As an outsider, it’s when you begin to live in the famed Nizams’ city that, amid struggling to learn, adapt and explore, you discover its many facets and moods and finally grow fond of it as home.
Telugu Radu (I don’t speak Telugu).” Ironically, this was my dubious first attempt at learning the local language. I had decided to move base to the city of the Nizams and, like all changes, this one too felt out of place, weird and unsettling.
There was regular haggling to be done with auto rickshaw drivers, spice tolerance had to upgrade itself to a whole new pedestal, Tollywood was the rage and Fruit Biscuits from Karachi Bakery became a regular part of cabin baggage in flights out of the city.
Slowly but surely life became functional and, over many days, I learned my way around the city. Technically, however, I didn’t even live in the historic city. I lived in one of its much more recent suburbs—home to all the IT giants and the ones who spent time within their walls. And yet, over many weekend trips, birthdays, quests for solitude and comfort, I discovered the many facets of Hyderabad.
When the mood was sombre and the clouds dark, it was quite natural to seek solace in the gardens of the Qutub Shahi Tombs. The silence of the forgotten is buried deep here and it made a perfect haunt for the poet, the writer and the painter. A walk under its archways and in the gardens became a natural balm for the escapist city soul.
Bu hikaye Discover India dergisinin August 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Discover India dergisinin August 2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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