Twentieth Century Hyderabad, was a centre for construction of new modes of being, belonging and citizenship around the cultural geography of the Deccan. Being at the intersection of Persianate and the European networks of knowledge production, Hyderabad fostered cross pollination of these worlds. This was reflected in many of the institutions of this time, such as Asafia Library, Osmania University, Jamia Nizamia, Lutfuddowla Research Institute, and Darululoom. Dr. Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zor was a modernist intellectual working in this context.

Dr. Zor had a vision to develop a multilingual institution to foster serious research on the history, culture, and society of Hyderabad. This pursuit took many directions. He compiled more than thirty books in his lifetime and published over three hundred books as a publisher. He sponsored the first Deccan history congress in 1943 and first Urdu congress in 1944, being one the first scholars to argue that the Deccan constituted a unique cultural identity in India. He is remembered for championing the idea of Dakhaniyat, a cultural synthesis of plurality. 

 Dr. Zor and his fellow intellectuals worked towards producing a historically situated identity of the Deccan consisting of shared cultures and communities, at a time when the rest of the subcontinent was seeing a rise in communalism. Dr. Zor went on to establish Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu in 1931, a pedagogical and intellectual organization which worked towards the spread of modern ideas among the youth and also undertook publication of scholarship on various aspects of society during the mid-twentieth century.

While the university was producing scholars the publishing industry in Hyderabad was not very active. It is in this context that the magazine Sabras, took its birth under the leadership of Dr. Syed Mohiuddin Quadri Zor in 1938. Dr. Zor hoped to provide a platform to the burgeoning scholars of Osmania University. Literally meaning “all tastes” Sabras was the space which hosted literary, historical, cultural, and social discussions of the time. Dr. Zor was active in the magazine’s production until his death in 1962. The magazine managed its expenses through donations, sales, patronage and later-on through income from conducting Urdu exams of the Idara-e-adabiyat-e- Urdu.  

Issues of Sabras carried poetry, fiction, non-fiction, history, literary criticism from both established and new scholars of Urdu. The magazine had a special emphasis on presenting the essays with pictures. In the introductory editorial of Sabras Dr. Zor wrote about the attempt to reach everyone (Sab), the larger public through the magazine. The magazine production and the writings it carried give us a glimpse into the modernist ideal of the time. 

The magazine is particularly significant for curating cultural and literary production on the region of the Deccan. Dr. Zor encouraged women writers in Sabras and we see many new women graduates from Osmania University writing in Sabras. There was a separate magazine called Baccho ka Sabras, addressed to the children.

Digital collection

Editorial work: Work edited by Dr. Zor or produced under his guidance. Sabras magazine was started by him in 1938, produced under his guidance until 1962. While the editorial responsibility was often taken up by various scholars, Dr. Zor guided the process and curated the issues. A special magazine oriented towards children, Baccho ka Sabras was also produced.

Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-urdu was a literary and pedagogical institution started by Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zor in 1931. It worked towards promoting Urdu literacy and literature. Idara fostered publication of much work on Urdu literature, specifically the Deccan. In its heyday idara organized Urdu conferences and mushairas which hosted scholars from across the sub-continent.  Idara published Urdu literature across a wide range of ideologies. Maqdoom Mohiuddin’s first book was published by the Idara. 

In the Asaf Jahi era, Idara used to conduct bridge exams between Madarasas and the Osmania University. In the post-colonial period, Idara conducted exams to test the proficiency of Urdu. Idara currently holds about forty thousand valuable books and manuscripts, from the curated collection of Dr. Zor. It also houses a museum, with some valuable objects of the region. The current building where idara resides, Aiwan-e-Urdu, was built on the land gifted by Tahniyathunnisa Begum, a poet, wife of Dr. Zor.