Sikandarabad To Secunderabad Two hundred years has changed Secunde-rabad. From Sikandarabad, named after Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander Jah (1803-1829), the third Nizam of Asaf Jahi dynasty, it assumed the anglicised name of Secunderabad, the preserve of the Army in the British Raj. The landscape has changed, peoples attitudes have changed, names of streets have changed (barring a few) and the environment has gotten worse. Tongas and cycle rickshaws have been replaced by petrol/diesel driven vehicles. May flower trees are gone so are the chirping birds. A concrete jungle of haphazard constructions, multi-storeyed buildings, and polluted streets replaced the once peaceful, green covered British Cantonment. Founded in the late 18th century as a British cantonment through a pact between the Nizam of Hyderabad and the East India Company, this exclusive cantonment area was named Sikandarabad. Unlike its immediate neighbour and twin, Hyderabad, Secunderabad had a distinct culture. It was more cosmopolitan, followed the stringent British regime, and senior citizens insist the place once resembled a British County. In true Indian colour, it was dotted by temples, churches, mosques and Parsi fire temples, and nurtured saplings of all the communities, who lived in perfect harmony, barring a few stormy years during the Razakaar movement. Sikandarabad took pride in having its own Little London, now > Lallaguda, a home to the Anglo-Indian community even today. Over the years, the landmarks too have changed. Dreamland, the once popular venue for English movies now houses a marriage hall. Plaza, another popular theatre has been turned into a commercial complex. A big part of Tivoli theatre has now been turned into a function hall! These theatres very popular then. There was utmost discipline, and whistling or screaming for the lead actors was taboo, recalls 83-year-old Mr D.N. Gupta, a resident of Marredpally. gleez/articles/did-you-know/sikandarabad-to-secunderabad Other story Sikandrabad is a historical city which was built by Sikandar Lodhi in around 1498. Chishti and some other old monuments in the area can be seen. As of 2001[update] India census[1], Sikandrabad had a population of 69,902. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sikandrabad has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 58%, and female literacy is 49%. In Sikandrabad, 17% of the population is under 6 years of age. The current polulation of Sikandrabad is something about 2 lacs. It has a municipal board to govern the city. Sikandrabad is a Tehsil and has a majistrate court to maintain its law and order. The city has three post graduates colleges and a large number of other colleges and schools to make the population litrate. Bansal, Parvati, Om Palace, Ganga Maa are the name of cimenas to entertain the localites. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikandrabad
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 12:27:22 +0000