Hyderabad - As I saw her.

As my 7-month long sojourn in Hyderabad draws to an end, it seems very natural that I should devote some time, capture the city as I saw it, and share the image with my friends. Here it is.

It is was due to some pleasant co-incidence that my dad got transferred here at the exact time at which my training semester was due. So the small sharma family of three members arrived here together. Don't miss the 'arrived'; Love was in 'air', literally, for the first time in his life. The first thing that caught my eye from the sky was this huge lake around which the city seemed to be built – Hussain Sagar Lake.

Hyderabad - the city of pearls, the city of nawabs, or the city of 'tanks' (small water lakes are called 'tanks' here). Won't overload this post with boring accounts of history and geography. We seldom remember those things after a few hours anyways.

Instead, I wish to present hyderabad through some particular frames; the frames I used to see the city.

1. The link between the North and the South.

Hyderabad is 'South' for people of north, and 'North' for people of Tamil Nadu, Kerela etc. I have been told that if one goes south, further than hyderabad, one would rarely find Hindi speaking people. Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Karnataka etc. are the real epitomes of South India image – Hyderabad just offers a glimpse; a gateway, if you will, to 'south' south India.

2. The 'Hyderabadi Rain'.
   We were told that we won't be needing any woolens here. I was looking forward to that, being a denizen of north India – acclimated to the extreme climate zone of Jammu and Punjab.

Hyderabad didn't disappoint me.

The rains here are so surreptitious – you won't even know when the light drizzle arrived, and when it turned into rain. Almost playfully, the amount of pouring water kept varying between the drizzle and spray throughout the rain hours - if I was out on streets, I always had a trying time deciding whether to open my umbrella or not.

It's December, and I still cover myself with one sheet while sleeping – like I did in July; we still operate fans – like we did in July.

I don't know if people here miss winters or not. But what I do know that they don't have to buy two different set of clothes. :D

3. The screwed traffic sense and MMTS.

One of the earliest things I noticed was the way pedestrians crossed roads. Raise your hand, and you become the king: that is how you cross the road. No subways, no strict traffic-rules and few foot-overs to talk about, it's a common sight. One can see people cross roads like that almost anywhere: even the big broad roads. Well, not much I could do, but to adapt.

The MMTS (Multi Modal Transport service) of the South Central Railway is a big plus-point of the city. It a cross between Metro and Local trains. For Rs. 2, (and max 5), one can traverse the length and breadth of the city. I personally commuted daily by it, for at least 4 months. A few more trains of that kind, and it could match Delhi Metro. Though I heard that a separate Hyderabad-Metro project has begun already.

4. Facets of the Feminine.

I saw women bus conductors, jostling through the crowded buses, shouting “ride” or “right” (i still dont know which) signalling the driver to move. Then I saw women cobblers (not even a single male one).

And of course I saw the burqa-clad ones. At first I took it to be a social-equalizer, a symbol of uniformity; the fact that one doesn't have any clue, whatsoever to the status of that girl/women in society. Soon, my illusion was broken. It was the same black all-covering robe, but even that had stark variations – the type of cloth used, the embroidery, the presence (and absence) of black velvet gloves adorning their hands; it wasn't so much of an equalizer that I had thought it to be.

And yes, all I could do to guess whether a girl was beautiful or not, was to guess it from her eyes – the only visible part in most of the cases. But on the whole, the mystery was alluring.

I observed that local girls, the non-muslim ones, wore very simple dresses, and were generally devoid of any sort of grooming or makeup – very unlike the northern ones.

Well, even that illusion was broken, when I visited the other side of the city – Banjara Hills, Jublee Hills, Begumpet, etc.

5. Two distinct Hyderabads.

The areas I just mentioned above, are just like Noida or Gurgaon. Malls, flyovers, marts, multi-plexes, restaurants, coffee-houses, book-stores. Banjara and Jublee hills house abodes of Tollywood stars, industrialists, and politicians; I don't need to explain anything else. Yes, this is the region where a north-Indian would feel almost at home – including how the people dressed, and what young college boys and girls do. :p

The other hyderabad has rangolis made outside houses. One can see dosa-idli-masoor bhaaji vendors around street corners. Crowded streets, markets, places like Char-Minar etc are a feature of this Hyderabad.

Even the quality of APSRTC buses seem to be biased on this two-hyderabad theory.

