HYDERABAD: What was once established as a repository of knowledge for research students and to facilitate debate and discussions on substantial topics such as south Asian relations, Sufism and inter-religious understandings, now lies in a state of neglect and deterioration.
Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute at Public Gardens was established in 1959, a year after the death of India’s first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, originally, at Aiwan-e-Urdu in Punjagutta. It was shifted to its present location in 1964. Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung served as the first president of the institute.
The two buildings standing on either side of the splendid mosque where the Nizam used to offer his prayers, served as a Niyaz Khana, a place to feed the poor until they were allotted to the institute. One of the buildings has now been converted into a place for women to offer namaz. This building housed a library-cum-auditorium and the verandah served as a reading room.
The story of how the place was converted is better told by the 75-year-old librarian and caretaker, Ahmed Ali Khan, who can be seen dusting off the cases in which some of the most valuable books are kept. “One random day, an officer came with his group of workers and started throwing out the books, without realising that he was mishandling tomes dating back to centuries,” he said, hiding behind his smile and barely being able to put into words, the loss brought about a reckless act, causing an enormous rift between generations.
After one of the buildings was re-purposed as a janana masjid, the books were haphazardly crammed into the second building on the right of the mosque. Among a collection of over 18000 books, some of the most priceless possessions of the institute include 1300-year-old copies of the Quran, inscribed in emerald and gold, all kept in wooden and glass cases.
Locked up in almirahs, is a collection of thousands of books in Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and over 10,000 books alone in English on topics ranging from Political Science, Medicine, Astronomy and around 133 manuscripts. Prior to the pandemic, the institute provided citizens with access to over 120 magazines. At its peak, the institute catered to as many as 18000 readers a year.
Since its inception, the institute has primarily functioned as a research facility to support scholars conducting research in religion, history, literature, and culture. The institute has successfully completed many research projects and has edited, compiled, and published several works, including two volumes of the History of the Deccan,Working with only half the amount that was sanctioned for the institute on an annual basis, i.e. Rs 1,22,000; the institute’s deplorable condition can be gauged by huge cracks in the walls and peeling paint; the exteriors in shambles. The place has a washroom which was part of the original structure but cannot be used any more. A huge painting of Maulana Azad lies in a shabby condition in the lecture hall which has the capacity to house 123 listeners at a time.
“When we first discovered this place, the back room was submerged in knee-deep water and had an untamed growth of weeds. The painting was kept in that room, and it was deteriorating rapidly. We had to move it to this room," explained Safwan, a member of the Deccan Archives team. The library was in an even worse state when they found it after the floods of 2022.