Hyderabad Revisited

hi everybody,


I am back after a long break. Also I have shifted base to Hyderabad, the city of nawabs.
It's a beautiful city if you dont mind the residents. The weather at this time of the year is mostly overcast, with a little bit of rain, rather like London. The city is centred around the hussain sagar lake, which I am told is about 100 mtrs deep (sufficient to accomodate all the unrepentant, impertinent cabbies and shopkeepers- but more of that later). The lake looks beautiful and often hosts a variety of Yatching events at Hyderabad. However, with untreated sewage flowing freely into the lake, a ride on one of the boats can be terribly smelly! The elite stay in places such as Banjara Hills/ Red Hills / Jubilee Hills. There are several palaces, some open to public and others since converted to Govt. offices. The most surprising thing about the place is the number of shopping malls. I am really amazed that all these malls are able to break even-it says a lot about the purchasing power of the residents. Another thing is the stark disparity of income. In the old city, people are desperate to make two ends meet. At the other end are the hi flying software people from the Hi-tech city.
By and large the quality of stuff is poor. fruits, sweets, clothes...limited choice and poor quality. The shop keepers are rude and extremely unhelpful. Another special feature is the shallowness of knowledge. That may perhaps be because I have not interacted with the software people here and the denizens are mostly into software......What I certainly like about the place is the bakeries....More numerous than PCO/STD booths. And the stuff they serve is good though expensive. Hyd also scores low on the greenery. Its about 5% of the city area, which is among the lowest in India. Coupled with this is the low level of awareness/ action against vehicular pollution. Places like Abids- a shopping paradise- can bring tears to your eyes in peak hours. In Delhi, it was worse, before the Supremee Court stepped in and forced the Government to take action. Here..I hope one day the High Court will sou moto take cognisanse and force the Government to be more proactive. Actually, in a way the bad roads and the traffic woes are a boon to the city. Hyderabad is a fast emerging medical tourism destination. The hospitals are burgeoning and it is hoped that sooner than later the citizenry will begin enjoying the hospitality of the hospitals...reap what you sow.