HYDERABAD: 100 years ago, a young man from Bijapur, then part of the Hyderabad State, went to Delhi to study Unani medicine — a Perso-Arabic traditional medicine practice. Hakeem Mohammed Moizuddin Farooqui drifted from his regular course and went to explore the Himalayas, where he met a sadhu, who presented him with a secret formula wrapped in a narangi potli (bright orange pouch).
The alchemic sadhu asked the young man to save the world from ailments with this secret formula, which is now fondly known as Zinda Tilismath, literally meaning, the magic that keeps you alive. Moizuddin then returned to Hyderabad, started practising in the Moti Market area, now a part of Amberpet. Soon, the Zinda Tilismath turned out to be a boon when Hyderabad was grappling with the outbreak of the influenza virus. His secret formula turned into the idiom, ‘Har marz ki dawa’ (the medicine for every ailment).
Today, be it cold, cough, body pains or headache, Zinda Tilismath has become the cure for all ailments. “It became a magic remedy in 1918 when the country was under the grip of the influenza virus. In fact, in India, particularly in Maharastra, Telangana and Karnataka, Zinda Tilismath gained huge popularity,” says Sohail Farooqui, the grandson of Moizuddin. “No later, a factory called the Karkhana Zinda Tilismath was established at Amberpet for mass manufacturing of the medicine,” he adds.
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, the then ruler of the Hyderabad State, was attracted to this magic medicine and wanted to visit the factory. He was so impressed by the effects of the product that he offered his headgear, known as Dastar (the hand of God), which continues to be our trademark till today, Sohail Farooqui says.
Curiously, Zinda Tilismath products have a logo of an African man. The story behind it goes as such. The Nizam had an impressive army of African men and everyone was intimidated by them. “Our father told us that when our grandfather (Moizuddin) was facing issues in business, he approached Mir Osman Ali Khan for help. It was then that the Nizam gave two of his African bodyguards to Moizuddin, who after the business issues were resolved, used these guards for advertising the product,” says Sohail.
Although Zinda Tilismath was a poor man’s medicine, it was so effective that Moizuddin became rich by the time the influenza epidemic had subsided. The man was way ahead of his time and even owned a Rolls Royce. “He use to go along with his impressive bodyguards across towns and cities to market the product,” the grandson says. “These bodyguards are still with us through our logo,” he adds.
Even today, a whiff of balmy odour fills the air as one crosses the ZT Road of Amberpet. The road is named after the Karkhana Zinda Tilismath, which is also a heritage building that was established in the 1920s. The company has an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore.It has launched many other products, including a tooth powder (Farooqui Dant Manjan), and a pain-relief ointment (Zinda Balm) ever since. The latest product is ZINT lozenges. The company has added two more flavours to lozenges —honey and ginger.