SECUNDERABADShow me the moneyM G
ROAD in Secunderabad is
today is today one of the busiest commericial areas of Hyderabad’s 200-year-old twin city. Starting at the Ranigunj railway bridge, this arterial road stretches for nearly half-a-kilometre till Paradise, the
famous Irani restaurant. Several heritage buildings like the 100-years-old Laxmi Paper Mart complex, the Ramgopalpet Police Station, the Malani Building, apart from Kathiyawar Stores, Gandhi Statue, Asrani Hotel, Paradise Hotel, Chermas and KFC are among the prominent landmarks on the road today. The Cloth Market and General Bazaar off this road are also popular haunts for bargain hunters. Prior to India’s independence, MG Road was
called James Street. Says veteran heritage photographer and activist Anuradha Reddy, “The Britishers named James
Street after the fashionable street of London called St. James Street. However, for people of my generation, it’s still James Street. But the younger generation calls it MG Road.” Speaking from memory, an elderly gentleman of the city A Panjatan says, “James Street was the smartest shopping area of Secunderabad. Among the famous shops were Bombay Swadeshi, JJ Karim and AS Abdul Khader. Just opposite AS Abdul Khader was the Raghunath Mull Bank, which was famous for exchange of currency. People visiting Hyderabad and Secunderabad invariably had to visit this bank to get the British
currency exchanged for the Osmania currency and vice-versa. And then there was this shop called HM Mehta, which supplied Scotch Whisky for people of the area. Most of theses shops and establishments no longer exist.” Another old-timer, Gopaldas Malani, says, “Owing to the increased inflow of vehicular traffic on this road, it has become very difficult to cross it. As a result, most people who had their residences on the road have turned them into commercial avenues and shifted their homes to other places.” Ali Bin Abdulla
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