Golconda Fort ideal for celebrating Telangana culture

The decision of the Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao to hold the state's first Independence Day pageant at the historic Golconda Fort drew a largely favourable response from the public. The only serious dissent voiced against the proposal was mainly rooted in a concern for the monument itself and given the track record of the agencies charged with the protection of our heritage assets; the concerns of the public seem entirely justified.
Looking beyond the need of the new state to resurrect icons from its glorious past, the concept of giving Golconda center stage to assert regional identity has been an oft-repeated method adopted by astute statesmen. The first such major and largely successful attempt was made by Sir Salar Jung I in the latter half of the nineteenth century. With even titular reign of the Mughals coming to an end following 1857, Hyderabad was forced to assert its status as an independent state. Realizing that punitive measures like replacing the name of the Mughal emperor on Hyderabadi coinage with that of the reigning Asaf Jahi monarch were merely symbolic, Salar Jung resolved to resurrect the glorious heritage of the Qutub Shahi dynasty with exemplary zeal. His first moves in this direction led to a major restoration of archaeological monuments of the city.
The Charminar was amongst the first structures to be restored to its old glory with repairs to the fort and tombs being undertaken almost simultaneously. With the assimilation of such powerful icons into the Asaf Jahi fold thus accomplished, the perceptive Divan ensured that 19th century Hyderabad gained legitimacy as a true inheritor of Qutub Shahi legacy. In a spinoff, the restorations revived an interest in the traditional art and architectural skills of Telangana and gave a boost to local crafts through renewed patronage. By the close of the century, Hyderabad could once again boast of a unique and distinct identity of its own, rooted firmly in the soil of the Deccan.
The cultural uplift brought about by Salar Jung's initiatives, coupled with his immensely successful administrative reforms, lead to a period of unprecedented prosperity for the state. The abundance of opportunities attracted migrants from all over the country and by the first quarter of the 20th century, there was a noticeable resentment on part of the local ?mulki' population against the new settlers. It was in these turbulent times that Golconda and the Qutub Shahi ethos were once again brought into sharp focus by Dr Mohiuddin Qadri Zore (1905-1962), who succeeded in reviving an interest in Dakhni culture in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Though a scholar of linguistics and a professor at the Osmania University, Zore's efforts at highlighting Dakhni culture went far beyond gleaning information from ancient manuscripts and there came a time when he became a repository for documents and artifacts resulting in the establishment of the renowned institution; the Idara-e Adabiyat-e Urdu.
Apart from collecting and publishing Dakhni manuscripts, Dr Zore ensured mass outreach for his enthusiastic mission through organising the immensely popular Golconda Festival. Held at the fort and the tombs, the event showcased Qutub Shahi culture through plays, tableaus, dinners and other such events which drew massive crowds.
Unfortunately, the festival could not sustain itself as an annual event due to lack of patronage post reorganization despite enthusiastic attempts at its revival well into the 1970's. Zore's lasting legacy to Hyderabad survives in the contents and architecture of the modest building of the Idara on the Panjagutta road that he had dedicated to the city. Alas, that wonderful statement of Dakhni pride will soon be obliterated by the passage of the all destroying Metro Rail.
Keeping in view the time honoured tradition of revisiting Golconda whenever there is a need to reconnect with the past, the move of the Telangana CM is a step in the right direction. Looking beyond the symbolic reconnect, one sincerely hopes that the gesture of the Telangana leadership is but a first step in continuing on from where earlier visionaries left off. A comprehensive strategy to revitalize the fort will hopefully include revival of the Golconda Festival as an annual spectacle. The new government also needs to tackle the long pending issues of encroachments and rampant violations of heritage laws and regulations in the fort precinct, especially at the Naya Qila where prime public space was given away by the previous administration for private exploitation.
As for the apprehensions regarding damage to the fort; there is no reason why the Independence Day celebrations at Golconda Fort cannot be held without a threat to the monument when a similar event has been an annual feature at the Red Fort in Delhi. It must be remembered that a historic monument fares better if it remains relevant to contemporary society. Can there be a better way than use for celebration of Independence to re-establish linkages with a relic from the past?
(The writer is a well know heritage activist)