Deepshikha Katuri

I never really believed in the saying “the world is a small place” but today somehow there were moments where I thought the world certainly is a small place to be in. So, one of my classmates from 5th grade texted me and we both had a good conversation and caught up on some things turns out she was looking at her old photos and somehow she found our 5th class photo in the pile and she stalked some people and managed to get in touch with me. This is pretty great. And we have a mutual friend and it turns out that our mutual friend was my classmate during my 8th to 10th-grade where I studied in a different school. I studied in Chinmaya for more than 10 years and I changed my school during 8th grade because most of my friends were going off to different places and I thought even I wanted to leave that school. (the decision which I kinda regret). I sent that photograph to many people and most of them I’m in touch with but I sent it to many others who I’m not in touch with too. I ended up talking to most of them and I can only think about how much everything has changed but yet while talking to them it feels like nothing has really changed between us. I sent the picture to the people that I used to sit with and there was this one guy who I always to fight with for some reason and even today I can’t deal with him (Some things never change). But the funny part is during 4th and 5th grade I would always have some sort of fight and with this guy with nerd glasses and he would always irritate me, but we were sometimes nice to each other, I disliked him anyway, but when I left Chinmaya, he was the one whom I went to, to complain and cry about how disgusting my new school was! and even now he’s one of my closest friends. Irony! I’m so glad I got back in touch with a lot of them though we had some small talks. Most of my closest friends are from this school there’s something about those primary school days and friends that I will always cherish and be grateful for. There’s nothing that I would wanna change about it. Those school life pictures are like my best memories. I remember the days we celebrated our birthdays, the extracurricular activities we took part in, the sports days, the annual day practice sessions, and a lot more cultural fests, Shivratri nights and Bhagavadgita chanting sessions during the school assembly because my school was very traditional. Also, while talking to them we all realised that we somehow know each other’s friends circles through someone that we commonly know and are good friends with and we all realised the world indeed is a small place.

PS: I’ll save the whole traditional and festival days for another blog cause there’s much fun and I would enjoy writing about them overall! 🙂

It’s been more than two months since we’re all staying at home following the lockdown rules, chilling, spending time with family, cooking, and working from home. We all are definitely grateful for the things we have right now.
I just wanna say a few things, they’ve been in my mind for quite some time and I feel the need to put it down in words. It’s also because of the guilt of not being helpful enough to mankind. I came across many articles and posts on how the migrant workers are walking back to their native places because of how they do not have any means of living in the cities due to the lockdown. As much as I support the lockdown, I can’t help but think about the ways our government could’ve helped our people who are less fortunate and who depend on daily wages for their survival. The government could’ve promised them financial support, could’ve promised them enough food, medical help, and basic things a migrant worker is now struggling for. But they’ve certainly failed to do so!
This morning I read an article on Time of India which was headlined “malnourished migrant mother struggles to breastfeed her babies” now these are the people that mostly depend on their daily wages by working anywhere they possibly could earn meager amount to do nothing but have three meals a day. These people don’t have high standards; they don’t care about being affected by the virus which is one of the reasons why they’ve started walking back to their hometowns even though it meant walking thousands of kilometers.
India deployed commercial flights, naval ships, and military planes at the beginning of this month to bring back people from across the globe. Why didn’t they think of the struggling workers that are walking back to their places, from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh, from Andhra Pradesh to Bihar, from Delhi to Madhya Pradesh? Is the government not aware enough of the situation of these workers or are they just ignorant? When our government can plan the world’s largest evacuation to bring back Indians to the homeland from across the world why couldn’t they plan a road transport facility for the poor that are walking back to their native?
Maybe because we can’t get rid of slavery because the economy will collapse! We cannot have enough working hours per day because the economy will collapse! What! The migrant workers want some provisions? Don’t they know the economy will collapse?

