Its been almost 9 months since I came to Hyderabad and I have had quite a few experiences which I think are worth mentioning. When I first landed here, way back in November last year, I was very sceptical! I had heard a lot of things about Hyderabad, especially about the climate being extreme. On my way to my hotel room from the airport, I was taken on a road which consisted only of flyovers. That reminded me of the Western Express Highway in Mumbai and I began comparing it with the financial capital of India. Slowly I began to move around only to realise that its not all that close to Mumbai!!
Anyways, when I landed here, winter had just set in. Having experienced the winter in Bangalore, it was not all that extreme either. People say that temperatures drop to single digits during winter here. Well to be frank, I have never experienced that, but I am eagerly awaiting for this winter. But summers are the most horrible part of Hyderabad climate. Temperatures cross 45 at times. And more importantly, its a very dry climate. Hot wind will be blowing throughout the day, and lots of people die of sun strokes.
My first major observation here was about the traffic sense of the people. Its one of the worst in big cities I have seen. Initially I was under the impression that Bangalore is the worst when it comes to traffic. But one week in Hyderabad was sufficient for me to change my thoughts. People here are in such a hurry that, at a signal, they move only when it is red. Seldom do you get to move when its green. Police is also located at all major junctions but they too are mute spectators. They can't do a bit about it. Many a times I have seen policemen writing down numbers of defaulters who break signals or any other traffic rules for that matter, on a small chit of paper. God knows what happens to that after that. At a crossroad, an auto who wants to turn left will often be found immediately nest to the divider!! What shit?? But that's a way of life in Hyderabad. My uncle used to tell me, If you can drive a vehicle in Mumbai, you can drive anywhere in the country. But now I beg to differ. If you can drive a vehicle, especially a two wheeler in Hyderabad, you can drive anywhere in the world!!
Another thing that I was to observe is the people here. Lazy to the core. Quite evident from the fact that no shops or business establishments open before 10 or 10:30 in the morning. And not that they stay awake till late in the night or so. By 10 in the nights, even major streets are empty. But people here are very friendly (except the auto drivers. They are the most ungrateful ones. They never come to the place where you want to go) and helpful. You can find people from all socio economic background here. The fact that the number of Honda City's and Civic's or Toyota Corolla's and Camry's here is more than any other city is a testimony of the per capita income of the city!! But going towards the outskirts and old city you can find people from the other end of the society also. But then, its a way of life!! Having experienced the internal terror groups or external terror groups, the people here have become used to it. Life comes back to normal. Two bomb blasts have occured here ever since I came here. And I have to salute the spirit of the people and the way they react to such incidents!!
One of the worst things about Hyderabad I have observed is that its a poorly planned city. There are flyovers, but they have only one or two lanes at most, often leading to bottlenecks at the entry and exits. So if things had been planned properly, the traffic problems would not have been there!! Another major blunder is the non availability of dividers on flyovers and main roads. This makes life miserable for two wheelers. And the worst thing about it is the condition of roads. Pathetic. Its an insult to call Hyderabad a Metro with the quality of roads that it boasts. And all these become very evident during the rains. One heavy rain is all that is required to make life miserable for people. A heavy rain will leave all major road intersections water clogged. You cannot walk on the roads without wetting a foot of your pants!! And Hyderabad rains have a typical habit. They pour heavily for an hour only in the evenings. The whole day will be very sunny and even after the rains, skies clear of. Now that's the way nature has chose to play with Hyderabad, and Hyderabad is not to be blamed for!!
3 comments:
That was indeed a very eye-opening article on the conditions prevailing in Hyderabad. That was the way I myself had found the city when there about 4 years back. Sad to know it has still not changed.
when u wrote Hyderabad! I thought of Biryani... n i thought u wud write abt that.. though dint find it.
neways, its the same in ne fast moving city,I guess. no big cities are spared (atleast here i speak of Pune) everyone's in their own world and in a hurry ..so traffic lite green ho ya red ya orange..it means GO
u should have written about places to be visited in hyderbad....about malls,eating places,shopping n all :) it would help ppl who have never visited hyderabad inspired to visit it :)
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