6. The overly-simple cotoure.

Especially in the older hyderabad, the more austere one; people wear overly simple clothes as compared to us in northern India. Of course women can't be compared distinctively, with their sarees etc. But this aspect is clearly visible when it comes to men. Very simple shirts and trousers, mostly tailor-made. Even the colors that they choose, appeared so earthen to me; I was usually conscious of my dressing being very brightly colorful in the initial days.

But of course it's a different story when one visits the other side of the City.

7. Hyderabad Revealed

The most famous hyderabadi pearls, actually come from China. Hyderabad has historically been house for the craftsmen, the people who give these pearls life. So the right thing to say would be that 'Hyderabad is famous for pearl-jewellery'.

I have been told that the city is equally famous for 'Bangles' or 'chooriyan', and for 'sandals' or 'chappals'. Also that it's twin city, Secunderabad, houses one of the largest Military Cantonment of India (or is it the largest). Having a wonderful semi-jungle Zoological park to boast, it also has a vast historical repository of artifacts from all over the world – Salar Jung Museum.

But the present identity of Hyderabad is reflected in its new name – Cyberabad. Competing with Bangalore for the title of IT capital of India, it's already a much-sought after property. You are very probable to land up here at least once, if you are in the IT or Computer sector. Maybe you find this piece helpful then. :D :D

There are many more aspects of Hyderabad, but I feel I have already crossed the word limit many of you were game for.

Posting this piece as much as for myself, as for you, friends. It has been a quite, lonely time that I spent here. 

But trust me, 'lonely' need not be a sad feeling always. :) .

It may also mean spending time with your own self.

Love Sharma

P.S: Someone here told me once "Hyderabad ke potte (prounced as potteiy. meaning 'boys') ekdum waste rehte..." . I wonder what she meant. :p

MAKE THEM. AND THEN, BREAK THEM

I believe, as I’m sure many of us do, that the last two years of school and the first two years of college are a beautiful time of our lives. Kind of game-changers – especially for us Indians. I can't be too sure about the rest of the world.
Never been there yet. :p

And apart from other distinct features of this period of life, there's one very interesting aspect: and that will be the theme of this piece, which is primarily addressed to people of that particular age.

It's the time of our lives when our friends and, more often than not, our girl-friends (or boyfriends) accuse us of 'contradicting' ourselves too often. And chances are that the more talkative you are, the more you will hear this accusation.

Fundamentally put, it's like this: In this period, we make the bulk of our convictions. We voice them aloud to our close ones, (or anyone who would listen :p), and then, not more than a few weeks later, we make other convictions, exactly opposite to the ones made earlier.

Well, if you still are wondering what I am talking about, let me give a very general example:-

One day, you see a beggar on the road. Pathetic condition. In rags. And maybe you have been encountering such pitiable creatures too often in the past few days. And till now, you have seen lots of instances of the poor and destitute life these people live.

RESULT: Your heart brims with pity. You get down, and offer a coin or two. And on the way home, you can't stop feeling good about yourself.

AND: The moment you reach a telephone, you call you GF, and tell her all. Of course it's the first time you are discussing such a mature and deep subject (:p). Your GF is all 'mwuaahs' and 'awws'. “You have become so mature and understanding, baby!” And your chest, if it can, swells even more.

CUT TO FEW WEEKS LATER.

It has been a few times now that you came across stories where beggars masqueraded as pitiable, pathetic ones, and worked on the sympathy factor. You are a little older now, and hence you have gone a little 'practical' too. “How can I help every beggar that I see. I'm not a millionaire”, that's what you say to yourself sometimes.

And, as is most likely, you have started seeing YouTube a lot, and seen videos there in which 'differently-abled' people overcame their disabilities and were leading a full, even 'INSPIRATION-TO-OTHERS' lives. So when you see a beggar now, there's a question in your mind, “Does he really need help? Can he be faking? Why can't he try and do some work?”, more so when the person seems physically able. There may be other incidents too, which make you see the 'other' side of the picture.

Well, not always, but you may still have the same GF or BF. So maybe, you go home, and share this new 'more profound' and 'other-side-of-the-story' vichaar with her or him.

AND: You may make a new conviction!

Since the example here was a very general one, and it wouldn't affect your and your GF's life a lot, she may receive this new thought well. Or maybe she has forgotten the previous conviction that you made.

But, try something that may affect your and her life. Like a conviction on relationships. More particularly, a conviction on your own relationship. More often than not, such 'controversial' convictions come at the time when both of you are in the middle of a fight. Hence, it's like an icing on the cake: tadka lag jaata hai. :p

And then you have to listen to one of the most hurting comments that you may ever hear from your partner, : “You know what? You can't even stand firm on what you say. You contradict your own-self! You are such a looser!”