Never have I ever is a teen sitcom series on Netflix about a girl, Devi Vishwakumar (Mytreyi Ramakrishnan) who’s an Indian American dealing with her strict Indian mother and a typical Indian cousin. The story discusses the problems that the high school teenagers face and also shows how Devi is dealing with her father’s death which got her psychologically paralyzed and how she had a tough freshman year. You’ll see how a girl who’s brought up in an Indian household deals with things while she’s trying to do the cool stuff to be popular at the school. Being an Indian kid you’ll be able to relate to most of the things that Devi goes through with her mother.
Never have I ever is a story about coping with pain and grief of losing someone and dealing with the high school insecurities. John McEnroe narrates the story and there’s Andy Samberg narrating the story in one of the episodes, at the end of the series you’ll be able to understand why McEnroe was narrating the story. It’s a balanced series with some decent humour and great emotional value that I think, the series has done a great job pulling off.
Overall, it’s an amazing show to binge watch, it’s only 10 episodes with each episode being less than 30 mins which makes it great. You’ll be able to relate to a lot of Indian things which might go unnoticed otherwise. This is a series that isn’t like any other teen comedy.

(4/5)⭐

• 

It was last year that I was in old city during ramadan after having the delicious mutton biryani for dinner and hot haleem in the mid night. The famous fruit ice creams which are way better than naturals, the kebabs, with all the other scrumptious finger licking good food in the city during this holy month. The bazaars filled with vendors everywhere, the shops selling colourful shiny clothes, the eye catchy jewelry and the small vendors writing “20% discount” on the cardboards and putting it up on their shops and carts. It took us 2 hours to move two kilometres at 2AM. The warmth and the flavour of this city  can never be found in any other place. How much do I wish we could experience all this, sometime soon!

Charminar during Ramadan 2019.

During this quarantine, I’ve been trying to figure out why I like what I like and I went on Pinterest, searched for the word “Old soul” and I’ve taken plenty of quizzes and read enough articles that could totally relate to me. I immediately created a board and started pinning the things that I liked. Trust me, Pinterest has a way to spoil you. It has a way of reminding you of old fascinations. I’ve come across some aesthetic pins and  I’ve decided to add them to my boards and I’ll make a collage out of my boards soon!

I’ve always liked the 70’s and 60’s music. I’ve grown up listening to my grandpa’s and my dad’s playlist all the time. Now there’s something so beautiful and creative about Music and fashion during the 20th century. I love the vintage vibe. It is so pleasing and just puts your mind at ease. Recently, while listening to my dad’s playlist of the old songs only made me realise that I’ve listened to all of his favourite songs without knowing that they’re his favorites.

Now, being an old soul is not easy around today’s world, people will never understand your music taste and your fashion. (well they don’t have to).

I’m all about that music from the ’50s to the early 2000s. Given the chance, I might just not stop playing songs of Culture club, Abba and Vengaboys (consider the fact that I’m a late 90’s kid). And of course, I watched Michael Jackson’s This is it and Whitney Houston’s Can I be me 100 times and each time I watched I had tears. They were legends. I think I enjoy these things a lot more than the usual person because of my parents. I’ve gone to watch concert films with them at the theatre, we spend Sundays listening to good old music. Grew up playing music on the cassettes and CDs and even Vinyl records. The Toosie challenge that is going viral now, Lou Bega kinda did that in the ’50s with his mambo number five song. At least that’s what I think!

Last night when I opened my wardrobe I saw the clothes that I never really wear because in my mind I’d be thinking they’re so “Old school and so 80’s” I’d just end up never packing them with me because I kinda wanna go with today’s fashion trends but that, I never do. And then, of course, there’s my mom in the background taunting me around with the “you always buy a lot but never wear anything nice”. well, could she be any more right? My heart goes Shalala lala to my wardrobe!  Don’t get me started over how much time and years have I spent trying to find myself a perfect dungaree. I finally got it a few months back. let’s just say that I’m lucky to have some people in my life who’re kind and loving enough to get me one, The perfect one! I often try to wear what I like and yet try to maintain today’s fashion but I fail miserably sometimes. I hear a lot of “You”ll have plenty of time to be an old soul just be young for now” My clothes and music taste might seem outdated and so uncool but I love it that way and wouldn’t change it for the world. *playing material girl while writing this*

{secret fantasy} I have these fantasies like I wanna go to a 70’s or 80’s party and dance the night away to some dancing queen and Cheri cheri lady! I am gonna file a petition to one of the clubs to have such a night some time.

