A large group of 36 alumni from the Hyderabad Public School (H.P.S.) recently paid a visit to the man-made hill, H.I.G.H. (Highest In Greater Hyderabad), created by H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan. This hill, standing taller than the ancient Naubat Pahad, is situated on eight acres of an 80-acre private land estate on Road number 25 in Jubilee Hills. The guests, mostly from outside Hyderabad, were pleasantly surprised to discover such a nature-friendly real estate in the heart of this bustling IT Capital of India.
Among the visitors was Kiran Kumar Reddy, former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, who expressed his astonishment at the size of this mostly unexplored landmark. This visit was part of the 100-year celebration of the Hyderabad Public School, where H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan hosted a high tea for a large group of HPS alumni and their spouses.
H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan, a well-known citizen of Hyderabad and a distinguished personality, recently crowned as the 9th Nizam of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty, is the owner of a film set facility located on an 80-acre plot at Road No. 25, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The man-made hill, H.I.G.H., is a unique feature of this property, making it one-of-a-kind in any urban area of the world.
The hill, known as “Bhoot Bungala” among the film fraternity, has been the shooting location for many mega-budget films, including ‘Rangasthalam’. It took H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan ten years to create this hill using moram, a sticky type of soil, to hold the embedded rocks. The hill, already on an elevated plateau, is taller than Naubat Pahad, making it the talk of the town.
Coincidentally, the venue for the high tea, Raunaq’s Hill, was frequented by H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan’s ancestor, Sultan-Ul-Mulk, who built some accommodation within existing air-raid shelters before World War 2. Sultan-Ul-Mulk was the son of Sir Viqar, who built Falaknuma, and Lady Viqar/Jahandar-Un-Nisa, sister of Nizam 6th, who gifted more than 100 acres to the original “Jagirdars College”, presently Hyderabad Public School, from her private estate.
The tea party was organized to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. H.E. Nawab Raunaq Yar Khan, a sincere believer in the role of inter-religious harmony in a peaceful society, has personally hosted huge exclusive celebrations of many religious festivals other than his own, like Diwali and Sankranti, for decades by inviting people to the same venue. He has been recognized and honored for his work with a conferred doctorate.
The entire group, including members of the 1975 batch, enjoyed the evening. Dilip Chenoy, Former Secretary General of FICCI and a member of the batch, was a guest and coordinated with the group who came from all parts of India and the world.
