Mehboob ki Mehendi is a neighbourhood in
Hyderabad, Telangana
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. W ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It was a
mujra
Mujra is a dance performance by women in a format that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs of the Indian society (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent courtesan ...
joint, a time honoured tradition of Music and Dance, during the reign of the
Nizams in
Hyderabad State.
History
It got its name after a Chilla of Mahboob Subhani, where the mujras were popular. Noted courtesan,
Mah Laqa Bai
Mah Laqa Bai (7 April 1768 – August 1824), born Chanda Bai, and sometimes referred to as Mah Laqa Chanda, was an Indian 18th century Urdu poet, courtesan and philanthropist based in Hyderabad. In 1824, she became the first female poet to hav ...
, was present here. The Courtesans and other performing artistes held a respectable position in Hyderabad before
Aurangzeb's reign.
Present day
In the 1980s it became the
red light area. But in 1996, the area was evacuated.
Prominent NGO,
Prajwala
Prajwala is a non-governmental organization based in Hyderabad, India, devoted exclusively to eradicating prostitution and sex trafficking. Founded in 1996 by Ms. Sunitha Krishnan and Brother Jose Vetticatil, the organization actively works in ...
is working to rehabilitate the children.
References
External links
The Courtesans of Hyderabad & Mehboob Ki MehendiThe Elite Performer
{{Neighbourhoods of Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
Neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, India
Culture of Hyderabad, India