Picture credit: we heart it from Pinterest.

So I just watched “world famous lover” and the film didn’t do well at the box office but now everybody is enjoying it and are actually tweeting and posting about it! It’s no surprise to me. What our critics actually do is give advice to the director on how he should’ve made film. What our critics do is decide if the actress has “wasted” her time doing this film, not if she has performed well. People should stop deciding if WFL is Arjun Reddy 2.0. Making such comments is fine but shouldn’t decide unless they’ve watched the film. Films are not here to change the society. You don’t walk into a theatre thinking ‘this film will change my behaviour’ if that’s what you’re doing then it’s completely dumb and please don’t ever watch movies. No, I’m not saying that the film was so good and it’s a wonderful story. All I’m trying to say is that I have a problem with the way our critics try to defame a film because it’s “wrong”. Obviously not everything shown in the film is going to be right. It’s a story. It’s there to entertain you. Tell you a story. Well, let me enlighten you, not all films are going to give a message to the society, it’s not a film’s job. The sole purpose of a film is to tell you a story for the three hours that you sit in the theatre. Yeah, ofcourse there are movies that give out a social message. You can totally watch them. And this film is not the “arjun reddy hangover”. At least use your brains before saying such things.

With the cocktail of things that are happening in the world right now, we all are probably finding it difficult to keep up with the harsh reality. It sucks to see our humankind live through such a phase. But during this lockdown, I’ve realized a lot of things. Like, being away from certain people gives me so much peace of mind. Thinking about it instantly makes me feel better about the lockdown. That doesn’t help but make me miss my friends, makes me miss being out with my tiny little circle. (Also, thinking about all the junk food that I currently miss). I’ve been trying to cook different dishes just to quench my cravings, well, I’m surprised how good some dishes turned out. It’s obvious that I tried everything with my mom’s help! She doesn’t let me help her sometimes because she’s afraid I might spill the hot oil on myself. I don’t blame her, I tend to get clumsy sometimes..Ok… Most of the time.

Apart from skimming through the refrigerator and walking to the kitchen thousand times a day, I’ve been spending some quality time in my room lying down and binge watching sitcoms, listen to some music, call and annoy my friends until they decide to not be friends with me ever again (I’m now wondering how I still have friends). Sharing room with my younger brother makes it very frustrating sometimes and it’s nothing but hell most of the time. “Everybody just wants a bit of privacy to be honest” If you know where that is from, you know what show I’ve been bingeing on. My mom and dad play some games with me whenever possible but my brother is truly throwing his teenager tantrums around like confetti MOST OF THE TIME! It gets really crazy, and we also end up having physical fights.

Just to get some air and spend time alone and not to have my brother around, every evening, I go to my terrace and feel the breeze on my skin. For the first time I’ve experienced a silent sunset, fresh air on the terrace, saw a bunch of parrots, no sight of traffic on the Begumpet flyover is a huge thing and none of this has ever happened before, it’s been a few weeks into the lockdown now and I’m used to it and I’m loving most of the things about it. There are too many pets in my colony and I love seeing how excited they get when they come on their terrace for their evening walks. Thanks to the lock down, if it wasn’t you, I would’ve never experienced these on my terrace.
I’ve talked to some of my friends in the colony that are extremely happy about the lock down because they don’t have to give their exams this year! But also they are sad because they can’t get out for a smoke. I can’t help but feel bad for them!

