The legendary families of Hyderabad Deccan have spread their glory to America. The Splendor of ‘ZORE’ Endures Even More…

The ‘Kohinoor’ diamond of India was engraved in the crown of British monarchy, and ‘Urdu’; the cultural gem of India was embraced as the national language of Pakistan; the remaining Indian jewels are sparkling across the world.

India is not only the birthplace of Urdu, but Hyderabad Deccan holds the honor of revitalizing it during its decline from 1881-1922. Languages do not belong to religions; they belong to regions. Both Hindi and Urdu have an Indo-Aryan root, although Hindi reads left-to-right and is similar to Sanskrit, while Urdu is linked to the Persian calligraphic Nastaliq script style. From the 11th century onwards, when Persian and Turk forces invaded the Indian subcontinent, Urdu began to develop from encounters with Arabic and Persian. When the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526) and the Mughal Empire (1526–1858) expanded southward to the Deccan Plateau, Urdu, which means "camp" in Turkish language, became increasingly dominant. However, following the fall of the Mughal dynasty, Urdu was significantly suppressed by other southern languages, including Punjabi, Haryanvi, and Hindi. Despite the struggle of another Urdu scholar, Abdul Haq, Urdu was losing its linguistic importance in India.

Haq moved to Pakistan in 1948. During the 1947 riots and migration, a large portion of his belongings, particularly priceless manuscripts, documents, and books, were damaged. Abdul Haq's health suffered as a result of the division and migration, and he was unable to contribute much to Urdu in Pakistan. However, Dr. Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore had already started resuscitating Urdu during this trying period after returning to India with a Ph.D. in Linguistics and Phonetics from the UK in 1930. He was a major contributor to its spread and promotion in India. He received the title of ‘Mahire Deccaniyat’

Soon after, Urdu was adopted as the official national language of Pakistan in 1954, after India and Pakistan gained independence from the bi-centennial Great Britain rule over the Indian subcontinent. Urdu had already served as a lingua franca among Muslims in the north and northwest British Indian Subcontinent who further migrated to the regions assigned to Pakistan as Muslim majority areas. This division was acquired from the "Two-nation theory" based on two different sets of ethical principles, cultural values, and religious practices. However, the Urdu language was the common denominator of literature and a constant coefficient of culture, which is not only proudly adopted as an official language in Pakistan, but is also one of the officially recognized languages in India. It has the status of "additional official language" in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, and the national capital territory of Delhi. It is also one of the five official languages of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2016, a century-old institute was digitalized, empowering access to the culturally rich Urdu language. The permit to have easy access to this platform gave the opportunity of both learning and advancement to universal subscribers across the world through the Idara-e-Adabiat-e-Urdu; (Institution of Excellence in Urdu Research, Literature & Learning) also known as 'Aiwan-e-Urdu,' which is based in Hyderabad Deccan, India. The institute, which was inaugurated in 1923 by Dr. Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore, was one of his greatest contributions to rejuvenating the Urdu language.

It was dedicated to the recovery, restoration, and compiling of aging and disintegrating texts, books, and manuscripts, which are still utilized for research on the language. This institution for Urdu learning, with a museum and library, was built on land donated by Zore's wife, Tehniath Unnisa Begum. She was the first female Sahiba-e-Dewaan 'Naatgo' Urdu female poetess. The most famous of her three published books is Sabro Shukar.

As an Indian scholar, literary critic, writer, poet, and social reformer, Zore's body of work continues to produce a wealth of resources on Urdu literature, history, and knowledge. During his brief 56-year life, he authored and published 61 books, leaving a significant legacy of Urdu literature that has been used as a mandatory component of the academic curriculum of the ‘Board of Examinations’ in a majority of Indian colleges and universities today. Furthermore, the foundation of ‘Abul Kalam Azad’ Oriental Research Institute was Zore’s another contribution to the future of the coming generations in that region. 

In 1960, Zore was appointed as the Dean of the Urdu department at Kashmir University in Srinagar, at the request of Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad, the Chief Minister of Kashmir, in addition to his service in Hyderabad Deccan. But on September 17, 1962, he suffered a deadly heart attack while presenting a didactic lecture. Hence, he was buried in Khaniyar Sharif at the request of his students, fans/followers in Srinagar, Kashmir.

Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore was born on December 7, 1905, in Shah Ganj, Hyderabad, to Syed Ghulam Mohammad Shah Qadri and Bashir Unnisa Begum. Zore got married on November 15, 1932, to Tehniath Unnisa Begum. Her father was Nawab Rafat Yar Jang of Hyderabad, India, who was ‘Subedar’ of Warangal, Viceroy’s Commissioned officer in the British Indian Army, well-known in his days as a Statesman, educationist, and a social reformer, and her brother was Sir Nawab Nizamath Jang who served as a Chief Justice of High Court, Hyderabad (1916-1918) in the British Subcontinent.

