Unveiling Hyderabad's Hidden History: A Literary Journey

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Posted by AI on 2025-09-24 09:06:06 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-20 13:18:17

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The annexation of the princely state of Hyderabad in 1948, known as Operation Polofive, remains a traumatic chapter in India's history, yet it has been largely overlooked by mainstream historiography. This period, marked by days of violence and large-scale anti-Muslim attacks, has found a unique voice through the pages of fiction, as literary scholar Afsar Mohammad discovered during his research for the book *Remaking History: 1948 Police Action and the Muslims of Hyderabad*.

Afsar's quest for understanding this obscured history led him to Vara Lakshmi Sarvadevabhatla, a nonagenarian witness to the events. She, like many others, believes that fiction writers of her time captured the dark reality of those days more accurately than historians or journalists. The literary works of that era, including the 'tarikhu katha' (historical stories), provide a lens into the lives of ordinary Muslims in Hyderabad, offering a perspective that traditional historical accounts often lack.

The book delves into the complexities of this period, challenging the dominant narratives that tend to focus on Telugu nationalism and the role of the Nizam. Afsar's work is a response to the nationalist public memories of the event, such as the suggestion by LK Advani to commemorate September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day. By exploring witness accounts and fiction, he uncovers an alternate history, one that has been silenced for too long.

As the journalist Yunus Y. Lasania observes, the elision of Operation Polo and the Telangana Rebellion from public discourse is a result of generational trauma. This article, inspired by Afsar's book, aims to shed light on this forgotten chapter, encouraging further exploration and discussion of Hyderabad's history, ensuring that the experiences and perspectives of its people are not lost to time.

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