So this is what I’ve been doing during the lockdown, I feel like I’m on a hamster wheel because it feels like the days are repeating and my routine has become extremely boring. I do nothing but binge-watch and read fanfics on Wattpad like the 13 year old me. It also feels great to think about 2013 when the world didn’t have such problems and the only main concern was who deserved the Grammy!

It was the day before our semester project, studio production. The day went pretty well, we all attended the college practiced and discussed everything. The day was smooth, all of us were excited about our project. So that night, I received a text from my sister say that hary (my uncle’s Labrador) passed away. I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it. It was terrible. Knowing that he’s been sick for a long time now, I knew that someday we might have to put him to rest. But never in a hundred years had I thought that he’d be gone that day. I couldn’t stop but think about all his cuddles and sweet kisses. The chasing. The times when he was a puppy. He used to act like it was the end of the world when it was bath time. He used to guilt us into giving him treats as if were starving him. I could never wear dark clothes without having them inevitably turn white. He would shoo away the birds in the garden. But also he would never hurt a fly. The way he used to get excited for walks. I was never afraid of walking on the streets past 12am because he was with me. He never used to bark at any dog or human. He was so friendly and kind with everyone.  He would ALWAYS lick off the food that I used to drop on the floor. Now I’ll have to clean it up. \nWe have the same birthdays. I’ll miss bringing him ice cream on that day. He was more than a pet. He was my friend, my companion. He was amazing and a great little man.

It’s crazy how much a dog can do to your life. I mean he wasn’t even my own pet he lived at my Ammamma’s place. I’d see him regularly when I lived in Hyderabad but after coming to Pune I’d only spend time with him when I came home. And when I got the news I was devastated. I just wasn’t able to believe that he was gone. He had such an impact on my life, he always showered me with love and only love. I am so sad I wasn’t able to hug him and say goodbye. But I am happy that he is in a better place now. I wouldn’t want him in pain. He filled a significant role in my life and I am forever grateful.

 I love you my fluff boi, I’ll always remember you!🐾

• 

I’m not exactly sure about how I’m going to go about this so please excuse me if this is scattered. As I decided to put this out it took me a very long time to get over with what happened that night. I couldn’t believe a guy who was then one of my closest friends did this to me. I choose not to name the person as I’m not ready yet. So this happened in the year 2017 October. When i went to one of my closest friend’s birthday party. I knew this guy since my 5^th standard.  I asked my friend to accompany me as it was a house party. She came along with me. We celebrated his birthday at 12am, cut the cake, and gave him his present. Spoke to his friends and his girlfriend. I was having a good time.  So the time passed by and people were drinking and having fun with loud music in a dark room. His girlfriend had to leave by then. I was completely fine with it as I was a 16 year old girl who had always wanted to go out during the nights to have house parties and have fun with my friends. I was enjoying that night. Had no alcohol.  Zero alcohol. But i knew the people around me were drunk and just having fun nothing bothered me then because my friend (who came with me) was beside me until then but she went out I don’t know why. She asked me to come out with her but I was enjoying the music and didn’t want to get up and go out of the room. But I soon felt very uncomfortable. As I noticed that I felt multiple kisses on my cheek. He was murmuring things into my ear that made me feel bad and disgusted. I couldn’t immediately react as i was shook and I didn’t understand anything. I don’t know why. Soon I felt even more uncomfortable as i felt like he was touching me inappropriately.  We all just know when it’s a bad touch.  You just know it. I asked him to stop many times. He got upset and started looking away.  I kept asking him if everything was okay. He continued to make me feel guilty. H made me feel like I hadn’t given him something that i promised so I tried kissed him on his cheek for a split second with the most repulsion I have ever felt. I felt disgusted I felt liked I needed to puke, felt like I needed some air to breathe. But he suddenly switched up he was behaving like nothing happened. He was fine. Now I was in the room with few other boys who probably understood the scene, one guy passed out on the bed and had no clue of what was going on even though there was loud music and tripy colorful lights. The rest of the boys were dancing and were completely drunk. I screamed that I wanted to leave but nobody could hear me. There was a switch next to me and I switched the tube light on and they were like “we need the tripy lights or else there won’t be any fun” I was scared and i wanted to run out from the room I remember they stopped me inside the room my “friend” whose birthday it was pulled me behind and tried to make me feel better and made jokes on how there no power and how I can’t turn on the tube light. I was very uncomfortable. I was screaming. I just wanted to get out of that place. My friend who was out in the hall knew something was wrong, she screamed my name, and she wanted me out. I struggled to get out of that room, I remember yelling at a guy asking him to open the door or else I don’t know what I’m going to do. He understood I was uncomfortable, he led me out, and he tried to make me feel comfortable in a nice way. But I didn’t feel good around him even though he was genuinely concerned about me. I just didn’t understand anything that had happened. we both came out I was so shocked I couldn’t even tell her what happened. but she understood that I was off and didn’t pressure me into telling her what happened. we both were silent. I was very traumatized. i was not able to tell her.

