Hyderabad Diaries: Introduction

Cities, like life forms, keep changing, growing and evolving. History also has records of cities that have decayed. While change is unavoidable, the rate at which the changes take place differ from city to city, from period to period. Viewed in this context, the transformation of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, in the last two decades, has been dramatic.

When I first came to Hyderabad from Chennai in the late 1980s, it resembled closer to a sleepy Tier-II town than a bustling metropolis. Friendly people welcomed us. Hindi was spoken everywhere and hence there were no language barriers. Life was very laid-back and relaxed. Everybody appeared to be having time on their hands.

However, the last two decades have seen the city transform from a laid-back state capital to a busy metropolitan, hosting various business enterprises and economic entities. People from all parts of the country, with diverse cultures, reside here.

Almost all Indian cities have two faces – like the two sides of a coin. One of it is uniform across all cities. That is the MacDonalds, KFCs, Coffee-Days, Malls, Multiplexes, Software Companies face. It is uniform across all cities.

And then there is the other face of our cities. Culturally unique, you would have to experience it to know it. It could be the December Music Festival of Chennai, or the MTR and filter coffee of Bangalore, or the Meena Bazar of Delhi. Every city has its own history, with fascinating tales, fond memories, and interesting traditions.

In this series titled “Hyderabad Diaries”, I hope to share with you my personal experience in discovering the charm of this glorious city, and thereby introduce you to it’s other face.

To be continued…..