high flying hyderabad

sadhuji · Oct 8th, 2004, 22:08

Situated in the Eastern part of the country, Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as the cyber city, it has attracted MNCs as no other city has done in the recent past, thanks to the lead taken by the Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu. He even introduced the concept of e-governance. The high degree of commitment in the methods of governance in Andhra Pradesh can best be illustrated by a recent news item in one of the local language dailies. The A. P. Government plies around 20,000 buses for commuting passengers and are able to show substantial profits. On the other hand, a neighboring state which runs only 1100 buses has to survive on Government subsidies!! Whereas the AP buses earn Rs 25.00 per bus on an investment of one liter of diesel, its neighbor can earn only Rs 11.00. On an average, there are seven workers per AP bus whereas in the second case, there are as many as ten.

Despite such situations, the heated debate continues to rage unabated over which Southern city offers more options to an investor. Whilst one city boasts of a temperate climate throughout the year, the other does not have to face disputes of sharing the river waters. Whilst one is proud of its idli and dosa, the other has its expertise in Moghlai cuisine like biryani.

I was fortunate to visit Hyderabad briefly in 1999 – out of my three day’s stay, I managed to squeeze in one day for a local sightseeing tour of the city conducted by the ITDC.

The program started at 9 in the morning from the Hussein Sagar Lake, located in the heart of the city. Famous for an enormous statue of Lord Buddha located right in the centre of the Lake, the venue hosts different types of water sports.

In the course of the day long tour, we managed to take in the Golconda Fort, Char Minar, Zoological gardens and Salar Jung Museum apart from some shopping outlets, especially of Hyderabadi pearls!

The Golconda Fort is a marvel of a monument – the remnants of the drainage and sanitation systems one sees on top of the mountain, built for the exclusive use of the Badshah and his begums are architectural wonders. Similar to the acoustics and ventilation systems present even today throughout the dilapidated fort! One wonders at the engineering knowledge and expertise that were available to our ancestors.

The Salar Jung Museum, like any other museum houses hundreds of exhibits but the most outstanding of these is the full size statue of a girl draped in a wet costume revealing each and every curve of her body carved out of a single piece of stone. The wrinkles and creases are so prominent and natural looking that you may, for a moment, take them for real! Hats off to the sculptor who had produced such a wonderful specimen of artistic work. The second out-of-the-world exhibit is the musical clock that chimes the hour. Seconds before the hour, a tiny mechanical doll comes into view carrying a hammer. Exactly at the hour, it lifts the hammer, strikes the hour and retreats into its den in the rear!! A unique creation that has stood the test of time.

The latest addition to the must see spots of Hyderabad is the Ramoji Film City.

Built on the lines of Disneyland, it is spread over a large expanse of land measuring approximately 2500 acres and offers facilities for the shooting of films and TV serials. It boasts of surroundings that bear striking resemblances to actual foreign locations! The setup also provides special package tours for honeymooners.

A trip to Hyderabad would be incomplete without a trip to Ramoji Film City.

other associated links:
http://peekayjee35.blogspot.com – festivals of india
http://peekayjee34.blogspot.com – indian sweets
http://peekayjee29.blogspot.com – indian satire
http://peekayjee28.blogspot.com – destination india

Karma Queen · Oct 9th, 2004, 17:08

ramoji film city has got to be one of the weirdest places i have ever been! i can't even say what i thought of it, it was so weird!

it's featured in basement jaxx's video for 'romeo' me and karma king found out a couple of months ago! it was well exciting

cindyland · Nov 8th, 2004, 23:52

I am sad to find Hyderabad listed under "minor destinations." It is such a great city. One of it's drawbacks is that it isn't directly accessible from Europe, but that should be changing next year. They have been expanding the runway for the last few years, and Lufthansa is slated to begin a direct Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight in February...which means, in India time, that hopefully it will be a done deal by the end of 2005.

Hyderabad is still somewhat unknown to western tourists. I spent two weeks there because my husband has family who live in the city, and his father grew up in Hyderabad. We visited Golkonda Fort also, the view from the top of the fort is amazing, if you can look past the smog. Our driver took us out to the countryside to Gandipet, the reservior for the city. It actually was filled when we visited, and the peaceful body of water was a nice contrast to the bustling excitement of the city.

We also visited Salar Jung Museum, filled with many treasures. Other than the clock, my favorite piece was a rock sculpture from supposedly 1 B.C. And it sat, open to all, on a pedestal, completely unprotected from hands and dust or sun. When I think of all the lengths the Smithsonian has gone through to preserve the Declaration of Independence, yet here's this stone older than anything just sitting out.