I couldn’t believe that my close friend would do this to me. I knew him since my 5^th standard. He was my school senior. I played sports with him during school hours. I was good friends with him during that year but he always had the audacity to behave like he owned me.  He would get insecure if I was hanging out with my other guy friends.  He used to block me everywhere if I had done one thing without letting him know. (Not that it mattered but just mentioning how fickle and stupid he was) but despite all that I was very kind to him. I remember the meaningless words he spewed me on.  I remember it all. Despite whatever happened that night I still went out the next day because it was comic con I wanted to go. I remember waiting for that person to get there and I had just decided that id confront him cause it fucked me up mentally completely. I was shivering. I was controlling my pain. I called him multiple times to know if he’s coming or not every time he answered the phone he sounded weird and disgusting. And he said he was on his way to the place where i was waiting for him to come. But I was pretty sure he was not. He sounded like he was in his sleep. Just to confirm i called his girlfriend to know where they’ve reached. She sounded the same and I felt disgusted. They sounded like they were making out. (Why would you even answer a phone while making out you dumbfucks) I knew i had to tell her also about what had happened last night because she deserved to know. But I felt weird in my stomach I needed someone to cry on. I just wanted to cry. But I was in comic con where people were all dressed up as different characters. It was a happy environment for others except for me. I loved comic con so much. I never missed going there every year. But that day it wasn’t the same. He finally came there with his girlfriend after i waited for like 2-3 hours. I wanted to scream and slap him across his face. But he was a pretty popular person. Everybody from almost every school knew him. So there were many people around him. I had no power in myself to do so. I was mentally tired. I just wanted to fall down and cry and also wanted to kick him in his balls. He never deserved anything nice from me. I told everybody around me that I wanted to leave, it started raining. I was not finding an Uber or Ola. He and his girlfriend helped me find an auto to get back home and I live pretty far from that exhibition center. It was difficult finding one in the correct price. And when I finally got into an auto I just didn’t feel safe. The auto driver was being weird. So I called my dad and told him that I started and I’m coming home in an hour or so. Like always, he asked me to send the number and details of the auto. The driver understood that I sent my dad the details as I asked him to stop the auto to click a picture of the number plate cause it was weird that this auto did not have its owners name and other details inside the auto. I felt kind of safe after sending the number to my dad. But whatever happened last night was running in my mind. I just couldn’t forget it for a split second. I got home, I rushed into my room cause I wanted to change. I remember crying and sobbing and having these weird thoughts in my head. It was my close friend. I remembered all the time people telling me to be careful with him. The people who used to warn me were my very good friends; i still talk to them regularly. I regret not listening to them. One of my seniors had asked me to not be friends with him for the reasons that she can’t put out. I asked that guy about this and he tried to tell me a story which was in his favor. I knew something was fishy but I never let it bothered me. I was blaming myself for everything. I still did until a few month back. It took a lot for me to realize that it wasn’t my fault.

