By Y Satyanarayana
Hyderabad: He was known as a gentle giant among many of his old friends. Vijay Marur in many ways, was an embodiment of the graces that are associated with Hyderabadi culture. The city was benumbed with the news of his sudden passing away and dozens of his friends, old and new, took to social media to express their grief.
Marur was a man of many parts—someone who wore many hats with ease and grace. A theatre enthusiast, Vijay Marur was one of the pillars of Dramatic Circle of Hyderabad. He was also one of the founding members of Hyderabad’s celebrated Little Theatre. A creative genius when it came to advertising Marur had worked with Ogilvy & Mather, among other ad agencies and was known for the high quality ad films he made. He had a rich baritone voice which was always “in demand” at recording studios.
Viju on occasion, would call me up and say—“let’s do a Faiz reading. Pick the lot who’ll recite and we’ll have others reading the translations.” At The Gallery Cafe in Banjara Hills and Vidyasagar Art Centre in Domalguda earlier, some of us would recite from the works of Makhdoom, Faiz and other renowned Urdu poets, while other friends including Vijay would read out their translations.
Vijay Marur was a quintessential Hyderabadi. A foodie, he was a connoisseur of the finest in Hyderabadi cuisine. And he was a great lover of Hyderabad’s cultural heritage in its many facets—building and architecture, cuisine and culinary refinement, poetry, humour and the rich cosmopolitan mosaic of its social milieu. Hyderabad will miss one of its loving sons whose smile will remain forever etched in the hearts and minds of his friends.
Vijay Marur leaves behind his wife Lata and his two daughters. His funeral rites will be performed at Swarga Vatika in Secunderabad at 12.00 noon on Friday.