When we tried going to Charminar it was Ramadan, so the place was packed, even for India standards. We went back later when it was less crowded. You can climb to the top of the Charminar tower, which offers a nice view of the traffic! There are markets everywhere and it's a very interesting place.

Hyderabad offers these government-run shops that have crafts and other items at fixed prices, so one doesn't have to bargain. They are called Lepakshi, and there are a number of them around the city.

We drove around the Hussein Sagar Lake, which has a nice promenade alongside to walk on. There is also a new movie theater nearby, which last November was showing the Matrix movies.

I didn't get a chance to visit film city...but it sounds interesting. I'll have to talk my husband into going there!

I've also been to Delhi and this year we're stopping in Mumbai...but Hyderabad is a special place and I hope more people get to experience it's uniqueness.

cindy

Bigzero · Nov 9th, 2004, 07:24

well, it seems Hyderabad is finally getting appreciated in IM!

i've been staying in hyderabad for the last 4 years and have thoroughly enjoyed the time here. it is considerably less expensive compared to the metros and bangalore, and of late has come up with enough shopping/eating/entertainment options too.

hyderabad is a queer mix of cultures - it is said that it is north for south and south for north - which means the south indians will find it more like a north indian city and the north indians otherwise.

time moves slowly in hyderabad ( it is changing nowadays with the IT boom ). so one will have to get adjusted to it.

AP tourism has not marketed hyderabad well, and as a reason it has been somewhat left out of the mainstream tourist circuits. Hyderabad will interest those who have a taste for history and architecture.

Karmaqueen - i liked your comment on Ramoji Film City

they have made it into a picnic spot / amusement park / god knows what with all the film shooting too happening on the side. i guess they have modelled it based on the Universal studios concept.... the fun thing about RFC is that once you visit the place, you will start recognizing the place from many of the bollywood & indipop music videos!

edwardseco · Nov 9th, 2004, 08:52

Hyderabad-Secunderabad grows on you. Its much under-rated however hard it is for the casual visitor..

Oct 8th, 2004, 22:08	#1
sadhuji Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: nasik, maharastra Posts: 1,261	high flying hyderabad Situated in the Eastern part of the country, Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as the cyber city, it has attracted MNCs as no other city has done in the recent past, thanks to the lead taken by the Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu. He even introduced the concept of e-governance. The high degree of commitment in the methods of governance in Andhra Pradesh can best be illustrated by a recent news item in one of the local language dailies. The A. P. Government plies around 20,000 buses for commuting passengers and are able to show substantial profits. On the other hand, a neighboring state which runs only 1100 buses has to survive on Government subsidies!! Whereas the AP buses earn Rs 25.00 per bus on an investment of one liter of diesel, its neighbor can earn only Rs 11.00. On an average, there are seven workers per AP bus whereas in the second case, there are as many as ten. Despite such situations, the heated debate continues to rage unabated over which Southern city offers more options to an investor. Whilst one city boasts of a temperate climate throughout the year, the other does not have to face disputes of sharing the river waters. Whilst one is proud of its idli and dosa, the other has its expertise in Moghlai cuisine like biryani. I was fortunate to visit Hyderabad briefly in 1999 – out of my three day’s stay, I managed to squeeze in one day for a local sightseeing tour of the city conducted by the ITDC. The program started at 9 in the morning from the Hussein Sagar Lake, located in the heart of the city. Famous for an enormous statue of Lord Buddha located right in the centre of the Lake, the venue hosts different types of water sports. In the course of the day long tour, we managed to take in the Golconda Fort, Char Minar, Zoological gardens and Salar Jung Museum apart from some shopping outlets, especially of Hyderabadi pearls! The Golconda Fort is a marvel of a monument – the remnants of the drainage and sanitation systems one sees on top of the mountain, built for the exclusive use of the Badshah and his begums are architectural wonders. Similar to the acoustics and ventilation systems present even today throughout the dilapidated fort! One wonders at the engineering knowledge and expertise that were available to our ancestors. The Salar Jung Museum, like any other museum houses hundreds of exhibits but the most outstanding of these is the full size statue of a girl draped in a wet costume revealing each and every curve of her body carved out of a single piece of stone. The wrinkles and creases are so prominent and natural looking that you may, for a moment, take them for real! Hats off to the sculptor who had produced such a wonderful specimen of artistic work. The second out-of-the-world exhibit is the musical clock that chimes the hour. Seconds before the hour, a tiny mechanical doll comes into view carrying a hammer. Exactly at the hour, it lifts the hammer, strikes the hour and retreats into its den in the rear!! A unique creation that has stood the test of time. The latest addition to the must see spots of Hyderabad is the Ramoji Film City. Built on the lines of Disneyland, it is spread over a large expanse of land measuring approximately 2500 acres and offers facilities for the shooting of films and TV serials. It boasts of surroundings that bear striking resemblances to actual foreign locations! The setup also provides special package tours for honeymooners. A trip to Hyderabad would be incomplete without a trip to Ramoji Film City. other associated links: http://peekayjee35.blogspot.com – festivals of india http://peekayjee34.blogspot.com – indian sweets http://peekayjee29.blogspot.com – indian satire http://peekayjee28.blogspot.com – destination india