 He used to come to my house every now and then. And i knew my parents never liked him but i thought that was because they thought something was going on between us. I remember my mother telling me to be careful around him as he seemed kinda strange. I should’ve listened to her. Same goes with my dad. They never had to give me such warnings about my friends but with this one guy, they did. I regret not asking them any further questions.  During that year my anxiety had been so bad, there was other shit that was happening and constantly having that night in my head made things worse. I gradually stopped talking to him. Never gave him any sort of explanation. I didn’t feel like I had to. One day, I will confront to him. I just don’t know when.  

I still can’t get over that night. There are days when I feel numb, there are days when I’d just cry and cry remembering that night. There are also days where I’m extremely happy to be alive. And that I don’t have to deal with that person anymore. There were days when I bumped into this person and he’d just say something that put me in an uncomfortable situation. I get extremely uncomfortable. There are places that I completely stopped going to because I know that person might be there. Knowing me is not the justification for doing what he did. Nobody gets to decide someone’s consent.  I want to say this today, that no matter how nice and kind I was to you, you had this coming. He never deserved my niceness and I think definitely he’s this kind of a person.  A self obsessed egoistic freak. He’s disgusting. Shame on him.  Nothing but disappointment at his egregious display of loyalty as a friend and a human. No matter what He’s accountable for what he did. There are absolutely no excuses nor explanations for he has done. His side doesn’t exist to me. I don’t care. I’ve spent days contemplating hating myself for the way I was treated that night, figuring out where I went wrong. I have spent days crying unable to tell anybody why. Breaking down though I was having a good day because of the trauma I’ve been put through. Nothing he ever does can undo that pain I go through. He’s vile. As I write this almost three years after, makes me think about that night, it still makes me wanna cry, still makes me hate myself for going to his place that day.

Lastly I’d like to thank few of my closest friends who’ve pulled me out of where I was and gave me strength and love. You all helped me get out of where I was. Thankyou for holding me everytime I broke down, you all listened to me everytime i wanted to cry about it. Please know that I will love you unconditionally and I’ll always be grateful. You know who you are.

PS: I’m down to hear if anybody has anything to say that has happened to you. Know that I’m here to give it to you. Any help in any kind of way.

Hyderabad has been assessed as the world’s most dynamic city from amongst 130 cities across the globe not only for the development but, The city of biryani, kebabs, haleem and the home to spicy Telangana flavours has received the title from the UNESCO “The creative city of Gastronomy”. My gorgeous city is known for its royal food and delectable style of cooking.

Hyderabad is today famous as Cyberabad because of the IT Hubs and the booming business development here. It was named Hyderabad because of the love of Muhammad Quli for Rani Bhagmati, later called Begum Haider Mahal and what a love story it was! The son of a Muslim king in love with a Hindu village dancer.

I was born and brought up in this beautiful city of rich culture and Heritage; I spent 18 years of my life here. I grew up in the heart of the city, Begumpet which is located very near to the beautiful Hussain Sagar lake. I have never seen the city like a tourist. For me it’s my home. But today let me tell you about the city’s cliché spots and some places which are my favourite and which are very close to my heart.

So to describe it, a city which is famous for its Nizam rule and the city of pearls, home for its heavenly Hyderabadi biryani and the lip smacking Qubhani ka Meetha. It’s my home, Hyderabad. What comes to your mind when you hear of a south Indian city?  Typical guys in lungis, dark skin tones, temples and coconut trees? Guess what Hyderabad is nothing like that. It is a city filled with its rich heritage of the nizams, a city now full of IT companies and the work ground of Tollywoood, a lot of horrendous traffic, a lot of exceptionally tasty and good food. So the city is a mix of the modern culture and the olden culture still being alive simultaneously. It doesn’t make you feel like an outsider for once. (unless you’re being a culturally prejudiced)

How to reach Hyderabad?

