A taste of Hyderabad Deccan in Karachi

KARACHI: Karachi’s very own Hyderabad Deccan diaspora is amongst numerous other social groups that crossed the newly formed border during Partition to start a new life in Pakistan.

Locals often refer to members of the community as ‘Khattay’, a trope denoting the social group’s emphasis on making lip-puckering sour foods.

The unique taste of the Deccan community’s foods, along with the group’s lifestyle, traditional attire and famous greeting style, the Farshi Salaam, only signifies the rich traditions of Hyderabad Deccan’s people.

Shopkeeper Ijaz Ahmed alias Ajju, based in the megacity’s Hyderabad Colony, told Bol News that these days, the ‘Hyderabadiya’ residents of the metropolis were struggling hard to carry on their legacy. “It is hard to realise how the people who once belonged to a princely state have been living here now in a tragic state of affairs.”

Ajju added he was born just after the birth of the country. “My father and other family members came to Karachi and established makeshift arrangements at the outskirts of the city just behind the Karachi Central Jail.

“In Hyderabad Colony, surrounded by a jungle of small apartments, I get up every morning to sell spicy food. However one can imagine the vulnerability of the situation as most traditional shops are now deserted even in the season of business. If anyone comes to Achaar Gali, the shopkeepers suddenly begin asking customers to respectfully pay a visit to their shop. Sadly, the desertedness of this street is its new reality,” he adds.

“Whenever any Hyderabadiya enters the street, we know him prominently by his body language. Members of our community have a particular style of communication, which we regard as impeccable,” he remarks.

The shopkeeper claimed, however, that the culture of the Hyderabadi community in Karachi was dying. “One can hardly find anyone who speaks with Hyderabadi dialect or wears the traditional kurta pajama.”

The Deccan’s delights

Tahir, known in his locality as Tahir Bhai, owns the Deccan Achaar House. He elaborated that since the main ingredient of Hyderabadi food was imli, or tamarind, the taste was fundamentally and delightfully sour.

“Our most popular dish is katchay gosht ki biryani. The biryani is made with marinated raw meat. However, the other foods are also consumed with tasteful side items such as mixed prickles, chutney, samosas filled with lukhmi, a typical mince savoury, or chaakna.”

Responding to a question on how to make chaakna, he added that it was a famous dish of the Nizam of Deccan and prominent in the subcontinent due to its unique taste.

“It is cooked with different components of a cattle’s body including leg, head, bones and brain.”

He further said that one can find the original chaakna only in Hyderabad Colony’s Achaar Gali area.

Sorry state of affairs

Historically known as one of the wealthiest regions of the subcontinent, Hyderabad Deccan saw the migration of some of its Muslim residents to Pakistan. These members of the Deccan community were reportedly allotted land after Partition and they established eateries as well as tailor shops, in hopes of continuing their legacy in the new country.

The sweet dialect of Hyderabad Deccan was once famous in the vicinity, but is slowly disappearing. Most of the community’s members reportedly moved to other places in the city. Those who remain in the area allotted to them still have their businesses but no resources to shift their homes to other places.

Muhammad Atiq, a local journalist, says that “The katchay gosht ki biryani has become very expensive and hardly anyone craving it can buy a plate due to the inflation situation.”

While pointing towards the dusty tailor shop at the corner of Achaar Gali, Atiq laments: “Our famous seven-button sherwani also became a target of inflation and mass unemployment.”

He added that now, one can find the legacy of Hyderabad Deccan in history books. “However, in our neighbouring country India, the tradition of Hyderabad Deccan community is still flourishing. I hope one day our leaders would also think about our nation and its diverse populace.”