Hyderabad: Dr Anand Raj Varma, a prominent Urdu writer, historian, presenter, HRM brand ambassador, and theatrical performer, died in the early hours of March 16 due to a heart arrest, aged 86.
Varma is well known as the former Principal of Anwar Ul Uloom College. However, he is also fondly remembered as the Hyderabad Metro Rail project’s brand ambassador. Aside from being recognised by his face, Varma’s voice from ‘Quizline’, a gameshow, on Etv Urdu still echoes in the minds of the audience.
His passion for the language of Urdu, even as a youngster, laurelled him the lifetime achievement award from the Andhra Pradesh Urdu University.
Varma often expressed gratitude for the language he inherited from his forebearers, learned in school and grew to love.
Varma graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Science (BSc & MSc), Botany, from Osmania University after finishing his intermediate at City College.
Varma has presented over a hundred All India Radio speeches, some general and most of them scientific-related; he has also actively written for science magazines.
He retained the same enthusiasm for academic and cultural pursuits as a young college student. In 2004, he wrote a series of essays for the Hindi newspaper Swatantra Vartha, mixing his memories of the city and excitement for preserving history with his love of language. These articles prompted the author to write his book Dastaan-e-Hyderabad.