The cheapest way to reach Hyderabad is to catch a train from area and if you can spend quite a good amount you can book your flight tickets from your city or town. You can take a cab or bus from the airport to the main city for your stay. The ride from airport to the main city is very beautiful and the flyover which connects the outskirts and the city is quite peaceful but once you’ve reached the city, welcome to the horrendous Hyderabad traffic! If you’re coming by the train you can get down in Secunderabad or Hyderabad station which is commonly known as Nampally station for the locals. And you will get to see the traffic immediately you get out from the station!

Where to stay?

There are zostels available in every corner of the city if you’re going on a budget, but if you can afford you’ve got some good lodges or you can stay at the ITC Kakatiya or Taj Vivanta. Or you can just “Hotel? Trivago”

Hyderabad has each and every ingredient to relish a tourist’s lust to wander around. Hussain sagar, necklace road, the Mozamjahi Market,Museums, Palaces, gardens and our favourite old city. And coming to the IT hub of the city now also called as Cyberabad is always awake no matter if its 3pm or 3 am.

How to travel around in the city?

Since it is a metropolitan city, the public transport is pretty cheap and very reliable, MMTS local trains and Metros are very time saving and are pocket friendly. There many official outlets on the roads that let you take a two wheeler on rent and charge you per hour, they’re also very pocket friendly. And also if you can afford you can always hire an ola or uber to also experience the horrendous Hyderabad traffic.

What to do ?

If you’re in the city for a business trip, you’re most likely to end up in HiTech city, which is in the west zone. This is home to CBD of Hyderabad.

But if you’re here to spend your holiday, here’s what you can do

The view from Durgam Cheruvu which is a lake situated in Madhapur is underrated it’s a must see view if you’re visiting Hyderabad. And if you have a vehicle, do go around the Inorbit Mall road. The drive on that road is so beautiful. You can go around in the city at late night to explore the roadside nightlife. You should definetly have the dosas here and they serve so many different varieties. 

And if you’re a party person, I’d totally suggest you to spend a weekend here and party at a club in jubilee hills and get drunk, take a cab to DLF which is in Gachibowli. And it is a food heaven for bachelors and for having some cheap and best food after you’ve just partied and spent too much at the club. Few unique food items are available here. Items like fried Maggie, verities of dosas, Chinese food and many other items are available near DLF all night long. Or just go have some dosas at Ram ki Bandi after 3am.

If you love dogs and would love to spend time with them, you should go to the dog’s park in necklace road on a Sunday. The dogs are very friendly here and the pet parents are more than happy to let you have a cuddle with their puppy.

Have an ice cream from the famous mushoor ice cream parlour in necklace on an evening in tank bund.

And during winters they city hosts an exhibition every year which is called Numaish, it is an Urdu word for exhibition. It is held in Nampally ground every year. If you’re visiting the city during winters, you’re lucky enough to experience Numaish. It is very colourful and full of life with different kinds of fun activities and rides, so many things to shop for and a lot more than just that.

 Hyderabadis are extremely friendly and nice, I didn’t realise that until I moved out of that city. When I lived there I thought people in every city are like that. But, LOL. A non Muslim or a non Telugu can sustain here very easily. With no doubt Hyderabadis are one of the least xenophobic people.

Now let’s go to the old city and do the most basic tourist things!

Golconda Fort

One of the most important builders of Golconda was Ibrahim Quli Qutub shah Wali, he was the fourth Qutub king. Golconda was rebuilt for defence from invading Mughals from the north. The kingdom of Golconda stretched over the Telangana region and some parts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra. This fort has many places within it to see, some mosques, high cliffs and the beautiful view from the top of the fort.

Charminar

Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub shah, the 5^th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, built Charminar in 1591 shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golconda to Hyderabad. He is said to have prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging his city and vowed to build a Masjid at the very place he was praying. He wanted it to be open for all people of all religions. The bazaars surrounding Charminar are very lively. Here you can purchase any product ranging from bangles to books, clothes to pearls. Yes! Being the city of pearls you can find pearls ranging from Rs 100 to lakhs.

