Hyderabad… a confluence of old world Nizam City and new age Cyberabad

The city of Nizams… isn’t that how each of us read about Hyderabad? I remember I did. For me, the city was all about old world charm, land bazaar (bangles, chaand baalis!) and biryani!!!

Charminar thru the rain

The city welcomed me with a downpour of rain and the weather was fantastic throughout. I met up with a friend of mine after a decade nearly. She was a lovely host and thanks to her and her huby, I was able to do the touristy thing too. They took me to Charminar and even with cats and dogs pouring down upon us, they were game to help me look for my desired souvenirs. You can see the pic above, it was snapped through the wind shield. I loved the half hidden view of the monument.

From the heart of the city as we moved to the elite Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, you could see a modern affluent city. We ate at a lovely Barbecue place called JB. They had an awesome Sea Food counter that needless to say, I snapped pics of. Noteworthy mention to the grilled pineapple and the ice cream sundae. Oh and they also had a singer who was belting out English numbers from the 80s and 90s. Throw in the chatter of a hundred or so people to the mix and you have a heady cacophony. We did manage to converse a lot though. Catching up on people and reminiscing how lives have changed. Her two little kiddos were the icing on the cake. Her daughter was almost as old as mine and by the time the evening ended, we bonded so well that she held on to my hand all the way to dinner and back. And the little 8 month old son was so so adorable. I did not hear him cry once in the entire day! Such perfect little angels 🙂 I loved playing with him so much. That and looking at the way the siblings were interacting, made me want to get another one of mine soon 😉

Seafood Display at JB, Hyderabad Shark, Eel, Octopus, Lady fish and Sea Bass

And then, the next day onward I was at Cyberabad – a modern metropolis of chrome and glass buildings that have come to define commercial complexes in the last 2 decades in our country. Looking at these buildings, you can never tell where you are. A few iconic ones like DLF Ship building (Gurgaon) or ILFS (Mumbai) aside, the rest look like unidentical clones of each other. You could easily lift the one in Hyderabad and place it in Mumbai. The one in Kolkata and place it in Hyderabad. It wouldn’t make much different to the skyline of the commercial hub I suppose. How I wish we return to the architectural nuances that are unique to the region in the modern construction as well. Anyway, the name Cyberabad itself ticked me. I thought it was a slang. Then I saw a police bearing this name and was amused that the authorities did have a quiry sense of humor to name an IT park thus. In India, it could easily be named after historical figures, political leaders or Gods!

Me at Paradise.. Happy grin after an awesome dinner

I did sample the delectable Hyderabadi Mutton Birayani at the famous Paradise Hotel.. My colleagues had been there and were keen to eat there again. Although I had been advised to give this place a skip and eat at Biryani Corner, I went with the flow. I quite enjoyed the tender mutton biryani and if the other outlet makes it better, it is an excuse to go back… No? We also had Qubani ka Meetha with vanilla ice cream out there. Apricots stewed with elaichi and kesar made for a lovely dessert. I also picked up biscuits from Karachi Bakery on the way back. I have to say… those were some of the best biscuits I have EVER eaten. Those vanished so fast at home that I had no chance to click pics!

And finally, I wrapped my trip with a short beauty bloggers meet up! I met Nidhi or Nids and she is a guest writer at IBJ, ETM and many more. We met for the first time and it was like catching up with an old friend. Like me, she has found wonderful friends through blogging and we hit it off immediately. It was a lovely end to the trip I must say 🙂

Nids & I

The best part of the trip though was coming home to my daughter and the millions of hugs I got from her. Nothing can beat that. Absolutely Nothing!