Haziq and Mohi of Hyderabad; haven for historians, scholars and students
from around the world. “A store like this…gives us glimpses into our past and holds immense
historical value”
Hence these books found a
home in Haziq and Mohi as its proprietor was always on the lookout for new
additions to his collection.
Books are my weakness, so
when ever I go to any city I use to visit book shops of that city. Because:---Books
have given me access to the world’s best wisdom, and have stretched my mind
past any conceivable horizon.
Books are the ultimate form
of self-education, and the ultimate tool for personal empowerment.Many people
have dreamed bigger because of the books they have read.
Recently I was in Hyderabad.
To quench my thirst for wisdom by books.I googled and zeroed at Haziq and Mohi’s
Book shop of Hyderabad.So one fine day, with my Canon Camera,I reached at Haziq and Mohi’s book store.
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| Ibrahim Bin Khalid Bafana |
On reaching at Haziq and
Mohi of Hyderabad, I realized that it is heaven of rare antique books.A right
place, where search of old stories by scholars and historians end. Situated in Murghi chowk a small lane after Chowk Masjid near Laad Bazar
area.
“Haziq and Mohi” is one
place where anyone looking for something different or a particular book from a
certain period would never be disappointed. Author William Dalrymple
reportedly researched his historical novel “White Mughals.”
On reaching there “Ibrahim bin Khalid Bafana” of 4th Bafana’s generation attended me.He
maintains the shop.400-sq-feet store was stacked with books from floor to
ceiling. There was very little grandeur to suggest that this 50-year-old bookstore
is a haven for historians, scholars and students from around the world.
Mohammad bin Salim Ali
Bafna, migrated from Yemen, and used to work for the then Nizam government,” Ibrahim bin Khalid Bafana told me. With the passing away of Mr. Salim Bin Ali Bafana, his siblings have vowed to run the shop with the same passion.
Haziq and Mohi book shop was
started more than half a century ago by Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bafanna, after
inheriting a huge collection of precious books from his grandfather Salim Bin
Ali Bafanna.
Most of them are decades, if
not centuries, old, and cover an eclectic variety of subjects: from history and
philosophy to mysticism, religion, medicine, Islamic art and architecture, art,
poetry, architecture, mysticism, religion, music, and medicine. One can find
Urdu, Persian, and Arabic literature and dictionaries, old census reports of
Hyderabad, and out-of-print historical records.
The books at Haziq and Mohi
are priced according to their age. If the book is only half a century old, you
can buy it for somewhere between Rs 3,000- Rs 5,000.
If the book has seen
centuries of wear and tear, the price can shoot up to Rs 20,000-Rs 50,000.
Certain books are only sold in photocopies as they are the only pieces
available.
After independence. The
grand old libraries of the city’s aristocrats were of no use to the younger
generations, who were downsizing their living quarters by moving into smaller
houses.
Haziq and Mohi is only one among the many
stores that Bafanna owned. His collection was so huge that he set up a couple
of others around the city.