And obviously, how can you leave Charminar without having a cup of Irani chai with Osmania biscuits. It makes you feel so relaxed and satisfied with that one cup of chai. The biscuits taste delicious and they just melt in your mouth.

And of course, our biryani paradise, just go hog a lot of biryani in the old city at Hotel Shahdab. We definitely have the best biryani in the entire world.  

Birla Mandir

The Birla Mandir, located in south end of Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad, stands atop the Kala Pahad, the twin hillock of the Naubat Pahad. The temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, is constructed with white marbles from Rajasthan. The chanting “Kausalya supraja rama” mantra to awake the Lord, is sung every morning at around 5.30 am. And as for the evenings, they are melodious; sweet melodies of cuckoos and the kirtans of Annamayya, Tyagaraja and Ramadas at the backdrop of the orange-ish-red sky can relieve any one from the tensions of day-to-day life. From the extreme top of the temple, the entire urban Hyderabad can be seen, which is a breath-taking sight.

Chowmahalla Palace

Located in the heart of Hyderabad, the Chowmahalla Palace is a magnificent edifice that once served as the seat of power of the rulers of Asaf Jahi dynasty. It was in this palace that the Asaf Jahis, more popularly known as the Nizams, resided during their reign over the region. Even today, the essence of those glorious days is alive in this splendid 19^th-century palace that boasts of awesome architectural beauty. The building, which is currently the property of the heir of Nizams, is also open for public viewing. The palace still has a clock that’s been working for more than 250 years now. Every week, this mechanical clock is winded to keep it ticking. The palace boasts of a fleet of vintage cars that were used by the Nizams. This includes the 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Falaknuma Palace

Constructed over an area of 32 acres and approximately 2,000 feet above Hyderabad, the Falaknuma Palace has been constructed with Italian marble. Built by an Italian architect, the palace is one of the architectural wonders of 19th century and is often referred as “mirror of the sky”.

With interiors decorated lavishly, the palace has close to 220 rooms and 22 halls, each designed beautifully. One of the most captivating features of this palace is its innumerable Venetian chandeliers; their exquisite beauty and large size alluring every visitor. The palace represents the glamour of Nizam era and its carefully designed architectural beauty. Located at a distance of 5 km from Charminar, at engine Bowli in Falaknuma, Falaknuma Palace Hyderabad stands majestically on a 2000-foot-high hill. This palace is sure to take you back to Nizam Era, to its glamour and luxurious living.

Peddamma Gudi

Peddamma Temple is dedicated to Goddess Laxmi who is shown sitting on a lion (Simha vahanam) called as Santhan Laxmi. The name Peddamma is derived from two words ‘pedda’ and ‘amma’, which means mother of mothers, denoting the Goddess. Located on the Road no 55 of Jubilee Hills, this temple is easily accessible via all modes of transportation. There are many regular buses that run via this temple along with a few direct buses as well from Secunderabad and MGBS Bus Stop. Peddamma temple is around 13 km away from Secunderabad railway station while from MGBS bus stop it is around 14 km away. You can take auto rickshaw and even cabs to the temple.

Ramoji Film City

A city inside the city! Ramoji is the largest integrated film city in the world. It was built by Telugu film producer Ramoji Rao in 1996. You can visit the film sets, theme parks and amusement rides. The film city also has two hotels inside it if you wish to stay here and explore the film city fully fledged. It has many permanent sets ranging from railway stations to streets. I’d suggest you to spend two good days here to have a complete tour of the film city.

No matter how many places you travel you’ll always have a special place in your heart for your home city. It automatically makes you feel good about it. And I can go on and on about my home city. But I’ll save that for another blog!

 Don’t’s :

Donnot drink and drive in this city, cops don’t take it easy.

Don’t talk about middle eastern politics in the public places specially if you’re in the old city.