The passing away of Narendra Luther on Tuesday has created a vacuum in the various circles that engaged closely with Hyderabad’s heritage and history. Luther, who was 89, passed away after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. A civil servant, Luther donned multiple roles later in life. He was a historian, author, poet, and also a chronicler.
Luther was a 1955 batch IAS officer who served in various positions. He moved to Hyderabad in 1959 and since then had made the city his home. When he retired from service in 1991, he was Chief Secretary of undivided Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad’s history, traditions, culture, architecture always interested Luther. He was closely associated with the Society to Save Rocks and his efforts were instrumental in conserving a lot of the city’s geological formations.
Luther wrote several books about the history and culture of Hyderabad. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the Founder of Hyderabad is one of the books he is well-known for. For those looking to learn more about the history of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Luther’s well-researched books are a goldmine of information.
Speaking to TNM about Luther’s connection to Hyderabad and how well he related to the city, Anuradha Reddy, Convenor of the Hyderabad chapter of INTACH who has closely worked with him, recollected, “What made him part of Hyderabad so easily is that he hailed from a culture very similar to ours. He hailed from the Punjab province, which is now in Pakistan. Urdu was a common link, and monuments, structures, cultural identities of both Hindus and Muslims was very similar as well. When he migrated and came to India, he carried that with him. Hyderabad had that kind of culture and hence he found the city to be very much part of the same culture he grew up in.”
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao condoled Luther’s demise. A note from his officer read, “The Chief Minister recalled late Narendra Luther’s services as a person who worked on the history and culture of erstwhile Hyderabad state and its rulers, and also as the President of the Society to Save Rocks, Hyderabad. CM also recalled his services as a bureaucrat working in various capacities in the united AP Government. CM conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.”
People from across the spectrum in Hyderabad, including political leaders, heritage activists and others, joined in mourning the historian’s death.