checking out Hyderabad

It had been six years since my last visit to the city where I was born and spent a significant amount of my childhood. Already a melting pot of forever clashing religious groups, it seemed as though the city was unware of its own rapid transformation into a metropolis. But, after taking more time to explore the city and its recent history, the nuances made more sense. The transformation was actually the direct result of a visionary state governor's passionate attempt to make Hyderabad (capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh) a technological oasis. He administered the state more like a CEO, rather than a politician. Attracting companies like Microsoft and Oracle using whatever means were at his disposal, he put Hyderabad on the global map. Technical call-centers for Dell and other large technical companies account for a significantly large number of new jobs in the city. The transformation is not yet complete and is far from slowing down.

But I think I mostly enjoyed the food in the city. The restaurant business boomed in the last couple of years; the fierce competion increased the quality of the cuisine to heavenly standards!


You find great fruit all year long everywhere on the streets.


I rode around the city in style!


Smoke break.

A lot more cars in the city now, but the two-wheelers still rule the streets. They ride like they don't fear death. Weaving in and out of traffic like they are all alone on the road.


Idiot knocks down a couple of parked two-wheelers.


Buildings are getting taller and bigger everywhere.


Happy Hours indeed.


Jackie Chan is GOD in Hyderabad.