On seeing a fakir near Charminar, Hyderabad

I clicked this photo of a man asking for alms near Charminar. Yet, his clothes were not those of a beggar. They were neat and clean, and his demeanour was calm. He seemed unperturbed by all the chaos around him.

I felt that he was not just someone trying to make money from begging. He was probably a fakir in the original sense of the word.

The term fakir has its roots in the Arabic word faqr which means poverty. A fakir is one who is required to renounce all worldly riches and ties; and is required to live by seeking alms. A true fakir rejects the trappings of the world in exchange for spiritual riches.

In India, fakirs usually follow the Sufi spiritual path. They trace their roots to one of the many Sufi orders (tariqah) that were established in India beginning in the 10th century under the Delhi Sultanate. The Sufi tariqahs spread into the Deccan along with the Tughlaq dynasty. Sufi teachings of simplicity, spirituality, love and care for humanity were attractive values that made the common people revere Sufi fakirs. They were often credited with miraculous powers. 

While many fakirs are wandering mendicants, others have specific khanqah or establishments which are centres of Sufi gathering and discourse. At the khanqah, the master (sheikh) and his disciples would read scriptures together, engage in debate and discussion, and offer blessings and assistance to all who came for help. Khanqah's also had free kitchens, where food was provided to all who asked. Through service to the poor, combined with personal austerity, Sufi fakirs established strong credentials and were responsible for the spread of Islam in India.

Bazaars of Hyderabad: Moazaam Jahi Market, then and now

Built in the 1930's at a major crossroad of the city, Moazzam Jahi Market even today remains a busy and important market. 

After the Musi floods of 1908 and the plague of 1911, Mir Osman Ali, the Last Nizam of Hyderabad, undertook measures for improving water management, sanitation and urban planning in Hyderabad. The famous Sri Visveswaraiya from Mysore state, who had engineered many marvels there, was invited to Hyderabad. A City Improvement Trust was formed, and many new buildings were erected. These included the Osmania General Hospital, Unani Hospital, High Court, City College, Patherghati Complex and Moazzam Jahi Market.

Both Pathaghatti and Moazaam Jahi are bazaar areas, intended for business. In Moazzam Jahi market, there are more than 100 shops, selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, meat, paan, attar, metalwork and of course, the famous ice-creams! There's a shop called FAMOUS ICECREAM at this market, and there is another one called BILAL. Some time ago, I wrote about the ice-creams at Bilals, inside this market. You can see how the inside of this market looks in this ice-cream story here: http://magictoursblog.blogspot.in/2014/08/bilal-ice-cream-at-moazzam-jahi-market.html

Bilal Ice Cream at Moazzam Jahi Market

Moazzam Jahi market is a lovely stone building constructed in 1935. It's known all over Hyderabad as the location of several famous ice cream parlours and their delicious fare.

Of special interest is Bilal Ice Cream Parlour - possibly the most delightful and most interesting ice cream parlour in all of India! Situated inside the market, Bilal is an airy space with elegant arches and high ceilings. The historical mood is deepened and enriched by the black and white photographs, pictures of erstwhile rulers, and elaborate chandeliers that decorate the parlour.

The imposing stone building could have proven to be a very sombre setting for an ice cream parlor - but that has been solved by painting the walls and ceilings in a cheerful red-and-white.

The elegant arches and old chandeliers of Bilal Ice Cream Parlour

The walls are adorned with portraits of rulers from a bygone era, 
and above these are a collection of old black and white 
photographs of Hyderabad

The high ceilings rather remind me of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar :)

An exterior view of Moazzam Jahi market. 
You can see the big sign for Bilal Dairy Farm
 and a smaller one that says 'Bilal Ice Cream'

The ice cream parlours in this market serve fresh handmade ice creams. Some of the other well-known parlours in the area are Gafoor, Famous, etc. These are no fuss places with haphazardly placed chairs under a tented structure. These are older joints (Famous will be 60 in a couple of years) while Bilal is relatively new. These parlours are where locals recover from the heat with an ice cream during the day. In the evenings, they are completely packed with families and friends, and close only after 12.

Flavours range from seasonal fruits like mango and chikoo to some uniquely flavours like pista and paan (betel nut). In summer, Bilal offers blessed relief from the heat... I was already contemplating which ice-cream to order next as I ate my first one!

There are some very cool names on this list... wonder what "Swinger" is?

Happiness

New logo of Telengana State, explained

Telegana is the 29th state to be created in India.

Here is the new logo of the state,

Key design elements:

1) Kakatiya thoranam - http://magictoursblog.blogspot.in/2014/05/the-ruins-of-kakatiyas-at-warangal-near.html

2) Charminar - the iconic monument of Hyderabad - Placing the Charminar in the logo indicates that the city of Hyderabad is the heart of Telangana.

3) Lion Capital of Ashoka - from 3BC, four lions facing four directions, I saw the original at the museum at Sarnath, stunning and still shining in polished stone. Now the national emblem of India.

4) Text in three languages:
English (Government of Telengana)
Telugu (Telangana Prabhutvam)
Urdu (Telangana sarcar)

5) Satyameva Jayate in Devnagri script at the bottom - Truth Alone Shall Conquer - from the Mundaka Upanishad. Now the national motto of India.

6) Gold outer circle - denotes the hope, desire and determination of Telanganites for ‘Bangaru Telangana’ (Golden Telangana).

7) Green inner circles - prosperity