No kidding.

This is exactly what a real-estate broker told me when I was moving to Hyderabad just about an year ago. It took me a while to search and find a decent apartment in the city. I had to forego several vacant apartments cos the owners were adamant that they wont rent it out to bachelors.

I couldve gotten something to live easily in and around the area where the IT establishments are present. But to be frank those places are too far away from the ‘real city’ and since I can speak the local languages I can live pretty much anywhere in the city. So I was looking for something in a prime residential area, *not posh/rich* but where the standard of living is good, most of the necessities are accesible by walk.

It was a big challenge and I finally found one and didnt even haggle abt the price. Just signed the damn agreement :)
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“Chalo ek wallet khareed the..(“Let’s go buy a wallet..)..And u know any nice leather stores here?”

“yeah..i know one..umm..it’s near Chiranjeevi Blood Bank,Punjagutta.i’ve gone there two yrs back..we’ll go n find it..”

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They searched around Panjagutta Circle,but dint find the place.During the search project they inquired one cigarette shop owner..he said Chiranjeevi Blood Bank was there in the left galli(street)..but it was shifted to Jubillee Hills,a couple of months ago.

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“Oh…shit..then let’s go Jubille Hills…”

“Okay..then…and hey..wait a minute..we’re not here to find Chiranjeevi Blood Bank..And it doesn’t mean the leather stores’s too shifted..let’s move to dis left galli…”

Well, 2 weeks back he was in our campus. Last week in another company nearby. This week he is coming to the Indian School of Business, our neighbors.
And everytime he pays a visit to any nearby facility, there is large scale commotion and makeshift security structures erected. Lots of Police and security personnel disturb the general calm around the area. Few weeks back when he was here, there was so much fuss. He came to officially open a new building of ours. which by the way is being used for more than 4 months now. duh!! soo much for that “opening”.
I guess he is doing more of the same around here, in other facilities. The good news is that he already graced our place. But the bad news is there a lot brand new facilities around and a handful more are getting constructed, which only means one thing. Either him or someone else in his place will do the same thing.

Ok now to let the biggest secret of the world out, he is none other than the Chief Minister of Andhra.

At the risk of becoming the weather reporter on this blog :P, the rains are back in Hyderabad. This week has been much cooler and more inline with the weather during this time of the year.
All the idols of Lord Ganesha have been immersed into the waterbodie in and around the city. One positive to emanating out of all this is the road blockades are gone. But roads have suffered some damage due to the holes dug to plant the support structures for the idols. This is an annual ritual and frankly i would prefer if they could leave the roads as is. As such our roads are overmatched to the amount of traffic that goes over them. It would be very difficult to enforce any kind of rule on religiou practices as it is sensitive and can get ugly in no time.

The rainy weather is due to the low-pressure area off the coast of AP in the Bay of Bengal. So that means only one thing. The next 2-3 days will be wet and rainy. Ill take this over hot sunny weather any day of the week (except the one where I hang my clothes to dry :)

Suddenly, Its gotten pretty warm and sultry in Hyderabad.
Its really surprising considering this is September. This is probably cos of the cool weather prevalent in thetprevious months when the climate is not supposed to be so pleasant. But it hasnt stopped raining completely. Seems to rain every other evening atleast a slight drizzle. The sad thing though is that most of the roads have potholes and huge cracks due to the rains we had last month. I have seen some repair work happening at various places but i think it will take a while repairing all the damage that is done.

For now, I am waiting for the Winter to kick-in :)

Last few week rains have ruined the roads. Its not a surprise. Just thought to write this one up.

GOVT : Hey our fellow subjects are suffering without roads. Lets work on the roads and we will give them a better life.
Officers(Devil) : Ok

The work starts. Loads of stones tar and other things goes back and forth.
Road Worker 1: Its so sunny. I m so tired.
Road Worker 2: Yeah. The heat is too terrible. No rains this year then we will be in so much trouble.
Road workder1: Don’t worry the rain god will help us and we will have good rain in the city. All our troubles will go away.
Road worker 2: I wish I could make a wish to the rain god.
(these kinds of talks between the workers till they completed road. GOVT came and opened the road for public. Public are happy)
Supervisor: Enough talking. Get back to work. The roads are dirty clean it.

Cleaner 1: Cleaning the road. Oh god…its so much of heat. Why cant it rain. Rain god show us some mercy.
Boom Boom !! Rain god appears.
Rain God: Dear, I have heard you. I will grant you a boon. What’s your wish.
Clearer 1: I wish you could rain when I work and clean the road for me
Rain God: Wish granted: Boom. He disappears.

Next day it rains so heavy.
Workers and Cleaners are very very happy. Because the rain god showed mercy on them. It rained. It cleaned the road.

GOVT: Where is the road by which I came yesterday?
SUPERVISOR: The road has been washed away by the rain sir.

People : Getting mad. Roads gone. Only patches are left. Traces of stones used for road constructions here and there. Back to square one. Need repair/roads.

Story in a nut shell. The roads they construct come only for a few months.

Hyderabad…Hyderabad…Hyderabad…The city has seen a growth rate that looks very surprising for many people/ industrialists/ real estates/ software etc etc. Its is always good to see the city develop at this rapid phase. I have this inner feeling that the day Hyderabad to become cosmopolitan is not very far because of this growth.

But is the lifestyle the same. Are we getting what the city was getting before? In my last 2 years of analysis the quality of the products has degraded quite considerably. That’s mainly on food and any local products you get from AP.

The lifestyles of the people are also changing. I m *NOT* here to blame the people. Its good see that we are trying to live a different life. But because of the change in life style, the business people are exploiting us.

People do business to make money. But when the business grows up profitable to a great extent are they delivering the quality in their work? Is this because of the increase in the populate in the city or because the business persons want to make more money with less efforts?
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A few pictures from the recent Euphoria concert in Hyderabad. As my previous post says, Euphoria rocks :)

Ganesh Chaturdhi/Ganesh Pooja/Vinayaka Chaviti is one of the most important hindu festivals. This festival is to celebrate the birthday of Lord Vinayaka/Ganesh.
Its custom to get a clay made statuette of the Lord and perform the prayers and rituals and then submerge the clay statuette in a river, lake or a water body nearby after a certain number of days after the festival. It could be 3,7,9 or 11. I am not sure there many be more.

Though this festival is celebrated across the breadth and length of India, it is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and fervor in Hyderabad. The characterstic being the mammoth statues of the Lord erected allover the city. Some roads get blocked, traffic streets are decorated with party lights and these centers with the statues become make-shift temples for about a week or 10 days complete with priests and devotional music.
(i am listening to one such loud music session just outside my apartment complex now).

All this is pretty common in many places of India. Lots of statues etc. but the degree and the density is much higher in Hyderabad. The one aspect that seperates Hyderabad from other cities is the way the city comes to a stand-still the day all these statues are submerged in the Hussain Sagar lake(most of big ones are submerged here). The lake is pretty much in the center of the city and all roads leading to the lake get clogged up with the rallys and dancing crowds that accompany the ritual of submerging the statues.

Usually schools and colleges declare a holiday on that day. Which is a very sensible move. Considering the fact that the traffic gets so messed up and there were ocassions when stampedes and pandemonium are the order of the day. I havent seen this kind of fervor for Ganesh chaturthi anywhere else in India. You have to see it believe it.
I will try to upload some pictures (i think itse either next wednesday or thursday).