Hyderabad: Viewing Hyderabad from an array of perspectives is fascinating. It’s challenging to gauge what we might expect from a random person’s thoughts about a city. Especially from someone who has just visited the “city of pearls.” However, it can be quite exciting to learn about a city through poetic verses. Particularly if the poet is a legend, who was involved in the great Indian freedom struggle.
Yes, Sarojini Naidu who was born in Hyderabad, not only was a political activist but also an excellent poet, who never failed to express her thoughts and visions through verses. Sarojini Naidu, as a poet was never unheard. The amount of appreciation and love she received through her lyric poetry is commendable.
In her second, and most strongly nationalist book of poems, The Bird of Time, she included the folklore-themed poem, “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”. Where in which Naidu narrated the charm and enthusiasm of traditional Hyderabad. As a child when we grew up, Naidu made us wonder and evoked curiosity about the rich Indian tradition by presenting the Hyderabad Bazaars as a stage for displaying traditional Indian products.
The Bazaars of Hyderabad, where merchants and sellers sold a wide variety of goods, were described by Naidu. The poet makes a brief visit to the shops set up by the flower girls, magicians, singers, peddlers, fruit vendors, goldsmiths, traders, merchants, and hawkers. In this scenario, the poet asks the vendors about their items, and the sellers graciously explain them. The poet depicts the formal experience of interaction between the consumer and the seller.
When Naidu conveys to the readers that the bazaar life also experiences both joys and tragedies, the poet evokes strong emotions in the readers. When people purchase jewelry, garlands, and fruits, and when kids rush around the magicians, wedding and holiday celebrations bring happiness to the bazaar. Common public kitchens are used to display grief and sadness when soldiers or elites pass away, and flower girls are observed decorating the graves of the deceased with plenty of white flowers, to which Naidu said, “perfume the sleep of the dead.”
If you are a Hyderabadi who has never heard of this poem before, what are you waiting for? Consider it a privilege to see your city through the pen of the great Sarojini Naidu. Hold your enthusiasm, take a moment, and explore the poem!
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