I live in Hyderabad and to me, it’s always been the center of the world. Who wouldn’t want to live in Hyderabad? Winters mean wood smoke permeating the chill morning air and endless cups of tea, summers are marked by movies, mangoes and spiced buttermilk. Once, almost every house used to have a guava tree, a mango tree or a neem tree, and boys played cricket with stones for stumps in the narrow gallis (1). While those leisurely days are a memory now, Hyderabad is still a coveted place for a visit. In the ancient days, people came to pay respects to the Nizam, one of the most powerful rulers in the Deccan. Nowadays, the huge cars that whiz to and fro carry visitors from different shores, looking to do business with this bustling capital city.
Situated on the Deccan Plateau, on the banks of the Musi River, bearing a 400 year old history of Mughal rule followed by the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Hyderabad has been the city of kings. Named the richest man in the world by the Time magazine, the seventh Nizam was truly the founder of modern Hyderabad. Hyderabad is blessed with a temperate climate – if you rule out April and May, which constitute peak summer. Hyderabad is the state capital of Andhra Pradesh and its economic and cultural hub and is known popularly as Cyberabad for its burgeoning IT industry. Hyderabad has a twin – the city of Secunderabad, established by the British for their cantonments.
Getting to Hyderabad from any of the metros does not present a problem and with the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, the city is well connected by air. Secunderabad is the central point for the South Central Railway network, so if you plan to get there by train, that should be easy too. October to February are the best times to visit. Monsoon season in the months of July and August, is also a good time to visit Hyderabad, but be prepared to get wet!
A number of hotels abound, ranging from the high end Novotel, Ista, Taj Krishna, Taj Banjara, the Marriott, the ITC Kakatiya to medium range Amrutha Castle, The Golconda, Fortune Katriya, Green Park and budget hotels based around Nampally and Secunderabad station cater to the needs of tourists. Service apartments are also available if you are planning an extended stay.Getting around is easy too, with a number of cab companies plying and auto-rickshaws available everywhere. The traffic can be a huge deterrent, though – so watch out for peak times.
When you start exploring, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that Hindi is easily understood here, though the locals speak Telugu as well. For the international traveler, a guide, local contact or interpreter would be a good idea. For the tourist – the Charminar, Golconda Fort, the Chow Mohalla Palace, the Salar Jung Museum, the crafts village at Shilparamam, the studios at Ramoji Film City, the Osmansagar reservoir, the Nehru Zoological Park are some must-sees. As are the Birla Mandir, Durgam Cheruvu and KBR Park. Be sure to plan well and enquire about timings in advance as considerable distances separate some of these places.
From Hyderabad, Warangal and Nagarjuna Sagar are just a few hours journey by road. Warangal, erstwhile capital of the Kakatiyas and Nagarjuna Sagar, site of the Buddhist settlement in Andhra Pradesh are good for a short visit. For a more relaxed weekend, the port city of Visakhapatnam is an overnight journey by train. Sample the beaches and seafood there. For the devout, Tirupathi and Srisailam are just a night’s journey away. Around Hyderabad, resorts such as Ista, Aalankrita, Pragathi, Leo Meridien and Mount Opera offer a good way to unwind.
Hyderabad’s cuisine is justly famous with its Mughlai legacy and Telugu infusion. The kachi gosht dum biryani (a fragrant rice dish of lamb or chicken cooked in spices and rice), roomali roti (Indian bread tossed into thin circles), mirchi ka salan( a gravy based spicy curry of slit peppers), shikampuri kebab (patties of minced lamb and spices), baghare baingan (eggplants in a savory gravy), lukhmi ( a fried snack with meat filling), Double ka meetha ( a dessert made of bread, milk, cardamom and nuts), Khubani ka meetha (a sweet compote of apricots often served with ice cream) are a few examples. The Paradise restaurant, Shadab Hotel, Hotel Madina at Charminar, Ohri’s, Hotel Baseraa and the restaurants at any of the bigger hotels are the best places to sample the cuisine. For the adventurous, there are any number of tandoori or kebab joints that offer a meal at a steal. Chinese cuisine is represented by places like Mainland China or Noodle Bar. Tex-Mex, Italian-Mediterranean and Thai cuisines are also available.
Street food in the form of chaat, bhel and kati rolls are available but Hyderabad’s piquant contribution in that area is the mirchi bajji – spicy chillies rolled in chickpea flour and deep-fried – guaranteed to take the roof off your month and lift the top of your head, leaving the ganglions quivering and yes, asking for more!
If night-life is what you’re looking for, that shouldn’t be a problem. The pub scene is hotting up and while the pubs are more raucous and noisy that the traditional ones, they’re the place for the happening crowd in the evenings and weekends. 10 Downing Street at Begumpet, Ahala at Hotel Taj Krishna, Bottles and Chimney at Begumpet, Cocos at Banjara Hills, Dublin at ITC Kakatiya, Equinox at Banjara Hills, Fifth Element at Somajiguda, Firangi Paani at City Center Mall, Liquids at Banjara Hills, One Flight Down at Nampally, Outswinger at Hotel Baseraa, Underdeck at Hotel Taj Banjara and Zouk at Banjara Hills are some of the better known ones.
For the shopping enthusiasts, traditional wear like the Pochampally sarees, Gadwal sarees and Venkatagiri sarees are must-buys. A number of craft shops like Kalanjali and the state-owned emporium, Lepakshi, are where you can get Nirmal paintings, Warangal carpets, Kalamkari wall hangings, Dokra metal craft, Kondapalli toys and terracotta statues. The crafts village hosts an annual exhibition in December where traditional carved items and fabric are made available to avid shoppers in a fair-like atmosphere.
But the feature to soak in is Hyderabad’s rather unique heritage – Mughal and Hindu cultures inextricably intertwined, resulting in a cuisine and identity that is unmatched anywhere in India. Epitomized by a laid-back approach and a courtly scorn for the rat-race, the tehzeeb (2) of Hyderabad characterizes the city’s most recognizable face to the world. To savour the true spirit of Hyderabad, sit down , sip a cup of Irani chai with tie biscuits or watch the world go by at any of the up market coffee outlets; take life easy or as the Hyderabadi puts it in inimitable style – Light le lo, yaar!
(1) Gallis : Streets (Hyderabadi patois)
(2) Tehzeeb: Courtly grace and demeanor
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