New Delhi: When Jawaharlal Nehru visited Hyderabad after its liberation in 1948, he saw more than just a city of Nawabs, kebabs, and biryani. Declaring it the ‘second capital of India,’ Nehru recognised Hyderabad as a centre of national significance.
“Delhi and Hyderabad are among the only Indian cities that predate British rule,” said Sanjaya Baru at a discussion around Dinesh C. Sharma’s new book, Beyond Biryani: The Making of a Globalised Hyderabad, published by Westland Books.
In his book, journalist and author Sharma unpacks the city’s identity beyond its clichés and stereotypes, highlighting its contributions to industrial breakthroughs like acetone production, affordable HIV treatments, and the development of Covaxin during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Hyderabad is a mix of mediaeval India, modern and the post-modern, a futuristic city. This fusion is what fascinated me, and it’s why I aim to highlight these connections,” said Sharma.
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Global health and biotech
Sharma challenges the conventional notion that Hyderabad played no significant role in Ronald Ross’s groundbreaking research on malaria. More importantly, he uncovers a pivotal aspect of Hyderabad’s role in global history: acetone.
During World War I, Britain and its colonies faced challenges in supplies and industrial production. In Hyderabad, GEC Wakefield, the director general of Revenue, proposed utilising local resources like mahua flowers to produce acetone. This led to the establishment of an industrial laboratory for extracting acetone.
“Acetone became important because it had a military purpose which was crucial to British firearms,” said former Delhi University professor, Amar Farooqui who was part of the panel discussion along with political analyst and commentator Sanjaya Baru and Geetha Vani Rayasam, Head of CSIR-HRDG.
This initiative also triggered a series of events that ultimately led to the establishment of the Central Laboratories for Scientific and Industrial Research (CLSIR) in 1944. By tracking the story of acetone, Dinesh delves into Hyderabad’s significant yet often overlooked contribution to both scientific and industrial advancements of the era.
Building on its legacy of industrial and scientific advancements, Hyderabad played a key role in making HIV treatment affordable.
“Science and technology have the power to transform healthcare, and this is one of the best examples of how public research can lead to affordable solutions that change lives,” said Farooqui.
This affordability came from a technology developed by AV Ramarao, a scientist at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research’s National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), a public research institution. Ramarao’s work on HIV drug formulation led to a pivotal moment when he met Yusuf Hamied, the head of Cipla, a prominent Indian pharmaceutical company.
“Together, they decided to challenge the high prices of the US HIV drugs, with Hamied offering to sell them for just $800, a fraction of the original cost,” Farooqui, highlighting how the medicine turned HIV into a manageable disease for millions.
These early industrial breakthroughs laid the groundwork for Hyderabad’s role today as a hub for global health, biotech, and pharmaceuticals—highlighted by Bharat Biotech’s success in developing Covaxin during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Maritime trade and cultural fusion
The story of Hyderabad doesn’t start or end with its industrial breakthroughs. It has always been a city of diverse cultures, well-connected routes, and a welcoming spirit.
The Charminar, with its four roads, tells the story of Hyderabad’s global connections. One road leads to Golconda, the fort of the Qutub Shahis, another to the Musi River that nourished the city, and another to the Mecca Masjid. But it is the fourth road, stretching all the way to Machilipatnam, that reveals Hyderabad’s links to the seas and its role in the early globalisation of trade.
“Hyderabad became known as the Pearl City, despite being landlocked, because pearls from Bahrain, Basra, and Southeast Asia flowed into the city, where wealthy patrons eagerly awaited these prized gems. Golconda remained a rich centre for trade well into the 20th century,” said Baru.
The cosmopolitan character of the city was further cultivated by visionary leaders like Turab Ali Khan (Salarjung I) and Usman Ali Khan, the Nizams who modernised Hyderabad.
“Turab Ali Khan and Usman Ali Khan were true modernists, forward thinkers who understood the value of diverse communities,” said Baru. They welcomed the Kayasth, Mathur, and Saxena communities—highly educated in legal and administrative systems—into the fold to create a dynamic, efficient administration.
“Hyderabad is like biryani—a blend of institutions, ideas, politics, and people, all simmered over time. Its modern culture is a mix of many things, with biryani being one symbol of that. It’s not to be taken literally, but as a metaphor for Hyderabadi’s assimilative culture,” said Sharma.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)