Hyderabad: my third visit

This third time

Green Hyderabad surroundings

I last visited the city of pearls exactly five years back. Since then lots of water has flown down the Musi, literally. This time I noticed that the legendary river was flowing (last time there was barely a streak visible) albeit heavily polluted. The colour of water is blackish and, like everywhere else in India, there is no dearth of plastic and scum around and in water. There are more roads in and around city and the metro rail  project is also on rails. When ready in two years time, the metro rail would make a difference to city commuting by decongesting prime areas of the city. Overall the road condition is better than what I observed last time. However, traffic and population both are maddening. The city bus service is cheap and reliable.

NIRD

Musi

The purpose of my visit was to attend a workshop at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD). This is one of the premier institutes for studies and research in rural development in India. Over the time NIRD has earned international reputation as delegates from various third world countries come here to attain knowledge and skills in human resource development and rural management.

Meeting a stalwart and making new friends

With G Veeranna

I had the privilege of meeting a rationalist friend Mr Gumma Veeranna. He is the President of Andhra Pradesh Rationalists Association. An atheist by conviction, Mr Veeranna is a champion of humanism and is involved full time in rationalist activities. Presently he is busy doing a doctoral thesis on the writings of a revered humanist veteran Mr Ravipudi Venkatadri. When he came to know that I was in the city he, despite having flue and a bad throat, made it a point to spare an afternoon to see me. Interacting with a stalwart was a learning experience for me.

With Dr Gangi Reddy

My sojourn at NIRD besides enriching my managerial skills and widening my knowledge horizons also provided me an opportunity to make new friends. They are engineers, managers, administrators and academicians. Dr. Y Gangi Reddy is a professor at NIRD and my new friend. He coordinates national and international workshops / seminars at the institute. Feel good being friends with an accomplished academician.

An old and secure bond

B S Prabhakar Rao, my long time friend, is from Hyderabad. This friend, philosopher, writer, poet, and guide is a multifaceted personality and personifies the Hyderabadi hospitality. He is a very good chef and expert at pickle making. My share of that delicacy was neatly packed and tucked into a corner of my bag. The bond is getting stronger.