music. While composing the score for each symphonic creation, its architect builds on the foundation of inter-related spaces for strong basic harmonic structure. To this he introduces elements, materials and decorative embellishments that form the melodic components which orchestrate an arabesque of balance and style. Within a home, life for its owners with all its highs and lows, sharps and flats, plays out its evolution much like the improvised stanzas of a raga which return cyclically to the familiar scripted chorus of its existence.
   As “time” and “change” in their allencompassing connotations influence our lifestyles, Hyderabad’s surviving heritage homes bear testimony to the architecture that shaped our past. Their dwindling numbers withstand the onslaught of development with diminishing resilience.
MUJADDADY HOUSE, Humayunnagar    

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Humayunnagar, is a graceful 19th century home which in true terms accentuates the aura of an ‘oasis’. Set in the middle of immaculately landscaped pockets, typical of the “garden pavilion” concept of Deccani architecture, Mujaddady House is presently occupied by Mateen and Mobeen Ahmed Mujaddady. A symmetrical façade gives it the grandeur of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Despite the age of the building, the interior of the house is imposing and well maintained. The main family room has an eclectic collection of furniture ranging from renaissance to art nouveau, which mirrors the lifestyle of the family. The house is subdivided into several rooms, including a zenana or ladies room which is distinct in its scale of furniture and artifacts. Low bay windows bring the garden view indoors. As we move further inwards, one reaches a verandah which overlooks a garden and a swimming pool imparting a strong Moorish ambience to the house. Mujaddady residence is an exemplary illustration of Hyderabad’s Islamic legacy.

RAUNAQ , Lakdi-Ka-Pul    

Belonging to an affluent nawabi family this house aptly named ‘Raunaq’ is quaintly screened away behind a school premises at AC Gaurds in Lakdi-KaPul. Over a short flight of stairs, the façade combines strong geometric elements in co-axial symmetry. The layout of the house is a fine example of British Colonial architecture with its very open plan. It displays a balanced blend of Islamic and Hindu elements in the interiors that are evident in the imposing wooden pillars and stained glass on the verandah. Wooden rafters and steel girders are a prominent feature in most of the rooms. The house has been wholeheartedly nurtured by the occupants Nawab Sajjat Ali Khan and Rehana Khan, who have restored and expanded this home in a style compliant with the original structure.
   In their diversity of geographical location, building styles, interior décor and the cultural backgrounds of their owners, one commonality strongly binds these homes. None of them depend on the transience of whimsical fashion trends in order to establish aesthetic standards. Through the graciousness of spaces, forms and evolved sensibilities, they exude a charmingly stylish and timeless elegance. Indeed history pauses at the threshold of Hyderabad’s heritage homes. Hopefully for posterity.

A fountain defines the sense of arrival; Raunaq

Verandah by the pool; Mujaddady House

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dc - journalist interested in writi IP:121.245.48.14 | 2008-06-12 13:26:08 hi sadiq, if possible please reach me at d.c.spice@gmail.com. i am a journalist and would like to cover the two homes that you have written so passionately about in a leading monthly magazine. regards ps: regard this as urgent Reply | Quote

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