About the Book : - The first-ever study of one of the most outstanding collections of gemstones and jewellery of a fabulously wealthy dynasty of India that ruled the Deccan for seven generations. Sometimes worn but never shown, these jewels belonged to the Nizams of Hyderabad, once reputed to be the richest men in the world. Finely crafted from gold and silver and exquisitely enamelled, the jewels are set with Colombian emeralds, Golconda diamonds, Burmese rubies and spinels, and pearls from Basra and India. About the Author : - Usha R Bala Krishnan is a jewellery historian, lecturer and fine arts consultant based in Mumbai.Bharath Ramamrutham is internationally recognised as one of the foremost photographers in India of the built, human and natural environment.
A delectable mix of Arabic, Mughlai and traditional South Indian influences, today's Hyderabadi cuisine is the legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad, whose khansamas were skilled in the use of spices to bring distinctive flavours to the table. Digging into the 400-year-old history of the royal kitchens of the Nizams, Geeta Devi brings to you a scrumptious array of Hyderabadi recipes to stimulate the palate. From Patthar ka Gosht and Paneer Golkonda to Haleem and Gajar-Methi ka Salan, from Kacche Gosht ki Biryani and Jhinge ka Achaar to Shahi Tukde and Anokhi Kheer-this book reveals the secrets behind a mouth-watering range of delicacies that will delight the modern gourmand. Illustrated with beautiful images, Geeta Devi's recipes are accessible and easy to follow, whether you want to serve up a quick vegetarian snack, a complex main course of mixed meats, an unusual variation on the biryani, a tangy pickle or a rich dessert fit for a feast. Accompanied by a glossary of commonly used ingredients in the Indian kitchen, this is a thoughtfully designed and compact book that you can easily carry into your kitchen while you try out the recipes!
The Last Nizam is the story of an extraordinary dynasty, the Nizams of Hyderabad, and how the heir to India's richest princely state gave up a kingdom and retired to the dusty paddocks of outback Australia. With vivid detail and anecdotes, John Zubrzycki charts the rise of the Nizams to fabulous wealth and prominence in the detritus of the Mughal empire, giving a rich and vibrant portrait of a realm soaked in blood and intrigue. Above all he describes the strange and sometimes tragic life of Mukarram Jah, His Exalted Highness, the last Nizam, the man who left behind the diamonds of Golconda and the palaces of Hyderabad to drive bulldozers in the Australian bush. Meticulously researched, The Last Nizam adds a crucial chapter to the history of India, capturing the conspiracies and machinations that kept the Nizams in the news while simultaneously deepening their legend.
- Diamonds Across Time features ten essays by scholars in love with the stone - They present new discoveries, explore historic collections, investigate the trade in diamonds, explain the spectrum of colors, and, most important, discuss the human stories that underpin the adoration for diamonds - The book is illustrated with incredible photographs of rarely seen gems and jewels from closely held collections and reconstructions of historical diamonds, done with the help of state-of-the-art computer technology Diamonds tell stories that are captivating and timeless. On the one hand, they are just stones, pieces of pure carbon with optical properties that make them glitter and sparkle like stars. On the other, they are mystical entities hypnotically drawing the viewer into a time machine as it were, wherein a cinematic montage of their journey unfolds. Diamonds Across Time presents a sweeping overview of diamonds across time and space, featuring ten essays by world-renowned scholars in love the stone. Here, these authors present new discoveries; explore extraordinary collections; investigate histories, science, and trade; the nature of diamonds; legendary gems, jewelry collections, and great designers. Above all, they tell the human stories that underpin the adoration of diamonds. Diamonds Across Time is a richly illustrated publication with high-quality images of gems and jewels, archival documents, rare drawings, and fabulous photographs. The volume places diamonds in the context of the time in which they were discovered, and on the political, social, and cultural stage on which their histories were etched. In a rapidly changing world, diamonds are eternal. They were created by nature and grew in the womb of the earth. They tell stories, and they record history. With this book, diamonds will finally have their own storytellers. The book was compiled and edited by the World Diamond Museum's chief curator and world-renowned jewelry expert Dr. Usha R Balakrishnan. She and nine other distinguished authors wrote ten monographs written in the order in appearance: Introduction; The Nizam Diamond: Bala Koh-i-Noor, in the Sacred Trust of the Nizam of Hyderabad - Usha R. Balakrishnan; Diamonds of the French Crown Jewels: Between East and West - François Farges; A Concise History of Diamonds from Borneo - Derek J. Content; Indian Diamonds and the Portuguese Duriing the Rise of the Mughal Empire - Hugo Miguel Crespo; Two Large Diamonds from India - Jack Ogden; The Romanov Diamonds: History of Splendour - Stefano Papi; The Londonderry Jewels, 1819-1959 - Diana Scarisbrick; Dress to Impress in Southeast Asia - René Brus; Powerful Women, Important Diamonds - Ruth Peltason; One in Ten Thousand: The Unique World of Coloured Diamonds - John M. King.
