‘Nizam's jewellers': The Modis who died in Charminar fire were part of Old City Hyderabad's many folklores

Indian Express

20-05-2025

Among the most prominent legends that surround the Modis – an old family of jewellers that died in the fire in their ancestral home near Hyderabad's Charminar – is that they were among 'the Nizam of Hyderabad's jewellers'.
'The Modi family has been settled near Charminar for the past 100 years,' Bharat Agarwal, a distant relative told The Indian Express, as he drove around tricky, congested lanes of Old City Hyderabad. Agarwal was one among the family members who greeted political leaders who have been making a beeline to visit the aggrieved family a day after the fire accident. He added, 'Their great grandfather J Manoharlal Modi could set up their business near Charminar because they were royal jewellers'.
While there is plenty of folklore and no documented history of the family being Nizam's jewellers, their pearl trade roots could be traced back to 1906, the year the family set up their first shop near Charminar.
On Sunday, a fire suspected to have been caused by a short-circuit in the family's jewellery shop on the ground floor spread through the building, killing 17 from the family. Known to be among the oldest jewellers of the area whose roots can be traced back at least 100 years, the family had five brothers – all in their late 60s and early 70s – two of whom lived in residential units above the shop.
The fire killed two of the patriarchs – Prahlad Modi, 70, and Rajendra Kumar Modi, 65 – as well as their wives, Munni and Sumitra. Thirteen other family members — including eight children – also died, most of them of asphyxiation.
According to Agarwal, the family owned three jewellery stores – M Poonamchand Jewellers and Pearls, Modi Pearls and Krishna Pearls.
Significantly, the Charminar area is known for its jewel trade: from gold polishers, to pearl traders and traders in silver and gold, the commercial hub of the Old City has it all.
'Poonamchand Jewellery was the oldest and was owned by Prahlad Modi,' Agarwal said. This shop was located away from the site of the accident and hence survived the blaze. 'Though the shop survived, 12 members of Prahlad's family including his wife Munni, son Pankaj Modi and his wife Varsha Modi and their children were killed in the accident,' Agarwal said.
According to Mohammad Safiullah, a Hyderabad-based historian, the Modis were one among several families of Charminar who have contributed to the charm of the Old City. 'Most of them have been living there for almost a century and more,' he said.
Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi was the first to cite the Modi family as 'an old family of Charminar' who lived there 'for over a hundred years'. Charminar was an area where the Nizam's encouraged trade of the first grade, Agarwal said, adding: 'There are jewellery makers all around the Charminar and they still live here'.
The Modis were also remembered for the huge functions including Dussehra and Ram Navami celebrations they used to hold for the neighbourhood. 'Celebrations in the old city were always attended by people of different faiths including the Hindus, the Sikhs and the Muslims,' Sheikh Mohammed, a retailer from the area, said.
On Monday, a day after the fire claimed 17 lives, Charminar was as busy and bustling as ever. Only the location where the fire originated was cordoned off. 'This city – the Old City – never sleeps. The Modis will be remembered for the years to come and their surviving family members will continue to live here,' Sheik Mohammed, who was one of the first to turn up at the accident spot Sunday, told The Indian Express.