Ouch! That last bit really pinches, isn't it? You either deny the allegation, or keep the phone. In any case, you ask yourself later, “Did I really say that in the past?” Both conscious and sub-conscious minds refuse to accept. And many a times, one of the end result is that you restrain yourself from making or voicing your convictions.

Believe me, it's pretty common. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed, they must be defended against the heaviest odds.” I'm paraphrasing, of course. Well, Gandhi Ji said this much later in his life, and I'm sure even he had to learn this the hard way: personal experience.

In my opinion, the mystery resolves down to this:
“You take any 'truth' about life, the exact opposite also holds good”. It's the situation, the backdrop, the circumstances which make certain things more acceptable at certain times. The much coveted and hyped quality of decision-making or choice-making (in words of Ms. Sheena Iyengar) comes into play here.

'So we avoid making too many convictions in the school and college life?'
ha ha ha ha . . .

No. Make as many as you can. Do the opposite. Leave the reason and logic to the after-college life.

You make them. And then, you break them. That's what I believe.

Who cares, anyways?

Your GF? Probably she won't be there a few months later. And most probably, she would be gone before your graduation finishes. :p

Friends? Like your GF, they are of the same age. And like your GF, they are in the middle of their own make-and-break process right now.

I feel that the more convictions you make right now, the more are the chances that some of them would survive towards the end of your graduation. Those of my age will understand this: we have all gone a 'little' permanent in our beliefs and in our way of doing things, haven't we?

But mind you, be just a 'little' permanent. Average life expectancy is up in India now, and we have a long time to spend on this earth. A lot of learning and experiences are still ahead. And yes, the rate of making-and-breaking convictions might slow down, but it never stops. You never know when you will finally see the “other side” of a story!

'So why call it a conviction, if it's not gonna stay anyway?'
I believe that everything has a purpose. Every thing, every relation, every thought, and every conviction. Convictions are not the end in themselves. They are just the means of determining the way we live our lives, and our life-styles. Some may serve a longer-purpose for us, while others may be just a 'temporary' or a 'transitory' one; whose purpose is to make us understand life better and make new, stronger convictions.

Personally, I like the people who are ready to take risks and make convictions in a hurry at this age. They are usually the 'passionate' ones. Of course they will have to be brave when they break their own theories later on. But these are the people who we 'really see' everyday.

Others who keep sitting, scared of making a belief just because it may not be a correct one, are the ones who are pushed behind the scenes at this age.

It's not for nothing that NIKE uses 'DO IT' as it's marketing punch-line. It's meant for our age – the youth. You don't take much time deciding whether you want to do a particular thing or not. Leave the long-term planning and analyses to the oldies and BALDies and bhuddas and bhuddies (No offence, please. They are doing a great job; I know that.)

All in all, don't worry much when your GF nags you about this aspect, “The self-contradicting looser”. Either she will change for the good (be more understanding, with the age), or you will change your GF (or BF). :p

KEEP MAKING CONVICTIONS. KEEP SHOUTING THEM ALOUD. AND BE SURE, YOU WILL BREAK A LOT OF THEM YOURSELVES.

Isn't that an irony? How can one make a conviction (definition: a fixed or firm belief) when he or she is sure that it's gonna change?

Ha ha ha ..

Life is beautiful. :-)

Thoughts ... as sources of livelihood.

I'll come straight to the point. Everything arises out of thoughts, isnt it? Again I may be stating the obvious, but every peice of literary attempt is obvious to some or the other mind. Maybe this is just me wondering on the power of thoughts. But the wonder was powerful enough to get me up at 2:35 A.M. and start writing....(rather typing)

I was listening to this lovely instrumental of “requiem of a dream”. Music - it is first a thought in the mind of the musician, and then he, according to what his mind comprehends as “melodious” or “hearable”, makes the song or the music. Isn't it? Wow! And when it reaches people, they enjoy it (or don't) when it provokes some thoughts in the mind of the listener. Isn't this some kind of thought-to-thought communication going on here? With music being just the medium? Well it's a beautiful medium, I agree.

For that matter, take art, poetry, literature, theatre, movies ( I mean GOOD movies), etc. I was watching “New York, I Love You” few hours ago (for the 3^rd time), and it's just a marvelous thought-provoking movie (and very soothing thoughts, instead of revolutionary ones, for a change...LOL). Chains of thoughts arise when one comes across anything made with lots of thoughts (and deep ones). Its like as if thoughts get packed in the physical form inside the Painting, the Poem, the Novel, the Play, or the Movie; to be distributed at each and every reception by any of the human senses (including the sixth one). And thats how these painters, authors, movie-makers earn their living! They rely on their thoughts big-time, to come up with something new every-time!