Cocktails and Dreams is put together by people who represent the modern, young India a bartender and a well-travelled development professional in some senses an unlikely cocktail. It comes at a time when India now exposed to the outside world does not consider drinking as a social taboo but enjoys a fine cocktail or two. With a significant change in urban lifestyles, the fifty original recipes help people to look beyond the traditional whisky on the rocks and rum and coke.
Royal Hyderabadi Cooking reveals secrets from the Nizam's kitchens courtesy the great practitioners of the art: Begum Mumtaz Khan and Ustad Habib Pasha.Royal Hyderabadi Cooking, collaboration between Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, is the fruit of a number of years of intensive research. Hyderabadi Cuisine is known to be irresistible. Here it is presented in a reader-friendly easy-to-cook manner so that the exquisite and graceful food that is a legacy of the Moghuls can be recreated in the home kitchen.Whether it is the popular Haleem you wish to cook or the poetic Asif Jahi Pasandey, you will find the recipes in this book. You can regale your family and friends with scintillating vegetarian dishes like Bhagare Baingan and Diwani Handi served with hot Bakarkhani. Endings must be sweet, so ladle out bowls of Asharfiyon Ka Meetha or Khubani Ka Meetha.With this book in hand transport yourself to a whole new wonderful world where a royal Hyderabadi banquet awaits!
For Doreen Hassan, Hyderabad is not just where her roots lie, it is also the city that informs the way she and her family lead their lives.Known and loved for their legendary hospitality for over four decades, Doreen and her husband, Peter Toghrille Hassan, have preserved a way of life, a culture and a cuisine with great affection and pride in their cosmopolitan home in Delhi, passing their love for food, family and friendships to their children and grandchildren.This is not a collection of Hyderabadi recipes that stops at the biryani or the Mirchi ka Saalan or kebabs or Shahi Tukra. It is a personal story a tribute to the city that Doreen calls home.Over the decades, she has archived priceless family recipes from her husband's storied Hyderabadi family. The result is an astonishingly rich record of culinary history, which speaks of a city that absorbed influences from across the world and made them its own.
In this “glittering, Gatsby-esque” (Publishers Weekly) novel, two generations of Quincy women—a bewitching Jazz Age beauty and a young lawyer—are bound by a spectacular and mysterious Indian necklace. Always the black sheep of the tight-knit Quincy clan, Nell is cautious when she’s summoned to the elegantly shabby family manor after her great-aunt Loulou’s death. A cold reception from the family grows chillier when they learn Loulou has left Nell a fantastically valuable heirloom: an ornate necklace from India that Nell finds stashed in a Crown Royal whiskey bag in the back of a dresser. As predatory relatives circle and art experts begin to question the necklace’s provenance, Nell turns to the only person she thinks she can trust—the attractive and ambitious estate lawyer who definitely is not part of the old-money crowd. More than just a piece of jewelry, the necklace links Nell to a long-buried family secret involving Ambrose Quincy, who brought the necklace home from India in the 1920s as a dramatic gift for May, the woman he intended to marry. Upon his return, he discovered that May had married his brother Ethan, the “good” Quincy, devoted to their father. As a gesture of friendship, Ambrose gave May the necklace anyway. Crisp as a gin martini, fresh as a twist of lime, The Necklace is the charming and intoxicating story “written with wit, compassion, and a meticulous attention to period and cultural detail” (Kirkus Reviews) of long-simmering family resentments and a young woman who inherits a secret much more valuable than a legendary necklace.
