Hyderabad was the first city I had lived in for a considerable time, outside of my hometown Ludhiana. I remember the day when the train carrying me and my parents chugged into Hyderabad's Nampally station. It was sometime in the end of July. Our B. Tech batch was scheduled to begin in the start of August 2008. The sky was overcast and once we noted the greenery of Gachibowli and Lingampally along the roads (University of Hyderabad campus and SBI campus), we were excited. Add to it, the roads with constant and smooth ups and downs: beautiful images that are imprinted in my mind to this day.
The 60+ acre college campus was equally lush green although with a reddish rough soil that I kept a close contact with: firstly, though the PT sessions of first three semesters and then through the evening 5pm football routine. The hostels were the best one could find in a top-ranked college like ours. And messes were mostly in a mess, barring the Yuktahaar, the Tuesday south Indian mess (chana poori) and the Thursday NBH mess (Dosas and the long line for them). One could easily blame the Mess Committee for condition of the rest of the messes, of which I was (sadly) a part. But all we could do is set the menu and not coerce the mess vaalas to not to garnish Jasmeet's plate with cockroaches or bidis.
The college years' outings to city outside the college were mainly on foot, autos and local MMTS trains.
On foot, we often went to Indra Nagar for food and sacred temple visits with the twins and the seer, "Seri Seri" Amma. Though tired after the football game, we would hardly miss the Saturday temple routine. Indra Nagar (Gachibowli) was then upcoming shopping area, comprising - Reliance Fresh, Spencer's, Domi, Subway, pnb ATM, some Chinese restaurant chain on top floor, the sardarji offering golgappas, some Rajasthani dude with parantha shop in roadside basement (I became synonymous with parathas as I frequented that spot), Jaspal and Mani's Punjabi Rasoi, and Delhi 39 a little farther away.
Our huge group would throng the malls: Inorbit, City Centre, GVK One Mall, Central Mall. Scores of photographs with our first camera phones with the MacD dummy on the bench outside the outlet in City Centre Mall. Using coupons (thanks to 'coupon man') to get burgers virtually for free. I would often buy one-liner T-shirts from Maxx showroom in the same mall. 'Beauty lies in the eye of the beerholder', 'No job, No friend, No girlfriend, come to Delhi', 'I am not perfect but parts of me are incredible', and what not. After the college, I remember the night in Cuban Libre club, when we had fun flaunting our dance moves with a bunch of foreigners.
The jam-packed autos with smaller guys atop the heavier ones with each one overstepping on the other's foot. The pitch darkness in these autos and a sudden rant from Reddy, "Abe mera pair...".
The movie outings were fun too. We had to visit the Talkie Town (Miyapur) twice for Ghajini as on the first day, we got the lowliest first row (worth Rs. 20/-) and we could not stretch our necks so high to watch the glasses from the stunt scenes literally falling on us. There was IMAX then, where I watched The Dark Knight Rises, Avatar - one of the best viewing experiences.
Our bargains with the auto vaalas and the consequent verbal duels with them were quite common.
The iconic Hussain Sagar Lake was always a fun outing. We would get down at Khairatabad MMTS station and hire an auto to the Prasad's IMAX. After that would come the dinner, either in the same mall or on Eat Street along with the Lake. The return journey would include catching the local train from Necklace Road station. A couple of videos from our mutual antics on the local train show the fun we used to have with each other. The day we had to catch train to Goa from Kachiguda, was quite exciting as we almost missed the train as the MMTS train connecting from Lingampally to Kachiguda got late for no reason.
The bike rides in the later half of college life and the job were mesmerizing- whether it was Mani's new bike (we touched 120kmph late night on the road to the Inorbit), Fakka, Shukla, Shandi's or later Pingi's.
Occasionally, we would use Local Buses too, for Mehdipatnam, Koti or Chilkur Balaji (Visa) Temple. The Visa temple presented a sight of hundreds of to-be NRIs faithfully circumambulating the garbhagriha wishing for the H1B lottery software to give a 'YES' against their name.
Gaming malls and team activities formed another part of outings. Bowling in SVM mall, go-karting and laser tags were fun activities. Team outings in job to resorts in outskirts of the city were refreshing.
Football was a regular fixture in and out of college. From the daily half-court practice games in IIITH, a rare turf game in Madhapur (after I had left the job) and in BHEL ground with North-east origin guys - were best part of the day. The daily football game with kids in the lawn of Aparna Sarovar after coming back home from office was thrilling. That has been the only ground in which I was by far the best player, thanks to my age. Haha.
My fascination for rail journey continued in Hyderabad. The ever speedy MMTS local was treat to travel in, of course, when there was no rush in the train. The acceleration and deceleration, akin to Delhi Metro or any other local train, was always preferable to the jam-packed roads. The Secunderabad station, Nampally station (that dead-end of the track) were the junctions. Lingampally, the nearest local train station nearest to our college was the major stopover in the train journeys. During first year, we used to line up early at the ticket window for tatkal tickets. Later during the job, it was the boarding station for the guys travelling to Bangalore. And that wide road to the airport with boulders all along the path hardly has a comparison.
The old city charm was explored by me and Shandi in a visit to the Charminar around the time of Eid. The congested area is abuzz with economic activity and lighting.
Not to forget, I faced many tests and dilemmas in more than five years' stay in the Hyderabad. But they were milestones in knowing myself that, to me, seems the most important thing in life.
And on the last day, Gayal and Sagar were courteous enough to accompany me to the same Nampally station to bid goodbye to me.
All-in-all I have very fond memories of the city.
Another, बाद city coming up next. Yes, it is Ahmedabad, another capital city.
