Get ready: The Clock ticking is intended to remind us of our mortality -- Thought for the day

These tick simply are a countdown towards our next destination (aka End of Real Sound and it says Quick Quick--clock is announcing that each tick or passing second, decreased one more moment of life)

Ghafil tujhe Ghadial, ye deta hai munadi
Gardon ney ghadi umer ki, ek or ghata di

The above phrase can be heard in Rafi Saheb's "Kis ke liye ruka hai,kis ke liye rukega" MOVIE: EK SAAL (1957) -- see also Version Two

Kiske Liye Ruka Hai, Kiske Liye Rukega.
Karna Hai Jo Bhi Kar Le, Ye Waqt Jaa Raha Hai.
Pani Ka Bulbula Hai Insaan Ki Zindagani.
Dum Bhar Ka Ye Fasana Pal Bhar Ki Ye Kahani..
Har Saans Apne Saath Paigham Laa Raha Hai
Karna Hai Jo Bhi Kar Le, Ye Waqt Jaa Raha Hai.
Kiske Liye Ruka Hai.. -- complete lyrics, here or Lyrics here
किसके लिए रुका है किसके लिए रुकेगा करना है जो भी कर ले ये वक़्त जा रहा है ..........ये वक़्त जा रहा है पानी का बुलबुला है इन्सां की जिंदगानी दम भर का ये फ़साना पल भर की ये कहानी हर सांस साथ अपने पैगाम ला रहा है ....... करना है जो भी कर ले ये वक़्त जा रहा है ..... ये वक़्त जा रहा है .....ये वक़्त जा रहा है ..... ओशो पैगम्बर -- courtesy: Rafiology

For whom has it stopped, For whom will it stop.
Do what is required of you, This TIME is passing away
It is like a water bubble..This human life
A story of a single breath.A story of single moment..
Each breath is bringing the Divine message..
Do what is required of you, this TIME is passing away
For whom will it stop.. More details of the movie, audio and video -This song apparently get played no less than three times in the movie- @Atul's bollywood song a day

On the same shelf:

tick tock….cant stop the clock
never know when you gotta go, by
Performed: Rashid Bhikha and Khalil Ismail
Written: Zain Bhikha, Rashid Bhikha, Abdul Malik Ahmed and Khalil Ismail

“Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.”
William Faulkner quotes (American short-story Writer and Novelist, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949, 1897-1962), Thinkexist.com

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose”
Kahlil Gibran quotes (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931) @ Thinkexist.com

The Rafi Foundation at Hyderabad BY A.S. MURTY (asmurty2@rediffmail.com)

Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolenge yeh barsaat ki raat: Parents' love story: He did laundry so he could meet her!

Get ready, Canada: The Clock is about to start ticking Globe and Mail

Rafi Speaks in Toronto Concert

Hyderabad's Shah Ali Banda library in news

The Times of India - Feb 24, 2012
Rohit P S, TNN 

HYDERABAD: Housed in dilapidated buildings with infrequent supply of electricity, shortage of staff and facing space crunch due to increasing number of old books, the government libraries in the Old City are crying for urgent attention.

Hyderabad district has about 90 libraries of which 40 are located in the Old City, reflecting that once this part of the twin cities had a vibrant reading culture. Today, the condition of these libraries is a deterrent for visitors. More than half of them are beset with infrastructure problems and lack of repair and maintenance of the buildings. The students who form the core of reader-visitors to these libraries say they wished the store house of books would also contain reading material for students and allocate exclusive areas for them.

The Shah Ali Banda library is the only grade one institution in the Old City. Staff here says that the more than two-decade-old building is in need of repairs. "Electric wiring needs to be redone. Repairs are also required to the roof and walls. Damp and water leakage are affecting the books," said a record keeper.

According to officials of City Central Library, which is the district nodal centre and supervises the functioning of the libraries in the city, the libraries in Sultan Shahi, Mir Alam Mandi, Jangamet, Doodhbowli, Dabeerpura and several other areas are in need of dire repairs. "At most places the buildings breed moth, the eternal enemy of paper, due to dampness. Some libraries do not have electricity forcing staff to keep them open only for a few hours," complained an official.

Space is also a major problem for the Old City libraries for the officials. "Every year we receive a large number of books from the City Central Library. But there is hardly any place to keep the 1000 books that we recently received due to lack of proper mechanism to weed out the old books which pile up every year. Hence new books which have to be on the shelves, are lying in the cellar," said the record keeper at Shah Ali Banda.

The students also feel that the libraries should frequently update their stock with new edition text books. "The library does not get new editions of required text books, and other reference materials, which are usually very expensive. We need them for preparing for the exams," said Shanti Swaroop, of Shah Ali Banda.

It is not only these problems that are keeping denizens away. Says Javeed Ali a resident of Moghalpura, "Earlier libraries were the only place where information about anything was available. Today with the advent of internet, the libraries seem to have lost their importance. Obviously they have failed to keep pace with the changing needs of the people. It seems even the government has lost interest in funding and maintaining them. Today reference books are rarely updated. This has caused the readership to dip drastically."

The library management staff at the City Centre library cites staff shortage as a reason for the status of the Old City's libraries but deny shortage of funds. "Last year we were allocated Rs 59 cr which is sufficient for our operations. We cannot take up repair or construction works unless proposals come from the library itself. Most of these libraries are in a neglected state due to shortage of staff," said a senior official.

According to him, the government has filled existing vacancies through outsourcing but there are still 139 vacancies of the total 259 posts available. This has left several libraries without librarians, burdening existing employees. The problem has only been compounded in the last few months as staffs from the libraries were diverted for census duty.

