Monthly Archives: October 2015

Neglected Armenian cemetery in Hyderabad sports new look

State Archaeology and Museums all set to put new life into most neglected heritage monument of the 17th century Armenian Cemetery situated at Uppuguda (Opiguda) in Hyderabad'old city will likely to opened for the general public and tourists. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
State Archaeology and Museums all set to put new life into most neglected heritage monument of the 17th century Armenian Cemetery situated at Uppuguda (Opiguda) in Hyderabad’old city will likely to opened for the general public and tourists. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

The existence of the cemetery of Armenians was brought to light by Mohammed Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, a historian from the city in 1970.

Two of Hyderabad’s most famous Armenians, Albert Abid and Alexander Jacob, are not buried at the Armenian cemetery in Uppuguda. But the cemetery is preparing to enlighten people on the role of the two Armenians in the 16 and 17 century. After lying in a state of neglect for decades, the Armenian cemetery, will be opened to public shortly.

The Department of Archaeology and Museums, which is the custodian of the cemetery, renovated the premises some months ago.

“ A caretaker will be posted at the cemetery to look after its maintenance,” said Sunita M. Bhagwath, Director, Archaeology and Museums Department.

Armenians came to India between 16th and 17th centuries as traders travelling through Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet. “A large number of Armenians settled in Hyderabad during the 17th century. Though there are no written records of their activities, traditions and social conditions , the Armenian epitaphs acknowledge their presence,” M.A. Qayyum, former Deputy Director Archaeology and Museums said.

There are about 20 graves in the cemetery, 19 are of Armenians and one is of a Dutch trader.

The graves of two priests Rev Johannes, who died in 1680, and Rev. Margar, who died in 1724, are also here. A single dome on the premises representing the Qutb Shahi style of architecture and two mandapa-like structures, one square and the other octagonal, are distinct features of the cemetery.

The existence of the cemetery of Armenians was brought to light by Mohammed Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, a historian from the city in 1970.

“Dr. Shakeb chanced upon a letter written by British Resident W. Haig in Hyderabad to a government official in 1907 about the Armenian cemetery. Soon, officials were informed about it and the place was identified,” Qayyum explained.

Rs. 25 lakh for renovation
The department spent around Rs. 25 lakh for renovating the place. Wild shrubs were cleared and the height of the compound wall has been increased. The authorities took care to see that the wall was renovated using granite, lime and mortar to keep in tune with the character of the precinct.

The tough task ahead for them is to see that the basalt stones with Armenian engravings on the graves are restored. “We will be seeking the help of experts for the job,” Ms. Bhagwath said. Historians suggest that the government seek the Armenian authorities’ help in establishing the identity of all those who are buried here.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Asif Yar Khan / Hyderabad – October 31st, 2015

Osmania surgeons pull off a miracle

Conduct auto-transplantation of liver successfully to save life of a 24-year-old security guard

It was a desperate last ditch attempt by surgeons of State-run Osmania General Hosptial (OGH) here in Hyderabad that saved the life of a 24-year-old security guard, Naga Raju from Khammam. The surgeons extracted his liver, preserved it for hours, removed his blocked and underdeveloped hepatic blood vessels and then reconstructed them with artificial grafts and transplanted the same liver back into his body.

Post surgery, the doctors and parents of Naga Raju kept fingers crossed! As fate would have it, after a fortnight, Naga Raju made a near perfect recovery.

“We lost all hope because private hospitals here had given up on my son. In fact, the doctors at OGH also made it clear that the surgery was risky because such a procedure was unheard of and never attempted before,” recalls Alivellu, the mother of Naga Raju.

On their part, the Government doctors at OGH have maintained that other than one instance in Canada, they have not come across many instances of this procedure, which is technically known as Auto-Transplantation of Liver.

“The youngster had Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS), which is blockage of veins that carry blood from the liver. He had to undergo liver transplantation and was in the waiting list. But it was taking time to get a donor liver and his condition was worsening by the day. Removing his liver, reconstructing the blood vessels was the last option,” says Head, Surgical Gastroenterology, Dr. Ch. Madhusudhan.

According to doctors, the prevalence of BCS is one among one million individuals. In addition to blocked blood vessels of the liver, the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC), the large vein that carries blood from lower part of the body to the heart, was also blocked. This caused complete occlusion of hepatic veins that drain the liver.

“The very fact that he has survived for 23 years itself is a miracle. His body had adjusted and over a period of time,” says Superintendent, OGH, Dr. C. G. Rahuram.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by M. Sai Gopal / Hyderabad – October 30th, 2015

Babejhari merits its place in history

Atram Rajubai of Babejhari vaguely remembers Kumram Bheem as a fiery youngster back in the 1940s.– Photo: S. Harpal Singh
Atram Rajubai of Babejhari vaguely remembers Kumram Bheem as a fiery youngster back in the 1940s.– Photo: S. Harpal Singh

The village of Jodeghat may have rightly become synonymous with the struggle for rights on forest land waged by legendary Gond rebel Kumra Bheemu, now famously known as Kumram Bheem, in the late 1930s and in 1940s as he attained martyrdom there. There, however, is another lesser known village of Babejhari located on the same Kerameri highlands in Adilabad district which needs to get its due recognition as it was the centre of Bheem’s activities for almost the entire period of the struggle against the Nizam’s forest and land policy.

The Babejhari and Jodeghat incidents find a mention in the research paper of social anthropologist Urmila Pingle titled ‘C. von. Furer-Haimendorf: Half a century of his imprint on Tribal Welfare in Andhra Pradesh’. Though brief, this is by far the most authentic of the accounts pertaining to Kumram Bheem and his times as Ms. Pingle had been an associate of professor Haimendorf and evidently got to know of the events through him.

According to the researcher, the rebellion of Kumram Bheem was a result of the forest conservancy move of the Nizam’s government which included eviction of human habitations from forests. Kumram Bheem’s was a small rebellion called Babejhari, named after the village in which it occurred, she notes.

Bheem evidently chose to settle at Babejhari for its seclusion after all his lands in his native village in Asifabad went under illegal occupation of non-tribals. It was at this village that he raised the issue of jal, jangal and jameen and untiringly campaigned for the rights to forest lands in the neighbouring villages in 1939 and 1940.

His new home, nevertheless, was not to be that as he and others who had arrived at Babejhari were forcibly evicted and their huts were razed. At this juncture, Bheem and his dedicated band of Adivasis migrated to Jodeghat where they cleared some forest land for cultivation.

The forest guards turned out to be a difficult lot as they demanded huge bribes from the tribals for tilling forest clearings. Without bribes, they refused to honour even a written permission issued by no less than the Nizam himself to the Adivasis to cultivate 57 acres in Jodeghat.

As the Gond leader refused to evacuate the habitation under pressure from the forest officials, he had to face the consequences. In an unequal battle on September 1, 1940 he and 15 others lost their lives.

Following the Nizam government’s forest conservancy move, Kumram Bheem settled at Babejhari and it was here that he raised the issue of jal, jangal and jameen

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by S.Harpal Singh / October 27th, 2015