For the honourable act of striving to preserve the various boulders that dot the expansive campus of Hyderabad's Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), another honour has been bestowed on the varsity. Society to Save Rocks — the organisation that has been striving to conserve and spread awareness about the ancient granite formations of the Deccan Plateau — awarded MANUU a plaque for endeavouring to protect the glorious rock formations and even illuminating its most famed formation, Pathar Dil, at night.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that this central university has imbibed a culture of not just preservation, but also respecting these imposing rock formations. Back in the day, two boulder formations were deemed as heritage structures by the Government of Telangana and in 2017, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) presented the Heritage Award to the varsity. In the same year, MANUU launched a calendar dedicated to these natural wonders. "This is not just our heritage. All of Hyderabad is its stakeholder and is attached to these rocks," says Prof Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, MANUU. And to involve Hyderabadis and all those who nurture an admiration for heritage, a day-long workshop and walks are on the cards to spread awareness about these scenic formations, he informs.
.jpg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
"Students from varied backgrounds, including those from other states, study at MANUU and it is important that they get to experience not just education and architecture, but also the natural environment that forms an important part of their student life," says Prof Fatima Ali Khan, President, Society to Save Rocks. She also adds that these boulders cannot just be passive or in the background, there needs to be education and awareness about them too. "Forming clubs, for example. Or organising outdoor activities around the rocks," she suggests. Society to Save Rocks has demonstrated that this is possible by organising a rock walk, which was led by them, MANUU's Assistant Registrar Habibulla Palagiri and Prof Mohammad Faryad, Head of Department, Mass Communication and Journalism for several NCC cadets, students and enthusiasts. This was back in the pre-pandemic days and they hope to conduct more of them.
MANUU's most famous rockscape certainly is Pathar Dil, but Palagiri has an appreciation for many others. "You know what a bread loaf looks like after being sliced? There is a rock formation very similar to that. Then there is another that I like to call 'Chuppa Dil' (Hidden Heart) because it is hidden among bushes and difficult to spot. There is even one that resembles an owl," he shares enthusiastically. "None of the rocks have been scribbled on, which is a common feature even on heritage monuments nowadays. I think it's not about strict maintenance for us, it is about greater awareness."
_.jpeg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
For Zahoor Butt, who hails from Budgam, Kashmir, these rocks are absolutely fascinating. He shares that these formations don't only serve as good selfie points, but ignite an interest in Geology as well, while others paint them on canvas. "I feel like our identity is related to it which is all the more reason to preserve it," says the PhD Scholar.
Musheera Ashraf, another student, lists the various ways the rocks serve as companions even during classes or extracurricular activities. "As a student of Mass Communication, we have Photography as a subject. Most of the time, students would go there for assignments and sometimes with teachers as well, for outdoor photography classes. We even have an amphitheatre in MANUU where a giant rock serves as a stage. I remember attending my friends' poetry session there," she recalls fondly and states that these rocks make the natural landscape of MANUU even more attractive.
