There has been renewed interest in Hyderabad State over the past few years. With September 17, celebrated as Hyderabad Liberation Day, many young men and women, driven by curiosity, have been actively seeking information and answers on their own. Events related to Hyderabad and Operation Polo are also being planned in the run-up to the anniversary.
Scholars are of the opinion that the body of work centred around Hyderabad State, the Qutb Shahi Kingdom, and their historicity, and Operation Polo has been growing over the years. And the success of the Telangana movement is a factor. “A big factor has been the Telangana movement, and its success. There is a lot of interest in the fields of history and politics. This is because both of these are crucial for a new political entity — Telangana,” says political anthropologist Shefali Jha.
The movement, Ms. Jha said, questioned long-accepted narratives, prompting a re-examination of key issues such as the true nature of the Nizam’s rule, and the interpretation of ‘Telangana culture’. The influence of languages and regions in shaping as well as preserving historical memories and narratives too were being assessed.
A casual mention of Police Action, a popular misnomer for Operation Polo, triggered the curiosity in Saad Siddiqui, a 25-year old engineer. The go-to source was his maternal grandmother, who lived through that tumultuous time. “I asked her about what happened, and she narrated her experiences. I had heard of Operation Polo in casual conversations with grandparents. Then I started attending [heritage] walks to learn about it from multiple sources,” he said, adding that his parents spoke of his great-grandfather, a Hyderabad Civil Services officer. “My parents say that he passed away soon, and with him went his lived experience of the Operation Polo.”
Sibghat Khan, founder of the Deccan Archive, a collective that seeks to collect, and document the history and create conversation around it, said that written resources are more accessible now, as compared to over 15 years ago. Heritage walks too have done their bit to arouse a healthy spirit of inquiry in the public. “The most basic way of getting information is by way of asking their grandparents, some of whom are victims of violence during Operation Polo. This way personal histories along with stories of Operation Polo come out. I also think that the celebration of what many consider painful too is a trigger,” he said.
Filmmaker, Khurram Murad and Thoufeeq K, recently released When Pomegrenate Turns Grey, a documentary that is an addition to the Operation Polo discourse.
Published – September 13, 2024 08:25 pm IST
