Telangana’s glorious past on Arts College façade

People will be able to learn about the key milestones of the State and university’s history through a spectacular light and sound show

Hyderabad: Standing tall, the iconic Osmania University (OU) College of Arts and Social Sciences, popularly known as Arts College, has witnessed several historic moments connected with Telangana and its culture.

People will now have the opportunity to relook and learn about OU’s glorious past including its origin, journey and the vital role it played in imparting academics. Additionally, the Arts College was the epicentre of the Telangana Statehood movement.

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Beginning from the university’s conceptualisation and inception in 1918 to the formation of Telangana in 2014, people will be able to learn about the key milestones of the State and university’s history through a spectacular light and sound show to be organised on the magnificent Arts College façade.

The show, which is expected to commence in the first week of July, is being developed in three parts. The first being the history of the university from its inception in 1918 till 1948, when the then Hyderabad State was integrated into India after the military’s Operation Polo.

It will be followed by another part that showcases the State’s merger with Andhra Pradesh and subsequent agitations for separate Telangana Statehood, including the 1969 Telangana agitation. Another part showcases the events that unfolded between 2001 and 2014, until the carving out of the new State of Telangana. The State’s culture and tradition will also be showcased.

The OU officials are preparing the script, along with voiceover, for the show, which will be organised as part of the dynamic lighting programme of the union Ministry of Culture. The show will be organised on Sunday evenings. For the three-year programme, a total of Rs 13 crore is being spent and the light and sound system has been put in place.

“The right and left sides of the building will be illuminated and the show will be organised on the building’s centre façade. The university will make seating arrangements for two shows of 30 minutes each, mostly on Sunday evenings,” a senior official told Telangana Today. Also, the water fountain in front of the historic building will be turned into a musical fountain.