Hyderabad : A Biography

Contents: Preface. I. The beginning: 1. Antenatal scenario. 2. Birth of Bhagnagar. 3. Ma Saheba. 4. In praise of Bhagnagar. 5. Abdullah\'s humiliation. 6. Mendicant to Sultan. 7. Kuchipudi, Ramadas, and Madanna. 8. Madanna\'s fall. 9. The long siege. II. A change of guard: 1. The new Titan. 2. Dissipation of the legacy. 3. Musa Ram and Hashmat Jung. 4. The resident\'s plaything. 5. A parade of Diwans. 6. \'If Hyderabad is lost...\' 7. The Great Diwan. 8. The Toddler Nizam. 9. Paigah\'s fancy dress party. 10. Mahboob\'s camelot. 11. The great achievers. III. End of an order: 1. A unique collection. 2. The masters of verse. 3. Chunnu Nawab and the \'Balishter\'. 4. The troubled decades. 5. Nazar for the Nizam. 6. \'Head over heart\'. 7. \'Rabbit in a hutch\'. 8. Dissent and sanity. 9. The short march. 10. The debacle. 11. Hope, despair, hope. 12. An escape and a sentence. 13. A call to arms. IV. Dawn of democracy: 1. The transition. 2. Chief ministers galore. 3. Politics of the theatre. 4. The e-Governor. 5. Epilogue. Notes. Bibliography. Oral history references. Index.

"In this book, the romantic story of the city of Hyderabad evolves into the history of a former princely state, and later, of Andhra Pradesh. Starting with the period prior to the birth of the city in 1591, Hyderabad: A Biography presents an unbroken and colourful chronicle of one of India\'s most legendary cities.

Envisioned by its founder, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah as a \'replica of heaven on earth\', Hyderabad was razed to the ground by Aurangzeb after the longest siege of his life. Rising from its ruins, it became the capital of the Deccan--the largest province of the Mughals. In the eighteenth century, it superceded Delhi as the epicentre of Indian politics.

Two centuries later, it emerges dramatically from its feudal position to become the capital of the first linguistic state of India. In its fascinating march from Bhagnagar to Hyderabad to \'Cyberabad\', the story is replete with diverse engaging, eccentric, and often daring characters, some of whose lives are stranger than fiction.

Narendra Luther describes the origin and evolution of Hyderabad\'s unique composite culture, which has continued to attract people since its founding by its poet-builder. The reader is swept along the highway of history, through many bylanes that give insights into seemingly trivial incidents that shaped the course of history. Engagingly written, the book will interest general readers, scholars, and researchers, including journalists, urbanists, and historians. With its tremendous nostalgic appeal, it will also enthuse Indians settled abroad." (jacket)