Vol 5 No 2 | Jul-Sep 2025
Biryani Khaane Jayinge
Story and art by Hallubol (Rahil Mohsin and Amaya Alankrita)
Hallubol—A Dakhni initiative
Hallubol is a multimedia initiative Alankrita and I started in early 2023. It is our hope to create narratives deeply rooted in the lives of Dakhni speakers, capturing their everyday experiences, both big and small.
Our journey began with our first comic, `Mard Bann‘, which set the stage for a five-issue series. Our latest release, `Abba Aari‘, continues this exploration. Each story is inspired by real-life events and my personal memories of growing up in a Dakhni-speaking household in Bangalore.
Dakhni—a language of the masses awaiting recognition
The name `Hallubol” itself means `speak softly’ in Dakhni. It’s important to us to highlight that Dakhni is a distinct language with a rich history, often spoken across South India and also famously known as Hyderabadi Urdu. It’s not merely slang or broken Urdu. Dakhni has a unique flavour, borrowing words from Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Persian—you might recognise words like nakko (no) and jasti (more) if you’re from the region. Some even believe Dakhni predates Urdu!
https://theprint.in/opinion/hyderabad-heart/stop-urdu-snobbery-dakhni-200-years-older/2511179/
Since 2020, we’ve seen a wonderful movement of people embracing their Dakhni roots by creating content and asserting its place alongside India’s many languages.
https://www.siasat.com/bangalore-ka-potta-dakhni-urdu-artist-releases-maiden-rap-album-2449587/
Multilinguality in our comics
We believe that languages thrive in connection. In India, multilingualism is a way of life. One minute someone’s speaking Dakhni, the next it’s Kannada or Tamil, and by the end of the sentence, it’s English! Our comics aim to reflect this natural fluidity.
In `Hallubol‘, while the main characters converse in Dakhni, the world around them speaks in various tongues. You’ll find a character ordering idlis in Kannada, and even our ghost has a penchant for dramatic English. This mix feels authentic to how people communicate in India.
We’ve chosen to write Dakhni using the Roman alphabet, which is a common preference among modern Dakhni speakers for texting and online communication. This makes our comics more accessible to a wider audience, and even if you’re not fluent, you’ll likely recognise the sounds. Plus, every comic includes English translations, ensuring nothing is lost in translation—and the jokes still land!
Above: Commonly used Dakhni words in Persian script with translation and transliteration.
Source: Hyderabad History Project
Our initial comics have delved into serious themes like toxic masculinity and generational trauma, but we always strive to balance these with humour and heart.
https://hallubol.com/category/press/
About Biryani Khaane Jayinge
Our newest comic, `Biryani Khaane Jayinge‘ in Comixense, marks the beginning of a new adventure series where our characters travel to real places, exploring history and culture through a Dakhni lens in short comic form.
This time, we follow three friends: Saucut Shaukat, a seemingly tough butcher with a secret love for soft idlis; Farishta Feroze, a kind auto driver with big dreams; and Mansoor Bhai, a talkative juice vendor. Their adventure begins spontaneously when Feroze declares his desire to go to Ramanagara for biryani, launching them on a journey filled with laughter, food, chaos, and yes, a ghost.
The Tipu Sultan Connection
Growing up, I heard many stories about Tipu Sultan. He was born in Devanahalli (yup, where the Bengaluru airport is now) and is still a respected figure among many local Kannadigas. As kids, we’d watch Tipu processions with fireworks lighting up the streets on Tipu Jayanti. These would usually start from Pillana Garden, a place that later became Bilal Bagh during the anti-CAA protests. Even today, the Sultan’s face appears in protest art, as a symbol of resistance and secular ideals. Notice how Tipu Sultan shares space with the likes of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gandhi and Bhagat Singh?
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/bilal-bagh-bangalore-caa-nrc-protest-6270997/
Though he’s barely mentioned in school textbooks, his legacy lives in community memory. While working on this comic, I came across online articles calling him controversial.
Especially this article https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/resurrection-of-18th-century-ruler-tipu-sultan-in-poll-bound-karnataka-2341821-2023-03-02
Which was later fact checked https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-old-photo-tipu-sultan-tableau-falsely-linked-76th-republic-day-parade-2670844-2025-01-27
That made me curious. Wanting to go beyond internet sources to understand him better, I decided to take a trip. Not for biryani like our comic trio but to visit places linked to Tipu Sultan and learn more. Of course, I didn’t want to go alone. So I roped in my younger brother Faris (he’s on the Hallubol team too), and off we went on an Activa scooter in the scorching March heat. Perhaps not the smartest idea, but certainly a memorable and enjoyable one.
Round Maringe
“Round maringe!” is a common phrase we often hear in Dakhni circles. It roughly means “let’s go on a trip,” but with the energy of an impromptu adventure. There’s always that one friend with “pau mein chakkar” — someone who just can’t sit still — ready to drag everyone along for the ride. In our story, that’s Feroze, who rallies his friends Shaukat and Mansoor for a biryani quest. The same way I got my brother to come along, keeping up the Dakhni tradition.
We retraced the same path as our comic characters, passing through small towns, stopping whenever our backs gave out, eating roadside snacks, and clicking photos. We crossed funny road side banners, visited the wooden toy shops of Channapatna, passed by the Sholay hills, and ultimately reached Tipu Sultan’s Dariya Daulat Palace in Srirangapatna.
Above: Sholay Hills
Above: One of the funny banners we came across on our expedition
There, we met Mr. Devaraja, a guide who shared captivating facts about the Sultan, some of which made their way directly into our comic as he narrated them! Before we left, Mr. Devaraja also directed us to Tipu Sultan’s tomb. We thanked him and decided to pay our respects.
Above: Mr. Devaraja imparting wisdom
Above: The Sultan’s portrait in Darya Daulat Summer Palace
At the tomb’s entrance, we noticed a peculiar sight: a crack in the glass pane of the door, filled with coins and currency notes. Faris explained that many visitors believe The Sultan’s tomb possesses divine powers, leading them to make wishes and leave offerings, transforming the tomb into a sort of shrine.
Above: Currency notes and coins left by visitors.
Above: The Sultan’s tomb, his grave covered in a tiger printed cloth. Beside his tomb is his father’s grave.
Scooby Doobie Doo Kaa Hai Tu
Growing up in the ’90s, Faris and I had limited television options at home, mainly DD National and DD Metro. However, weekends at our naani’s house were special. Cartoons, cousins, cricket, and of course, roti-doodh-shakkar. One weekend, Cartoon Network aired a Scooby-Doo marathon. We skipped cricket and were glued to the screen for hours.
What I loved most about Scooby-Doo was the consistent plot twist: the ghost was never real; it was always someone in disguise trying to create fear. They were always unmasked and confessed, which felt satisfying and logical.
Above: Fred from Scooby Doo unmasking a villain. Copyright: Warner Brothers/ Hanna Barbara
However, the world today feels more complex. We see powerful individuals engaging in wrongdoing and then portraying themselves as victims. This idea resonated with me. In our comic, the ghost is a British soldier from the East India Company. He confesses his actions but also attempts to extract sympathy. It’s our little nod to Scooby-Doo, with a contemporary twist.
Ultimately, “Biryani Khaane Jayinge” is a story celebrating friendship, food, spontaneous adventures, long drives, and ghosts – some historical, some imagined, and some simply pretending. It’s a comic brimming with humor, mischief, and the warmth that makes Dakhni lives so rich with stories worth sharing.
