CC 18.1 Situation

Gulzār Bāno is engaged to Lādle Mian but she has to convince her father that she doesn’t want to marry him. This lesson contains expressions to use in an argument: agreement, disagreement, wishes, regrets, rights, hopes, and fears.

CC 18.2 Hyderabad

The city of Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Until Indian Independence, it was an autonomous kingdom ruled by a dynasty of “Nizāms.” It was famous for its “nawābs” (courtiers) and courtly culture. The old city, with a predominantly Muslim population, still contains some of the royal flavor. Urdu is still the main language of old Hyderabad, while Telugu is the state language of Andhra Pradesh.

CC 18.3 Chār Mīnār

The most important monument of Hyderabad’s old section, the Chār Mīnār is four towers joined by a central structure. Arched openings lead to the space underneath. Visitors can climb up into the central structure and get excellent views of the bazaars and squares around it. It was built by King Quli Qutub Shah in 1591 when he moved his city from nearby Golconda fort to the current site of Hyderabad.

CC 18.4 Lād Bāzār

To the west of Chār Mīnār is Lād Bāzār, where women flock to purchase bangles and other jewelry items.

CC 18.5 Burqa

In traditional South Asian Muslim culture a burqa is a garment worn by women to hide themselves from the public gaze. Although the custom of burqa wearing is disappearing in most parts of South Asia, in Hyderabad even today many women wear burqas in the markets. The burqa headpiece has a flap which can be raised to reveal the wearer’s face.

CC 18.6 Golconda

This hilltop fortress was the capital of the Qutub Shahi kings in the 16th Century, although it had been inhabited for many centuries previously.

CC 18.7 Nikah

The Muslim wedding ceremony is called “nikah.” It is similar to the Christian wedding ceremony in that it’s main focus is the exchange of vows and the signing of a contract between the bride and groom. An important feature of the nikah is that it begins with the priest asking the bride if she gives her consent to initiate the ceremony. In theory she has the right to refuse. Another important feature is that the couple must agree on the “mehr”, the amount of compensation to be paid by the husband to the wife in the event of divorce, and this becomes part of the marriage contract. Many of the other customs surrounding marriage are the same for Muslims as Hindus.

CC 18.8 Wedding Clothes

In both Muslim and Hindu marriages, the bride usually wears red. In Muslim culture she might wear a “gharārā”, a lower pants-like garment with very wide “bell-bottoms,” worn under a kurta/qameez. The bride always wears a large veil. Of course she is loaded down with lots of gold jewelry. The groom might wear a “shervānī”, a tight-fitting, knee-length coat buttoning down the front.