Afzalgunj to Begum Bazar—Hyderabad's markets don't look ‘nawabi'. Marwaris, Gujjus built them

The Print

9 hours ago

The matter has now become a full-blown rift, with even politicians now being forced to speak about it. The BJP has predictably supported the Marwari community (with Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar speaking up for them), while the ruling Congress is treading cautiously.
However, the day is here. Some Telangana groups are pushing a 'Marwari go back' campaign in Hyderabad. It all started with an altercation between a Marwari businessman and a local person from a marginalised community in Secunderabad earlier this month.
Hyderabad is unlike other cities where language or community sparks rifts. Each time I read about Kannada or Marathi speakers haranguing others for not knowing the local language, I'd feel proud that my city has never asked anyone, especially migrant communities, to leave.
Telangana Congress president Bomma Mahesh Kumar Goud, when asked about this by a local TV channel, said that everyone should practice trade freely. 'When someone comes from one state to another for business, we are not asking them to leave. We will inform the CM. Be it Gujarati, Marwari, or Vaishyas, they should not do Hera Pheri and do fair trade,' he said.
His statement is rather interesting given that he did not rule out any wrongdoing on the part of the local people. What began as an isolated altercation has now fueled sentiments that were once whispered in corners.
Since the Nizam era
I have often heard complaints from local traders in Hyderabad about how 'outsiders' are running major markets in the city and Telangana in general. Migration from Rajasthan or Gujarat is the reason one can find several 'Balaji or 'Balaji Marwadi' sweets shops and Kirana stores all over the city.
While Marwaris have long been part of Hyderabad society, as they are in many cities, the issue of jobs among the local youth now seems to be snowballing into anger against this North-Indian community. One of the primary reasons for Telangana's formation was the issue of jobs, which many from the state felt were being unfairly allocated to people from Andhra in Hyderabad. The demand for a state may have been met, but the anger hasn't gone away.
Marwaris, who run many businesses and even entire markets here, have now become conspicuous, a target for those frustrated that their job aspirations have not been met. Today, Marwaris in Hyderabad run the jewellery, grain, hardware, and Kirana stores.
Some of Hyderabad's oldest jewellery and perfume stores—many dating back to the Nizam era—are run by Marwari, Gujrati, and Jain families.
The first wave of Marwaris arrived in the mid-19th century, during the reign of the fifth Nizam, Afzal-ud-Daula. A second wave came under the last Nizam Osman Ali Khan, when many were invited to set up shops in the Pathergatti area of the Old City.
Afzalgunj and Begum Bazar today look nothing like the 'Nawabi' Hyderabad we imagine, but more like a setting cut and pasted into the city's environs. The community, though long settled and part of Hyderabad, has recreated its own sensibilities here, offering a glimpse of what their home back in Rajasthan or Gujarat might look like.
A recent fire near Charminar killed 17 people, including eight children from a Modi family. They had been migrants in the city at some point.
Also read: Is Hyderabad progressive? Muslim men moral policing Muslim women is routine
Distraction from local polls
While some local residents are now blaming the Marwari community for trading unfairly, their control over some of the lucrative business sectors may now be a convenient new target. However, I doubt that this issue will become any bigger as wealthy Telugus in Telangana don't seem to have a problem with them. More than sectors like jewellery, the local wealth in the state rests in the real estate, dominated by Reddy businessmen. The ruling government will have to be smart to not let this row escalate.
Given that the BJP is being run by leaders from Gujarat (PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah), the state unit will, in all likelihood, not take the side of local people. Expectedly, BJP's Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat candidate from the 2024 polls, Maadhavi Latha, even called this Congress government's attempt to create divisions among Hindus.
People from the community I spoke to believe this is a ploy by vested politicians to take away the focus from the upcoming Telangana local body elections, for which the ruling Congress has promised the Backward Class groups 42 per cent reservation. The ordinance to bring in that reservation is currently pending approval from the President of India.
As things stand, the Hyderabadis demanding 'Marwari go back' could destroy the city's image—the Hyderabad that has opened its doors for everyone since its foundation in 1591.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history, and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)