Nov 9th, 2004, 07:24	#4
Bigzero back to my old ways Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,452	well, it seems Hyderabad is finally getting appreciated in IM! i've been staying in hyderabad for the last 4 years and have thoroughly enjoyed the time here. it is considerably less expensive compared to the metros and bangalore, and of late has come up with enough shopping/eating/entertainment options too. hyderabad is a queer mix of cultures - it is said that it is north for south and south for north - which means the south indians will find it more like a north indian city and the north indians otherwise. time moves slowly in hyderabad ( it is changing nowadays with the IT boom ). so one will have to get adjusted to it. AP tourism has not marketed hyderabad well, and as a reason it has been somewhat left out of the mainstream tourist circuits. Hyderabad will interest those who have a taste for history and architecture. Karmaqueen - i liked your comment on Ramoji Film City they have made it into a picnic spot / amusement park / god knows what with all the film shooting too happening on the side. i guess they have modelled it based on the Universal studios concept.... the fun thing about RFC is that once you visit the place, you will start recognizing the place from many of the bollywood & indipop music videos! __________________ miles to go.... Bigzero's Photo Gallery

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Oct 9th, 2004, 17:08	#2
Karma Queen Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: England Posts: 365	ramoji film city has got to be one of the weirdest places i have ever been! i can't even say what i thought of it, it was so weird! it's featured in basement jaxx's video for 'romeo' me and karma king found out a couple of months ago! it was well exciting

Nov 8th, 2004, 23:52	#3
cindyland Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 7	I am sad to find Hyderabad listed under "minor destinations." It is such a great city. One of it's drawbacks is that it isn't directly accessible from Europe, but that should be changing next year. They have been expanding the runway for the last few years, and Lufthansa is slated to begin a direct Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight in February...which means, in India time, that hopefully it will be a done deal by the end of 2005. Hyderabad is still somewhat unknown to western tourists. I spent two weeks there because my husband has family who live in the city, and his father grew up in Hyderabad. We visited Golkonda Fort also, the view from the top of the fort is amazing, if you can look past the smog. Our driver took us out to the countryside to Gandipet, the reservior for the city. It actually was filled when we visited, and the peaceful body of water was a nice contrast to the bustling excitement of the city. We also visited Salar Jung Museum, filled with many treasures. Other than the clock, my favorite piece was a rock sculpture from supposedly 1 B.C. And it sat, open to all, on a pedestal, completely unprotected from hands and dust or sun. When I think of all the lengths the Smithsonian has gone through to preserve the Declaration of Independence, yet here's this stone older than anything just sitting out. When we tried going to Charminar it was Ramadan, so the place was packed, even for India standards. We went back later when it was less crowded. You can climb to the top of the Charminar tower, which offers a nice view of the traffic! There are markets everywhere and it's a very interesting place. Hyderabad offers these government-run shops that have crafts and other items at fixed prices, so one doesn't have to bargain. They are called Lepakshi, and there are a number of them around the city. We drove around the Hussein Sagar Lake, which has a nice promenade alongside to walk on. There is also a new movie theater nearby, which last November was showing the Matrix movies. I didn't get a chance to visit film city...but it sounds interesting. I'll have to talk my husband into going there! I've also been to Delhi and this year we're stopping in Mumbai...but Hyderabad is a special place and I hope more people get to experience it's uniqueness. cindy

Nov 9th, 2004, 08:52	#5
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,924	Hyderabad-Secunderabad grows on you. Its much under-rated however hard it is for the casual visitor..

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