By Syed Khaled Shahbaaz
Hyderabad: Veteran philanthropist and businessman Ghiasuddin Babukhan was laid to rest at Masjid-e-Baqi in Banjara Hills on Monday (August 25, 2025). Thousands of mourners that included prominent citizens, philanthropists, community leaders, and beneficiaries of his charitable initiatives, gathered to pay their last respects.
“The passing of Ghiasuddin Babukhan is a great loss for Hyderabad. He was a dedicated philanthropist whose efforts in educating the poor will be remembered,” said Hyderabad Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi in a tweet.
To those who knew him, Ghiasuddin Babukhan was more than a philanthropist, a businessman, and a leader.
Family legacy
Born into one of Hyderabad’s well-known families, the Babukhans, Ghiasuddin carried forward the vision and service he had inherited and exceeded it. His father, Khan Bahadur Abdul Karim Babukhan, and mother, Shehzadi Begum, belonged to a lineage that helped shape Hyderabad’s identity. The family gave the city and the state iconic institutions – from the Arts College at Osmania University to the Nizam Sugar Factory and early landmarks like Deccan Towers and Babukhan Estate.
It was his vision that defined him. Educated at Aaliya School and Nizam College, Ghiasuddin was a successful businessman. He chose to dedicate his life to philanthropy through education, believing and emphasizing that knowledge is the greatest equalizer.
In 1993, he founded the Hyderabad Zakat and Charitable Trust, a seed that has since grown into a field of opportunities for thousands of families. Through schools in remote villages, English-medium institutions in urban slums, and scholarships for bright students, the Trust has turned despair into hope for children who had no access to education. Its sister organization, FEED, has opened doors for tens of thousands of students who today credit their success to the opportunities he helped create. These are last-mile real-impact initiatives that continue their momentum to this day.
For him, charity was empowerment
Ghiasuddin never looked at charity as just relief — he looked at it as empowerment. He cared not only for the poor but also for the most ignored: widows, orphans, and families who had no voice. Under his guidance, the Trust launched a widow remarriage programme, quietly helping women rebuild their lives with dignity. It was Ghiasuddin who suggested the government-aided marriage scheme “Shaadi Mubarak”, which is also inspired by his initiatives.
He was also a builder. As director of Babukhan Properties and Industries, he continued his family’s tradition of transforming Hyderabad’s skyline with projects like Deccan Towers and Babukhan Estate, while contributing to the construction of dams, bridges, and industries that supported the state’s growth.
But if you ask people about him, they will not first talk about buildings or institutions. They will talk about the way he listened, the way he cared, the way he treated every student, widow, or family that came to him not as a statistic but as a person worthy of dignity. He embodied compassion in action.
His progeny
Ghiasuddin is survived by his wife, Shujath Babukhan, and children – Mohsin, Asra, Mansoor, and Mustafa – each of whom continues to carry forward his vision, both in business and in service. He declared that his lofty Bungalow at Begumpet would be endowed to charity. He continued to pay rent from the same day till he moved into a different home. That is one of the many characteristic traits that defined his persona. There are countless more, but the constructive ripple impact his many relief and social rehab projects had on the impoverished or those affected by the natural disasters and communal riots is second to none.
In a world where wealth is often hoarded, he showed that true richness lies in giving. His life was a canopy of generosity, and under its shade, countless lives found hope. His absence will be deeply felt, but his roots run deep – in institutions, in communities, and in the hearts of all those whose lives he touched.
Syed Khaled Shahbaaz is a journalist and author of the book, “The Kohinoors: Distinguished Personalities of Hyderabad.” He can be reached at syedkhaledshahbaaz@gmail.com
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