HYDERABAD: Post-Independence, the Nizam of Hyderabad had a tricky decision to make - join India or Pakistan. I don’t know if the decision came after a coin flip or a session of weighing pros and cons on his royal paper, but thankfully, he chose India.
And what a good choice it was! Today, Hyderabad is India’s favourite city, boasting of the best biryani, a bustling IT scene, and confusing flyovers that could make even GPS give up.
But, there are still small connections to Pakistan from our city. These are like the last thin threads that don’t hold any real weight but exist as a fleeting connection that makes you pause for a second and think, “Wait, which Hyderabad are we talking about?”
Two Hyderabads?
Believe it or not, there are actually two Hyderabads in the world—one in India and one in Pakistan. If you’re ever curious about life in Pakistan’s Hyderabad, a quick Google image search will have you rushing to break coconuts at the base of every flyover in our Hyderabad out of sheer gratitude.
The difference between the two cities is so clear that I don’t think any living human has ever confused them. But if, by chance, an alien accidentally landed in the wrong one, it would realise something’s off the moment it notices there’s no IKEA or T-Hub in the Pakistani Hyderabad.
Karachi Bakery
The owners of Karachi Bakery migrated from Karachi and decided to keep the name, purely out of nostalgia. Sure, the name sounds Pakistani, but the place is as desi as it gets. The most non-veg item on their menu is the egg puff, which is a far cry from the kind of food Karachi in Pakistan is known for - mostly mutton, mutton, and more mutton, at least according to the food reels I watch.
Newcomers often visit Karachi Bakery expecting chapli kebabs and mutton raan, only to leave with acorn samosa. It’s no wonder some clever business owners opened places like Peshawar and Kabul Darbar so you can feel like you’re dining in the deserts of Pakistan... while eating butter chicken.
DJ Shabbir’s Bhutto Remix
Every Hyderabadi wedding worth its salt has to include that one iconic song by DJ Shabbir—the Bhutto remix. It has 66 million views, and I’m pretty sure 65 million of those views are from Hyderabad. For the longest time, I thought it was an old Bollywood hit.
Turns out, it’s actually an election campaign song for Benazir Bhutto! The lyrics, which originally praise Bhutto and urge people to vote for her, somehow transform into “Here Comes the Bride” at weddings in Hyderabad.
Benazir Bhutto might be gone, along with democracy in Pakistan, but her song is alive and kicking in Hyderabad, keeping both weddings and election campaigns going strong.
Shoaib Malik
Whenever India plays Pakistan, we usually go all out with our cheers, shouting “MC BC” with extra enthusiasm. And the same happens in reverse - it’s all in good sporting spirit. But when Hyderabadis see Shoaib Malik, our culture kicks in, and we go, “Jeju ki MC BC!” This Pakistani cricketer has a special connection to Hyderabad - he’s married not once, but twice, to Hyderabadi women. In fact, he’s probably the only Pakistani whose wedding playlist includes his former prime minister’s election campaign song!
(The writer’s views are his own)
