Shamshabad

Shamshabad was my gateway into the magnificent City of Nizams - Hyderabad, AP. I spent less than 24 hours in Hyderabad recently on a whirlwind visit. It was an unforgettable day and one for keeps literally. It seemed surreal to me at several times during the day. Since we (me & friends) were there for barely sometime, we had to make some rapid choices on what we didn't want to miss while at Hyderabad. It boiled down to these finally --

This one was a must visit & an obvious choice - Hussain Sagar Lake near Begumpet. Early in the morning, the lake was at its tranquil best. I loved the way the water glistened like sparkling diamonds under the rising sun. I have yet to see a prettier lake. This lake is literally the jewel of the city. Impeccably maintained and surrounded by Parks, 5-star hotels, well-manicured lawns and walk-ways throughout the 14km stretch, this speaks volumes of the governance & infrastructure. When I found out that the average depth of this lake was 5 m, I was spooked! I had nightmares of being stuck right in the middle of this scary lake in broad daylight. There is a hangout called Eat Street near the lake which we visited - very college-ish atmosphere. Oh I forgot to mention, there is a Buddha statue bang in the middle of the lake. I think there's boating & para-gliding during the evenings.

From Hussain Sagar, we headed to Golconda Fort. This was the best surprise of the day & wins my prize hands down for favourite place of the day :-) I have been to Fort Aguanda in Goa and imagined this one to be a replica or something along those lines. Heavens no! This was massive, regal and had a personality of its own. The entire fort was made of stone. There were intricate passages, chambers for the Rani & her entourage, graveyards, granery and anything and everything you can imagine about medieval times - Lot of interesting trivia about this place for the history freaks. We climbed to the highest point panting and totally breathless. The view of the city from atop was something we were glad we didn't miss - It made the tiresome journey up worthwhile. We had fruit bread & posed for snaps under the now burning sun :-) Note : This place needs time. One sad fact from the pages of my memory - When I visited Taj Mahal (years ago) also, the same thought had struck me then. Such marvellous instances of Indian architecture & right outside these monuments, you will notice badly maintained areas, slums. I mean, you are heading for these places through a slum and BANG! .. Out of the blue, right next to the slum or a dump, you will be told that you've reached the destination. Govt. Of India , Dept. Of Tourism - Kindly do something about it!

Golconda Fort, done! We went to Charminar. Nothing spectacular to describe , its something like Hyderabad's 'India Gate'. I wish someone had warned me this place would be overflowing with the human species. There isn't a square inch of free space in & around Charminar. This looked like the busiest place in Hyderabad choc-a-bloc with activity. Shops all around, hawkers everywhere & vendors breathing down your neck. Though I desperately wanted to try the samosa + green chillies combination. Doesn't it sound so spicily tempting? Having recovered from a severe bout of viral fever recently, that was strictly out of bounds. The only thing here that fascinated me was the story behind this monument - Apparently it was constructed to commemorate the eradication of plague!! Wow.. I wish Pune or B'lore constructs a monument once Swine Flu is eradicated ;-) And... there's a mosque inside Charminar & a temple right outside it. Looks like certain communities couldn't resist stamping their authority. Sighs!

Okie, so now we hesitantly entered Lad Bazaar right beside Charminar to shop for .. Bangles & Pearls !!!! I seriously haven't the foggiest idea whether what I bought was genuine Pearl and whether this Lad bazaar was even reputed. Beggars can't be choosers, especially when under severe time-constraints. So I picked up a few bracelets, lacquer bangles ( Minavar he said) & a string of pearls. I was happy. I love buying cute li`l souvenirs from all the places I visit. I have to have something to remember the place by correct? Nope, photos and mindful of memories aren't enough! :D What I wished I had time for - authentic finger-licking Hyderabadi biriyani & a visit to Salar Jung museum. I whizzed past Karachi Bakery, Prasad's, Hyderabad Central, Hyderabad House, Swaram's office ( Yes I remembered you ;-) ) etc fervently hoping my next visit to this enchanting city was soon. My friend who had been to Hyd earlier enjoyed imitating the Hyderabadi way of exclaiming 'Kyaa miyaaan' genuinely.

We hailed a cab to Charminar to head back to the airport. I was thoroughly impressed with Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) when I landed & was really looking forward to going back. Impossible to describe, but the airport looks like a resort really :-) The airport is in Shamshabad. I'm quirky and nutty - I actually fell in love with the name " Shamshabad " !!!! It was stuck in my head the entire day. Hence the title of the post ;-) I also liked the name of another area "Mehdipatnam". Oh ok, I'll put an end to this fetish for names!

As my flight took off, with a heavy heart I bid goodbye ... Adios Shamshabad - I'll be back later for a stronger flavour of Hyderabad & Hyderabadis !!

 

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