Getting down to the common man, how do we earn a living? We do some service for the society, or actually manufacture some or the other product for the society, and the various systems like economy, market, agriculture, government etc, pay us back in money or kind (And mind you, this 'kind' is the actual need. One cannot eat or wear or live inside 1000 rupee notes.)

My point here is that even one is not a poet, an author, or maybe a film-maker, he/she is actually tapping the power of thoughts to earn his/her livelihood. The work or the Job that one does requires different levels of thinking. Lets get into the details.

The one who thinks more, studies or applies more. The one who applies more, knows more, and again reinvests this knowledge in order to apply more. And hence, becomes the better person for a better job. Therefore, he earns more.

All in all, every person tries his/her best to be better poised in his/her life than the previous day (yes, everyone! It maybe unintentional...). But its the limit of one's thoughts that decide the height of a person in his/her life. A poor man may not ever think beyond having a house of his own, while some rich guy may think of owning a jet some day! And hence, thoughts shape our lives. Again, I maybe embarking on something said millions of times throughout the history of modern civilization, but maybe it just a 20 year old guy coming face to face with some facts. :p

So, now what does one do, after knowing that its the thoughts that are making one's lives? Just gaze at the statement? Or continue to enjoy other people's thoughts? Ya, do that! I mean do enjoy other people's work; the music, the arts, the movies, even watching the FIFA World Cup!

But being an engineer, I always look for practical application of every knowledge too. So, for those who are looking for some ways to improve their lives, this knowledge may prove worth while! The thoughts are the place where you can start working, and everything else falls into place!

I have a opinion that thoughts we have everyday are the result of the entire lives we have lived upto this minute: the place where we were born, the language, the family, the lifestyle, the country, the climate, the education, the culture, the food, the availabilty of basic needs (or rather the absence of it), the friends, just about anything one can think of (see, I said 'think' of, so...).

It just so wonderful thinking about thoughts. Soothing thoughts, provoking thoughts, positive thoughts, negative thoughts, wide-ranged thoughts, open thoughts, closed thoughts, organized thoughts, random thoughts. Oh! Sounds Familiar?

I don't know why I always leave a kind of suggestion or advice at the end of every post. So, no messages this time. Not even the formal conclusions like “Take Care” or “Enjoy ur lives!” thats a disguied advice, isnt it? What if some has chosen not to enjoy his/her life? Food for thought.

Bah! I did it again!

Are you in your sense(s) ???

Frankly, this blog-post may seem like a preaching lecture, but beleive me, it's all truth. And it all started with an incident in my class 8.

My dad, visionary that he is, planned me to buy me a computer. But before that, he told me, that I will have to learn a few "worthy' things about computers. Not only the computer games, he smiled. So I used to go to one my cousins - a distant relation - who was a school computer teacher at that time. He taught me computers at his home, while his father ( a wise man, retired army officer) taught me other valuable things sometimes, while I waited for his son to return from the school.

This post is about one thing he told me once.

One day, it was a hot summer afternoon, and the electricity was on a hike (usual story). So the computer was not running, but yes, we had a sole ceiling fan running ( on the inverter). We both (the uncle and me) were sitting, sipping nimbu paani. He was, as usual, giving me little talks about the ways of learning, and ways of life. Maybe I didn't understand his talks at that time, so i just nodded my head all the time.

The talk turned around to 'how can we learn or retain any thing the best, the fastest, and for the longest period time'. And what he said, are the Golden Words that i remembered yesterday. He said, "Are in your senses when you are trying to learn anything?" I was doubtful as to what he meant. He explained, that whatever we want to learn fastest, and whatever we want to retain longest, we should apply all our five senses to learn that. Feel it, smell it, taste it, listen (or talk) about it, see it.

Maybe I myself haven't applied it most of the time, but whenever I applied it, it was 101% succesful. I think thats why we never forget the places of scenic beauty like the hills or the seas, coz all the five senses are working there. I will end the post, with a hope that anyone reading this, gives it a thought.

And ya, Don't ask stupid questions like "how can I taste my books !?!" Just think about how can you relate things to your senses. How can you relate your learning to your sight, to your touch, to your taste, etc.

P.S. : Kaash ye baat 8th mein apply karna shuru kar deta. But better late than never! hehehe.....