skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Hyderabad
There is something about a monument that makes you love it immediately. It isn't how much you think the Nawab or Shah or Mughal emperor spent on it; it isn't the reason why it was built in the first place; it usually isn't the sheer size of it. You just know you love it. Just like you know your mother is thinking about you. With the Charminar, though, it just didn't happen. I'm sorry.
The Seven Tombs. A congregation of tombs of the seven Nawabs of Hyderabad. I think it's a half decent idea to keep the remains of a dynasty together. For some weird reason. That apart, really good place for lovers and lovers of open spaces alike. Beautifully landscaped and a refreshing change from the hustle bustle of the city. It's just that kind of place which gives you an opportunity to take a moment, if you know what I mean.
Ah, well. This was the start of me relating this thought I had borrowed from somewhere to almost everyone I knew. One of the primary differences between Indian and Western mentality is the definition of what is private and what is public. Indians could let everything march of to hell, given just that their own house is clean. In fact, that's the saddest part about the festival of Diwali. That damn story. For the uninitiated, the old woman told the entire city to not clean their homes, just so the Goddess would come tumbling to her doorstep only. Culture reflects selfishness. Reformers like Swami Vivekananda introduced the concept of seva. This is sad to me. In the west, people were brought up with strict laws and they incorporated care for public property within their culture. Hyderabadis, though, unlike most other parts of the country are extremely emotional about things similar to the picture. The most attractive part of the Golconda Fort, for example, has been closed because people have defaced it so horribly. You can see museum guides telling little kids to get the hell of the ledge. Cool.
It's almost as if the responsibility of globalization has been thrust on the shoulders of the ancient city. Personally, things like these are just a reminder for me to take it slow.
Oh, the Hyderabadis know their way around the kitchen. Some of the best tikkas I have had, apart from the trademark biriyanis. I don't know why, though, they really don't know how to mix a drink. I sure they'll catch up.
The Qawwali. I was fortunate enough to arrive in Hyderabad just at the end of Ramzan. Everyone was out in the mall, cheering for one or the other team. The grandmas were tapping their knees to the beat, the children were bouncing around. The parents were shopping. City life.
This picture really does speak a thousand words. It summarizes the entire city in a snapshot. Hyderabad exemplifies diversity in India. Hindu, Muslim, the rich, the poor, the middle class, daily wage workers, the High-Tech City - the entire cocktail that makes India the beautiful place it is. A city still coping up with media exposure, the people still don't really know where things are headed. Two wheelers, auto rickshaws, Maybachs. The High Court in the background puts everything into perspective.
There is something about a monument that makes you love it immediately. It isn't how much you think the Nawab or Shah or Mughal emperor spent on it; it isn't the reason why it was built in the first place; it usually isn't the sheer size of it. You just know you love it. Just like you know your mother is thinking about you. With the Charminar, though, it just didn't happen. I'm sorry.
The Seven Tombs. A congregation of tombs of the seven Nawabs of Hyderabad. I think it's a half decent idea to keep the remains of a dynasty together. For some weird reason. That apart, really good place for lovers and lovers of open spaces alike. Beautifully landscaped and a refreshing change from the hustle bustle of the city. It's just that kind of place which gives you an opportunity to take a moment, if you know what I mean.
Ah, well. This was the start of me relating this thought I had borrowed from somewhere to almost everyone I knew. One of the primary differences between Indian and Western mentality is the definition of what is private and what is public. Indians could let everything march of to hell, given just that their own house is clean. In fact, that's the saddest part about the festival of Diwali. That damn story. For the uninitiated, the old woman told the entire city to not clean their homes, just so the Goddess would come tumbling to her doorstep only. Culture reflects selfishness. Reformers like Swami Vivekananda introduced the concept of seva. This is sad to me. In the west, people were brought up with strict laws and they incorporated care for public property within their culture. Hyderabadis, though, unlike most other parts of the country are extremely emotional about things similar to the picture. The most attractive part of the Golconda Fort, for example, has been closed because people have defaced it so horribly. You can see museum guides telling little kids to get the hell of the ledge. Cool.
It's almost as if the responsibility of globalization has been thrust on the shoulders of the ancient city. Personally, things like these are just a reminder for me to take it slow.
Oh, the Hyderabadis know their way around the kitchen. Some of the best tikkas I have had, apart from the trademark biriyanis. I don't know why, though, they really don't know how to mix a drink. I sure they'll catch up.
The Qawwali. I was fortunate enough to arrive in Hyderabad just at the end of Ramzan. Everyone was out in the mall, cheering for one or the other team. The grandmas were tapping their knees to the beat, the children were bouncing around. The parents were shopping. City life.
This picture really does speak a thousand words. It summarizes the entire city in a snapshot. Hyderabad exemplifies diversity in India. Hindu, Muslim, the rich, the poor, the middle class, daily wage workers, the High-Tech City - the entire cocktail that makes India the beautiful place it is. A city still coping up with media exposure, the people still don't really know where things are headed. Two wheelers, auto rickshaws, Maybachs. The High Court in the background puts everything into perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment