Monday, November 9, 2009

BASICALLY HYDERABADI @ The ICONART Gallery by Syed Rayees Ahmed

Essence of Hyderabad
November 9th, 2009 Deccan Chronicle
Essence of Hyderabad
"Basically Hyderabadi at first glance, is a trip down memory lane for most of us who have lived in the city. The scenes and profiles are bound to evoke images of experiences that one has had in Hyderabad."

"Quintessentially Hyderabadi, the paintings depict the leisurely pace of the old city, of women clad in burkhas strolling in an unhurried manner through bazaars, a group of bearded men clustered together and a charcoal sketch of an old fakir with a flowing beard."

"The artist, Syed Rayees Ahmed, has resorted to the cubis style, the provenance of renowned artist Pablo Picasso, for his paintings. Crisp geometric lines with bright colours bring out the colourful attire of the Hyderabadis beautifully. In sharp contrast to the gaiety in their attire, their expressions remain somber and unassuming, born of a simple and unquestioning faith in their way of life. This is a style that has been inspired by famous artist, Laxma Goud, whose artwork has similar flashes of colourful raiment in marked contrast with charcoal-grey poker-faced expressions."

... In short, the collection makes for an interesting viewing. Basically Hyderabadi — Chronicles of Old City is on view at the Iconart Gallery till November 20.

continue reading the full story
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Saturday, November 7, 2009

Hyderabadi Humour and Hyderabadi Slang - Revisited

Information courtesy: KnowAP

Hyderabadi Humour Still Alive & Kicking
Written by Biligiri Ranga, Thursday, 15 January 2009 (abrdiged version @ Charminar Connection)

Contents: SOME HYDERABADI PUNCH, DAILY, FOOD, NEW GENERATION (MALES), NEW GENERATION (FEMALES), FINDING A MATCH (LADKE WAALE), FINDING A MATCH (LADKI WAALE), FINALLY SHAADI KE DIN, HYDERABADIS IN GULF, Brace up for more rib-ticklers from the Hyderabadi, FINAL TAKE!
“Ah! Hyderabad” exclaimed a smart IT professional Shekhar. “To me it conjures up images of Charminar, Golconda Fort, and then of course, its famous Biryani, Haleem and last, but not the least, its famous humour. Hyderabadis are for as long as I can remember, famous for their unique style of humour and can come up with rib ticklers that will make you rock back with laughter for days put together.” That unique humour is still intact, still flourishing and still alive and kicking despite the influx of IT BPOs, Tollywood, Hitec City and of course, the chaotic traffic.

Like everybody else across the world, in today’s times of meltdown and terrorism, the people of Hyderabad have their own set of troubles. But all of these have not deterred their sense of humour and their ability to come up with wisecracks. As Dhurv Shankar, who works for Google India, puts it, “With the stupendous growth of our city, there are a lot of non-Hyderabadis in the city, today and core Hyderabadis such as myself are now faced with the task of converting them. Hyderabadi humour has a way of growing on you and I've seen many people adopting it and loving it. It’s still very much there, but it’s just more active on weekends.” Raman Kumar, a long-time Hyderabadi resident and a marketing professional working for a reputed MNC echoes Dhurv Shankar’s views, “The times we live in are a whole lot different, life has become too fast-paced and more importantly people are caught up in the vortex of their lives bogged down by high cost of living and other fracas. That old style of humour may have got rusted with the passage of time, yet now and then it comes alive particularly during festivals and celebrations.”

When it comes to laughing at themselves and cutting jokes, Hyderabadis have always been a class apart and come second to none. In their inbuilt merriment armory, they have a big heart that throbs with cutting-edge deprecation, the unique lingo to boot and yes, tongues that come laced with the gift of the gab. As city-born filmmaker Kuntaa Nikkil, with stints in Hollywood films in Los Angeles and a celluloid venture called ‘The Angrez’ that has loads of Hyderabadi humour, to his credit, says, “Hyderabadi humour is distinct and earthy. The quintessential accent makes it all the more lovable. For an outsider, it can be a side-splitting experience.” continue reading

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