The steps of the restored Residency building have been transformed into a runway for Tarun Tahiliani’s fashion. | Photo credit: Serish Nanisetti
On Friday evening, the steps of the Residency building in Hyderabad turned into a runway for men and women modeling Tarun Tahiliani creations. With Hyderabad’s social elite sitting in the audience, from Prince Azmet Jah to businessmen Sanjay Reddy and Anil Kamineni, Mr. Tahiliani’s clothes and designs were nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was a proof-of-concept staged by the Telangana government and the World Heritage Fund on the adaptive reuse of restored monuments.
“The state is looking for partnerships with corporations and private individuals to ensure sustained engagement in conservation efforts, which will significantly enhance the structural, functional and cultural health of Telangana’s heritage. We invite you to partner with the Government of Telangana in protecting and reshaping our common heritage,” Tourism Minister Jupully Krishna Rao said as she launched a program that seeks to secure private funding for the maintenance and reuse of monuments.
The program involves the implementation of long-term conservation strategies and innovative revenue streams to reduce reliance on government funds for the sustainable management of monuments. It also aims to transform underutilized heritage structures into active cultural centers and create local livelihoods.
“For the first phase of the heritage programme, we have identified 25 sites, 20 in the TCU region of Hyderabad and another five in Telangana,” the minister said.
The Residency building, which functions as Veera Naari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University, has been transformed and the durbar hall exhibits designs by Mr. Tahiliani, who celebrated 30 years of the fashion brand. Two rooms on either side of the Durbar Hall have been turned into a space to explain the program of receiving the monument and another for the TT brand. The space around the fountain in the front part has been transformed into a dining area.
“I am delighted to be here in Hyderabad to mark the end of the World Monuments Fund’s 60th year. The Residency is living proof of a successful collaboration that reflects WMF’s wider heritage conservation philosophy, where the protection of historic sites goes hand in hand with the maintenance of craft traditions, livelihoods and cultural continuity,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, Director General and President of the World Monuments Fund at the evening before the curtain fell.
Published – 17 Jan 2026 21:25 IST