Beyond Charminar

Suno India
  • 4.1 (10)
  • HISTORY

Picnic in Golconda fort, shopping in Charminar- just some of the many memories that every child growing up in Hyderabad makes. With grandiose forts & majestic monuments, these historical places are just some of the few symbols of Hyderabad. But even with 428 years of history, why is Hyderabad's rich history often ignored in textbooks? Why is there apathy and little interest in protecting these structures and the culture around it? Beyond Charminar is our ode to this city. History aficionado and pucca Hyderabadi at heart Yunus Lasania, aka “That Hyderabadi Boy” will bring-to-you incredible stories of Hyderabad history and it’s rich multi-cultural heritage.

  1. 07/23/2023

    Tracing the Trails of India's Prized Heritage- The Nizams' Enigmatic Jewels

    One of the biggest enigmas of Hyderabad's heritage are the famed Nizams jewels, a portion of which are with the Reserve Bank of India. The collection, which includes the infamous 186 carat Jacob diamond, is always a topic when we talk about the Nizams of Hyderabad.  To understand how big the entire collection is, and the stories surrounding it, host Yunus Lasania speaks with art historian Deepthi Sasidharan is an art historian. Deepthi is also a curator and founder Director at Eka Archiving, a cultural advisory and works on heritage and museum projects across India with the government, private and corporate clients. Deepthi, has led Eka projects have been path-breaking in India, including setting up museums, seminal exhibitions, and the creation of several important archives across India. This past year she curated the celebratory AD Museum – Design in 75 years and curated the Dr. Savita N Museum and Library at Porbandar, Gujarat. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    59 min

  2. 01/12/2023

    It's Dakhni Not Urdu! - Understanding the Deccan's (spoken) language

    Language is a means of communication, which often is shaped (or changes) based on our socio-cultural and political milieu. In India's Deccan region, the spoken language (widely) today is in fact Dakhni, and not Urdu. The former, often mistaken to be a dialect of Urdu, is actually older and was at one point of time the mainstay of literary culture in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the Deccan.In spite of Urdu eventually becoming the official language over a century ago, Dakhni has still persisted and remained as our spoken tongue. To decode that host Yunus Lasania speaks with researcher and upcoming author Karthik Malli, and also Mohd Affan aka Pasha Bhai, a Bangalore-based hip-hop artist who released his maiden and the first ever Dakhni rap album 'Pasha Bhai'. Affan had earlier released a few singles, but his latest album, which is chosen to sing in Dakhni, is a must listen for anyone looking to understand language dynamics. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    1h 10m
  3. An extraordinary life: How a Hyderabadi helped set up CMC (now TCS)

    10/30/2022

    An extraordinary life: How a Hyderabadi helped set up CMC (now TCS)

    Most of us today know of software giant TCS (Tata Consultancy Services). It's part of Hyderabad's Hitec City that emerged in the 21st century. However, many aren't aware that TCS in fact was originally a government Public Sector Unit called CMC (Computer Maintenance Corporation) that came up after IBM was asked to leave India. IBM used to maintain PCs and databases in India and when IBM was asked to leave, the government hired individuals who would set up an alternative.Among those who were hired was BK Gupta, who was one of the founding employees of the CMC, India's first software company, which he helped set up in Hyderabad. Host Yunus Lasania speaks with Mr Gupta for this episode, whose eventful journey also includes a ship journey from India to the UK at a very young age for his studies.  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    1h 34m
  4. Who were the Razakaars of the Hyderabad state? A brief history

    09/30/2022

    Who were the Razakaars of the Hyderabad state? A brief history

    Off-late, the word Razakaars is being thrown around in political circles quite often in Telangana. Referring to the militia under ex-MIM Leader Qasim Razvi in the Hyderabad state during its last Nizam, the Razakars have once resurfaced in the state's politics. The Hyderabad state, under its last Nizam Osman Ali Khan (1911-48), became part of India on Sept 17, 1948, more than a year after the British left. What happened in the last two years before that is needed to understand the Razakars, the Nizam and the annexation. Rakesh Kamal, Co-founder of Suno India, speaks with host Yunus Lasania to unravel the entire saga of the Hyderabad state in 1948.  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    49 min
  5. Tales from Indian independence: Bose, INA and the man who coined our 'Jai Hind' slogan

