Hyderabad: the Sixth Time
 |
| An Aerial View |
This was my 6th visit to
Hyderabad. Indian Roads Congress had its 77th Annual Session
scheduled in this capital city of newly carved out state of Telangana.
Incidentally, both my first and last travels this year involved this city of
Nawabs, pearls, biryani, and bangles. Golconda, Charminar, Salarjang museum,
and Birla Planetarium are the other famous names associated with the city of
Hyderabad. In January 2016 I attended the 9th World Atheist
Conference at Vijayawada, spending one day and night in this city enroute and
now in December another 5 nights.
While in Hyderabad I can’t miss
staying with my old friend Prabhakar Swamy. We are friends for nearly 4 decades
now. He is a religious person staunchly practicing Hindu and I am an atheist.
So wonderful a friendship we have nurtured that this issue of faith and
non-belief never cast any clouds over it. He prays for me, offers me some ‘prasdam’
and smears a big ‘tilak’ on my forehead. All this is outlandish to an atheist
but I don’t object. He always gifts me something to wear. This time also I got
one ‘lungi’ from him. Occasionally, I wrap it around.
Churi bazaar – the street of
bangles, is a lane facing one side of the famous Charminar where you will find
bangles of all types. They also call it Laad bazaar. ‘Laad’ meand pampering.
Yes, you pamper your woman with colourful bangles and jewelry, of course, the Nawabi
style.
The language was never a problem in
Hyderabad. Hindi and Urdu are well spoken and understood. This time I noticed
that the locals would start conversation in Hindi/Urdu rather than in English
or Telugu. Ahmed, my driver for four days in the city, despite being a Hyderabad
guy spoke no Telugu. The Nawabi / Hyderabadi Urdu is a distinct dialect and it
sounds so enchanting.
 |
| KUCHIPUDI |
 |
| PERINI Dance |
In the past, some localities in old
Hyderabad had been in the news for some bad reasons. People often gave in
marriage their young girls to old and ‘apparently’ wealthy so called Sheikhs
from the Middle East. This is a racket involving human trafficking and
exploitation of women as well as pedophilia. How many of us remember a sobbing
teenager named Ameena who some three decades back was deplaned at the
international airport under suspicions of child trafficking though she was
supposed to have been ‘legally’ married as per her religion’s diktats.
Ahmed told me that this practice in
that particular area stood curbed to a large extent but traces of the social
evil remained. Some unfortunate girls have to pay for the sins of their men
folk who do not work and want easy life.
The IRC event was nicely managed by
the PWD engineers from the young state of Telangana. The accommodation provided
was very good, as was transportation.
And the sumptuousness of Hyderabadi food remains a hallmark. And the
cultural shows including the graceful Kuchipudi and the high pitched Perini
Tandava dance were the icing on the cake.
RK
Comments
Post a Comment