When asked why libraries in the new city are thriving despite staff problems, the official said that people in the new city are more active in maintenance of their community libraries as compared to their old city counterparts. "In areas like Himayat Nagar, we receive complaints from the residents and members of welfare associations if there is something wrong with the functioning of the library. But we seldom receive complaints from the Old City areas. This attitude has also contributed to the decline of the Old City libraries," he said. Source: The Times of India

On the same shelf:
Treasure trove of knowledge, ASIF YAR KHAN, The Hindu, November 14, 2010

 It's a treasure trove of books at the Shah Ali Banda library. Brimming to its full capacity, the library is one of the many popular landmarks among book lovers of the old city. The very fact that the library brims with avid readers as evening falls is a testament to its popularity.

A grade one library managed by the Hyderabad city Grandhalaya Samastha, it proves to bridge the gap between knowledge and its seekers. The shelves of this five-decade-old library, one of the oldest facilities in the old city adorn more than 60,000 titles covering various subjects and languages. A whopping 13,900 English language books are part of the collection.
It is its collection that spreads over various subjects like science and technology, management, computers, literature and competitive exams material that draw job aspirants and students from different parts of the old city and its surrounding areas in hordes.

“One does not find such a huge collection of English language books in any library of the old city. Moreover, a large part of the books in the collection are on different subjects useful for the students of higher studies,” says Indresh, a regular to the library. This library also has a collection of Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and Sanskrit Books.

It has the distinction of aiding scores of job aspirants in the past who, even after gaining jobs in various government services and private companies recall and compliment the place that still attracts job aspirants.

“The library stocks many books useful for those appearing for the competitive exams hence it turns out to be an accommodative place. Moreover, it is within reach for most of the dwellers of old city ,” says K. Srikanth, an M.Sc. graduate who is preparing for competitive exams.

The only drawback of this facility is an Internet service. “If that is provided, it would be helpful to the visitors.” feels a regular to the library.
Source: The Hindu. 

SEE ALSO:

• Library at your doorstep
  
• Books that turned into blockbusters
  
• Hyderabad in race to host ICANN Conference
  
• 7 Wonders of Hyderabad
  
• Aakash tablet to be available on rent in college libraries
  
• Flash MOB, Hyderabad
  

Hyderabadi Society and Culture From Non-Hyderabadi Eyes

Note: This post is continuously updated, last updated Feb 10, 2013

Travelogues and narratives about the Hyderabadi society, culture, and about the daily lives, bring a newer insight to the Hyderabadiz. Here are few books and blog posts on this topic. If you know something that is interesting and relevant on these lines, leave a comment and this post will be updated, accordingly.

American who loves the lingo of royals, J. S. Ifthekhar -- Matthew B. Stannard says Urdu is a very cultured and vibrant language, The Hindu July 18, 2012

This is Hyderabad: bullock carts jostle with cars for space on the congested roads; people hang out of buses or face being crushed inside; yet there is space. There is and there will always be space for everyone and everything. The lack of physical space, and the presence of a more metaphysical space, leads to tension and discomfort, but it is also what makes Hyderabad exciting and colorful. There is space for the old and the new, for the rich and the poor, for Muslims and Hindus, and even for Communist insurgents and Telegana separatists. Even I felt I had a place. source: India: An Ode to Hyderabad, by Linette Lim @ Desicritics.org

Visiting Hyderabad with Marianne de Nazareth @ hackwriters.com -- "There is no Tesco or Target to shop at here, instead the sights, sounds and smells of the bazaars are the intangible memories you can take home of Hyderabad."

36 Hours in Hyderabad, India. By SHIVANI VORA, The New York Times, May 10, 2012

5:30 p.m. 1. SUNSET OVER THE CITY 8 p.m. 2. A TASTE OF ANDHRA Saturday 8 a.m. 3. FAITH AND POETRY 11 a.m. 4. PEARL SHOPPING Noon 5. HIGH-TECH WORLD 1 p.m. 6. TWIST ON SOUTH INDIAN 2 p.m. 7. OLD CITY 3:30 p.m. 8. THE ROYAL LIFE 5 p.m. 9. ENGLISH RITUAL 9 p.m. 10. NIGHT SCENE Sunday 10 a.m. 11. ANTIQUES HUNT Noon 12. BIRYANI TIME IF YOU GO

The Incomplete List of the Seven Wonders of Hyderabad according to a Non-Hyderabadi Divya Nambiar -- 1) Biryani; 2) Haleem; 3) Hyderabadi; 4) 4) Disco Autos; 5) The Old city;

Hyderabad, the last citadel of Urdu in India

My morning cuppas in Hyderabad: Idle walks & Ideal mornings

Mahlaqa Chanda: Forgotten Urdu poetess before Ghalib

The Chillas of Hazrat Ghaus: Islamic shrines in Deccan!

Drinking Mecca Cola in Hyderabad

A visit to Falaknuma palace [Hyderabad series-1]

Muharram in India(Photos)-II

The Incomplete List of the Seven Wonders of Hyderabad according to a Non-Hyderabadi

Hyderabad Memoirs Meeting Raghav Uncle

My Travelogue: Golkonda Fort - Mohd Quli Tomb (Hyderabad)

Hyderabad - Heritage Sites - A Lazy (Nizami) Travelogue

Becoming Mom: Hyderabad Travelogue - In Avani's words

Hyderabad Travelogue Blog Posts - Blog Top Sites