    08/31/2022

    Tales from Indian independence: Bose, INA and the man who coined our 'Jai Hind' slogan

    When it comes to our freedom struggle from the British, one doesn't think of Hyderabad. More importantly, we're seldom taught about how the 'Jai Hind' slogan came about.Abid Hasan Safrani, a Hyderabadi, was one of those rare individuals who had gone to Germany to study in the 20th century before independence.A chance encounter with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose eventually ended up with him undertaking a submarine journey with Bose as an Indian National Army personnel.How that went and how Abid Hasan Safrani came back is perhaps one of the most important stories from Hyderabad of the freedom struggle.For this episode of Beyond Charminar, host Yunus Lasania speaks with sisters Dr Ismat Mehdi and Bizeth Banerjee, both nieces of Safrani, about his life, INA and the freedom struggle from a different perspective.  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    38 min
  6. The story of Chermas and Hyderabad's oldest fire temple

    07/30/2022

    The story of Chermas and Hyderabad's oldest fire temple

    2022 July marks the 175th anniversary of the Seth Viccaji - Seth Pestonji Meherji Parsi (Zoroastrian) fire temple in Hyderabad. Founded by the two brothers in 1847, it's also the oldest fire temple in south India.Once bankers under the Nizams of Hyderabad, the brothers built the temple and set up infrastructure for cotton traders in the 19th century. More importantly, descendants of Seth Pestonji eventually ended up setting up Chermas, one of the largest retail clothing business in the country, in Hyderabad.For this episode, host Yunus Lasania speaks to Capt KF Pestonji, who founded Chermas in the 1970s, to understand Parsi history in Hyderabad. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    48 min
  7. Tale of the Charminar's Bhagyalakshmi temple

    06/30/2022

    Tale of the Charminar's Bhagyalakshmi temple

    Over the last few decades, the Bhagyalakshmi temple on the Charminar, which is Hyderabad's foundation, has become a matter of heated debate given the fact that the religious structure is an unauthorised structure. Today, the temple has taken centre stage as it has now become a focal point for mainstream political parties to begin their programmes from. However, in terms of history, there is ambiguity about its origins, and many theories are afloat about it.   To address that, host Yunus Lasania speaks with Oudesh Rani Bawa, a Hyderabadi from a Kayasth family, who has been seeing both Charminar and the temple since her childhood. Ms Bawa, 81, is an Urdu aficionado, and someone who has been deeply involved in the city's socio-political happenings.  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    41 min
  8. Understanding Telangana: The story of how the demand for a separate state was born

    05/31/2022

    Understanding Telangana: The story of how the demand for a separate state was born

    For many, the demand for a separate state of Telangana was something new when they first heard of it in 2009. It was perhaps out of context, given that school textbooks also barely mentioned the name.However, the origins of Telangana's creation and demand as a separate state in fact go back to when the state was part of the erstwhile Hyderabad state, which was under the Nizams.To understand how, from there, the state was first merged with the Andhra areas and then became separate, host Yunus Lasania speaks to Prof Kodandaram, who led the statehood struggle as chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee, and with Vijay Burgula, son of Burgula Narsing Rao, a freedom fighter from the Nizam era who was a staunch pro-Telangana voice. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

    53 min
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    4.1
    out of 5
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    About

    Picnic in Golconda fort, shopping in Charminar- just some of the many memories that every child growing up in Hyderabad makes. With grandiose forts & majestic monuments, these historical places are just some of the few symbols of Hyderabad. But even with 428 years of history, why is Hyderabad's rich history often ignored in textbooks? Why is there apathy and little interest in protecting these structures and the culture around it? Beyond Charminar is our ode to this city. History aficionado and pucca Hyderabadi at heart Yunus Lasania, aka “That Hyderabadi Boy” will bring-to-you incredible stories of Hyderabad history and it’s rich multi-cultural heritage.

    Information

    • Channel
      Suno India
    • Creator
      Suno India
    • Years Active
      2019 - 2023
    • Episodes
      40
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © 2025 Suno India

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