Zore and Tehniath had five sons: Taqi Uddin Qadri, Ali Uddin Qadri, Safiuddin Qadri, Rafiuddin Qadri, and Raziuddin Qadri, and four daughters: Tahzeeb Unisa, Tauquir Unisa Taufiq Unisa and Tasneem Unisa. Zore’s sons and their families still live in their ancestral house, named ‘Tehniath Manzil’, in Hyderabad, besides the institution, Idare Adabiyat-e-Urdu, and Ali Uddin Zore and Rafi Uddin Zore actively participate in supervision and maintenance of the institution and still a monthly Urdu journal following the same title Sabras for the past 70 years is published by the institution and distributed widely.

He rigorously encouraged his daughters to pursue higher education. His youngest daughter, Tasneem Unnisa Zore, graduated with a degree in architecture from India and went on to pursue further study and architectural training in London and the US. She is currently active in events that benefit the cultural organization Hyderabad Association of Washington Metro Area (HAWMA) in the US and encourages younger generations to embrace Hyderabad’s culture and Urdu literature.                                        

Tasneem Zore (Daughter) Wahington DC (Metro Area)- US

Tahzeeb Unnisa-Zore, the eldest daughter of Zore, was known for carrying on her father's academic legacy. She earned a top-scored master's degree in linguistic sciences, with a focus on Arabic language, from Osmania University in Hyderabad and was appointed a lecturer/professor there in 1960. Her poetry and interviews were aired on the ‘All-India’ national public radio broadcaster of India, currently known as ‘Akashvani’.

On May 7, 1961, Tahzeeb married Yahya Ali Ahmed Farooqui, a doctor who became a professor and Dean of a medical school in Karachi, Pakistan. Initially, he graduated in science & law and earned BSc and LLB degrees in India. Yahya Farooqui was the sole owner of the inherited lands and estates in Hyderabad, being the only child of Lateef Ahmed Farooqui who was then the Dean of Osmania University in Hyderabad; a professor of Persian linguistics, and a supporting coworker of Zore.  After her arranged marriage, she moved to Pakistan with Yahya Farooqui in the late 1960s.

Tahzeeb Zore Farooqui brought Zore’s glory of Urdu literacy along with her to Pakistan and spent all her life as an educator. She furthered the efforts of Abdul Haq in Pakistan by supporting Anjuman-e-Taraqiate Urdu, an institution for Urdu promotion, and pursuing the foundation of Urdu College in Karachi, which is now upgraded to the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology.

Tahzeeb Zore was a leading proponent of women's education in Pakistan. Zore’s daughter Tahzeeb had three children; two sons, named Iqbal Farooqui, who graduated as a physician from Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, and works in California, US and Anwaar Farooqui, who graduated as a mechanical engineer from NED University in Karachi. Tahzeeb’s only daughter was named Tanveer Zamani, who was born in Fernandez hospital in Hyderabad city, India. Tanveer's grandfather, Zore, gave all four of his daughters, the names that began with the letter "T," which is why he named his first granddaughter ‘Tanveer’, meaning "enlightened." Tanveer Zamani's last name comes from her paternal ancestry, which links back to the Mughal dynasty. The Mughals referred to their wives, sisters, and daughters as "Zamani," as in the cases of Kulsum Zamani, daughter of the last Mughal king Zafar, and Maryam Zamani, an empress who was related to the Great Mughal King Akbar.

After the passing of Zore’s daughter Tahzeeb Unisa Zore in November 1999 in Karachi, it seems that Tanveer Zamani, Zore's maternal granddaughter is holding Zore’s famous torch flame. Zamani is a practicing General, Trauma, and Critical Care surgeon in New York, a fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons, UK/Ireland, and a soldier. Zamani joined the US Army as a commissioned officer directly at the rank of Major in Sept 2021. From 2015 to 2017, Zamani participated in self-funded humanitarian missions in South Asia, inspiring numerous marginalized groups, including farmers, child workers, persecuted women, and underprivileged students in those regions. She was also the first inspirational female founder of a national political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as the People’s Movement of Pakistan (PMP); giving a voice to younger people struggling against corruption, ignorance, and poverty.                                                   

Zamani is a mother of four children; two daughters and two sons. Tanveer Zamani's eldest daughter, ‘Tabeer’ continues the family tradition by having a name starting with the letter ‘T’. She lives in Chicago and is married to Safdar Khan, the maternal grandson of Justice Sardar Ali Khan, the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court between 1982 and 1992 in India. He was also the Dean of the Osmania University Faculty of Law from 1984 to 1991, President of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Academy from 1991 to 1992, and Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities in India. He served as Asia's representative in the UN minority working group. In addition, Justice Sardar Ali Khan's father, Mohammed Amir Ali Khan, was a ‘Subedar’ (Governor) in the court of the ‘Last Nizam’ in Hyderabad State.

In the US, it appears that Zore's galore will continue to endure, and other Indian jewels, such as Vivek Ramaswamy in the US and Rishi Sunak in the UK will continue to gleam, as is the Kohinoor diamond, previously owned by the Indian Subcontinental ruling dynasties, is now an incorporated part of the sparkling crown jewels of the British Monarchy.