While drinking a mug of cold beer at one of the many joints in the city, somebody whom I met very recently asked me, “How do you find Hyderabad after being here for a while now?” to which, even before I opened my mouth my friend replied “Oh, he is in love with Hyderabad”. The person who asked me the question looked quizzed and asked me rather sarcastically “What do you find here? I personally like Bangalore or Mumbai better and so do my friends”
I have thought the same and many others have asked me why I don't leave Hyderabad. The answer is very simple – Just like there is no reason in many of my likes and dislikes or in many of my actions, I don't have a reason as to why I love Hyderabad.
I reached this city by the fall of 2007 as a student of Hyderabad Central University. I don't consider the University as part of Hyderabad at all since that 2500 acres of land is an entirely different experience. It is once I started working that my real stint with Hyderabad started. In between, I did I leave Hyderabad for Delhi. Delhi was accommodative, but not too benevolent. The winters were beautiful, the summers just as harsh, and the people... just like the climate, extremes. I was not a very happy man in Delhi I must say, but each time I go there I study something or the other as I have mentioned in one of my earlier blogs. Fate is very weird, so there I was...back to Hyderabad again by mid 2010. Its April 2011 and I don't see myself leaving this place for another year at least.
Now, I am determined to find reasons and justify why I love Hyderabad. Here are some:
(1) Hyderabad has the charm of the old Nizam ruled state and the fervour of a burgeoning Metropolitan.
(2) Hyderabadi people are one of the most friendliest lot I have come across in my travels across the country.
(3) The cuisine is mind blowing and its a meat lovers close second to paradise, the first being Kerala.
(4) The winters are lovely, mild and beautiful. The summers are hot and cranky. But better compared to Delhi.
(5) It is the place I left home for. The place where the University is, the place where I have had probably what could be called the best time of my life till now.
These are some reasons I tried to list just for the sake of convincing others why I like a place. There are reasons which I don't know.
Maybe it is because all my people, my friends are here
Maybe because I can go back home at 2 o clock at night without fearing lack of transportation
Maybe because I haven't had better beef shawrma from anywhere else
Maybe because I know if I am in trouble, there are people to bail me out
Maybe because I know where and how I can get my work done
Maybe because it is close to B'lore and not too far from Trivandrum
Maybe because I know I won't get lost here in this city
Beyond everything, I am a very happy and free man here. I have known what I am after coming here. I have never felt lonely in this city. How much ever I fight with auto drivers or with anybody for that matter, I have never felt hate or repulsiveness to the people here. Its been very benevolent and caring towards me. It is a choice I made, the city, the people and my people here haven't disappointed me yet.
As much as the city has grown on me, I believe now I have grown on the city too and it doesn't want to leave me...
the characteristic of a reason (blame it on our learning ideals)is often blanketed with heartless logic projected by popular nouns and accepted statistics. a feeling is often a plethora of adjectives. but home(city) ..... home for me can only be expressed with confounded words. dont get me wrong here my instability is because as i grow older i realize i like different things.
ReplyDeletehi . its me roji.
@ Roji: Wow, that was some comment. Are you the same Roji who was in Mar Ivanios College, Trivandrum?
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to justify yourself to anybody. You love the city, you love the city. You love potatoes, you love potatoes. You want to marry a bottle of beer, you do that. No matter how much you expalin to another person, your reason won't make sense to them.
ReplyDeleteEven I get a lot of "But why are you still in Hyderabad? Why are you not going back home to TVM, or to B'lore at least?" Initially, I used to give half-baked reason which didn't sound convincing even to my own ears. "Job...","Oppurtunities.." "Cost of living..." Blah blah blah. Now I just say "I love the city. I don't see why I should move." Really, it's just as simple as that, isn't it?
@ Spaceman: Absolutely. Cheers to Hyderabad!
ReplyDelete