The Omar Khalidi Hall, eponymously named after the late Hyderabadi scholar, at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) is scheduled to be inaugurated on Thursday. Now, the varsity is also home to Mr. Khalidi’s personal library and comprises scores of rare books.
With over 1,000 Urdu, English Persian, French, German and French titles, the process of bringing his personal library back to his hometown of Hyderabad was a collaborative effort of Mr. Khalidi’s daughter Aliya Khalidi, his wife Nigar Sultana Khalidi, MANUU’s H.K. Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies led by historian Prof Salma Farooqui, the United States Consulate General in Hyderabad and individuals who admired the Hyderabad scholar who was based in the USA.
Mr. Khalidi’s library contains books on history, culture and administration in the Deccan, including that of Hyderabad State, and Golconda, religion, Sufis and Sufism, heritage, and several journals. One of the rare books in his collection is L’Inde Anglaise, published in 1845.
His contemporaries and admirers said that at a time when there was no internet, Mr. Khalidi’s strong connection with his hometown led him to compile an exhaustive list of books on Hyderabad’s history, culture, and archaeology. Many of these books were either hitherto unknown, or were out of the public’s collective memory given the passage of time.
An author of several acclaimed research papers and books, he wrote Khaki and Ethnic Violence in India, a book that delved into the complexities of the religious composition in the Armed forces and police, and the Muslim community.
Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart L.K. Adavani reportedly claimed in a speech that the book provided “inspiration to the Sachar Committee to seek a communal census in the Armed forces”.
His other important works include Muslims in Indian Economy, and Hyderabad: After the Fall, a collection of several essays which he edited.
Mr. Khalidi died on November 29, 2010. He worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of the Aga Khan Programme for Islamic Architecture.
