JEDDAH, 13 September 2005 — “Splendors of Hyderabad” is the title of Shaikh Ibrahim’s collection of photographs, stamps and picture postcards on show as part of the India festival exhibition, which ends at the International Indian School tomorrow. The show also features rare stamps by other collectors including Saudi Arabian Philatelic Society President Mohammed Kamal Safdar and Faateh Sayeed, a 13-year-old Continental School student, postcards and posters on Islamic heritage, and oil paintings on architectural sites of the Kingdom. The evening show is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is open for students from noon to 3 p.m.
“The state of Hyderabad was the largest among the princely states of India. It had its own flag, currency and coin, postal system, railways and airline and even its own radio and an advanced judicial administration system that was reckoned as better than other prevailing in British India,” said Ibrahim, explaining why he chose the theme.
Since its foundation in 1591 by Quli Qutub Shah and until its fall in 1948, Hyderabad’s culture was not static, and as time progressed new forces emerged, old ideas underwent reorientation and this evolved the Hyderabadi or Asafia culture under the Asaf Jahi kings, popularly known as the Nizams. The last of the Asaf Jahi rulers, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan — Nizam VII (1886-1967) was the architect of modern Hyderabad.
“I’ve so titled my collection in the hope that the illustrations of rare and unique photographs of the bygone Hyderabad, its stamps, picture postcards etc. will bring out the best and reflect the true spirit of the fabulous culture,” Ibrahim said.
They certainly depict the grandeur and sophistication of Hyderabad and the Nizams that are scarcely paralleled in any other society, said Hyderabad-born Ibrahim who is currently associated with Saudi Industrial Development Co. in Jeddah.
K.N. Wasif is showcasing his collection of over 150 photographs on India’s architectural heritage. “This is the first time that such an exhibition has been mounted by an Indian expatriate,” says Wasif.
