I think, therefore I write

Memories from Madhapur || Places-1

Pre-Script: The series about Hyderabad starting with this post should have ideally been named “Memories from Hyderabad” but I liked “Memories from Madhapur” better and Madhapur is where everything started for me. ๐Ÿ™‚ This is sort of just an intro post to the series.

This series of post is dedicated to the city that is Hyderabad. A city that turned from a nightmare to an eye-opener for me. Long back, I remember my blogger buddy, Sumitra asking me to write more about Hyderabad and I feel now is the time for it.

Image Source:ย http://www.mapsofindia.com

I must give a disclaimer to all of you that I am not much of a roaming person and hence I cannot give extensive travel experiences giving exhaustive descriptions about the city, but I am going to give it from my lifeโ€™s perspective. A perspective which will tell you how the city grew upon a person who didn’t want to enter it in the first place and now she will be more than happy to live her rest of her life in that city (Sadly, as I grew fond of the city, situations made sure that I have to take measures to move out. Murphy’s law!). Also, I am going to write about whatever I know about the city and experts please correct me if I am wrong and add to it if I missed anything, which I am sure I am bound to. Now that the disclaimer is over and I am in the safe zone, here is Hyderabad through my eyes.

When I first stepped out of the Charminar Express at Nampally Station, all I had in my eyes and heart was fear. I did not know enough Telugu to manage. I knew Hindi but had lost touch of it long back. So, with a few recollected Hindi words and no arranged place of accommodation, I set out to start my life at Hyderabad.

With the help of a kind friend, I soon found out my office where I was supposed to report and after a lot of hassles, I settled in the company guest house to wait until some of my friends to arrive to report at Hyderabad. My company guest house was in the outskirts and the locality was known as Lambadi Tanda or at least thatโ€™s what was on the address given to me. Even the auto drivers looked at me weirdly when I wanted a ride to Lambadi Tanda. The word felt like a swear word on my tongue. Surely enough, all the other places felt weird-Kothaguda, Kondapur, Madhapur, Panjagutta, Lakdikapool(I had trouble pronouncing this;For a while I was calling it Ladki ka pool ๐Ÿ˜‰ ) and the like.

With more friends arriving and finding a hostel in Madhapur, I settled in. That was when I fell in love with the place. Madhapur is by far the best place to live in if you want a reasonably affordable hostel with good facilities and your office is in Hi-Tech city. You can get almost everything within walk-able reach. The place was suitable in every way for a corporateโ€™s life. If you prefer living in houses and not hostels, that would be a slight disadvantage. This is because houses with 1 single room that is just as big as Harry Potterโ€™s cupboard, with a kitchen and washroom of the same size will cost you 8000 rupees per month. For a decent flat, you might want to make your budget, a 5 digit number. The best option of accommodation for people who want a cheaper yet comfortable place is a hostel or sharing a 3 BHK with 5 other friends.

Another area which is similar to Madhapur in life style and other aspects is Kondapur. The same rules of accommodation apply here too. Jubilee hills, Banjara Hills are areas where you can hit a higher note of living standards and prices too sky-rocket at the same rate. As for the nature of these localities, Banjara hills is a quieter residential area while the others always bustle with crowds until late night. The fashion showrooms in the Jubilee hills locality are awesome with a wide collection range. However, if you are a typical street shopper, you need to catch the bus to Koti or Ameerpet where after a dayโ€™s shopping you will feel you still have not managed to quench your shopping thirst.

With this, I pause. People who live in Hyderabad, please do chip in, in the comments section, about your first places in Hyderabad. And readers, I need your support for continuing this series. So, please let me know your thoughts.

Until later ๐Ÿ™‚

P.S: I wanted to cover to the sight-seeing places too in this post, but the length of the post went beyond bearable limits. So I had to postpone the tourist spots for the sequel.

10 Comments

  1. Chandana

    Its nice to read about my city from someone else’s perspective.. someone who has moved here and made this their home! ๐Ÿ™‚
    haha… some of the names do sound like swear words!
    You are spot on about everything!

    p.s – another street shopping haven – Genral bazaar (also called choti galli badi baazar) its in Secunderabad. Abids area is great too.. specially for shoes!

    • Keirthana

      Hey Chandana,

      I have heard about General bazaar but never been there. Should plan a weekend for that ๐Ÿ™‚ And yeah I missed out Abids. I have been there on a shopping spree some months back.

  2. Spaceman Spiff

    My very first memory of Hyderabad is of Necklace Road. I had beent here I came here for the very first time, for my HCU interview. I liked the city. But Hyderabad for me will always be largely synonymous with one place- Hyderabad Central University. That is where I learnt about life. And unless one has studied there, it is hard to understand why we HCU-ians sing praises of it. ๐Ÿ™‚
    After HCU, the next place I love was Gulmohar Park, a residential area where I lived for almost two years. Ah.. what a place.
    A good start for the series. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Keirthana

      Thanks Spaceman! Have heard of all the places you mentioned ๐Ÿ™‚ And yeah, I have a HCU-ian colleague who agrees well with you ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. sumitra

    Wonderful intro to the series. Hope you get to travel more as well, in your quest to write about Hyderabad. As Chandana said, it’s nice to see the city where I lived for about 12 years, from a newcomer’s perspective.

    I’ve lived almost all over the twin cities really, starting with Regimental Bazar, and then Mehdipatnam, Bowenpally, Kukatpally, and finally Sanath Nagar… Every place holds it’s own importance in my memories, but Mehdipatnam is the most special of all, since those were my college days. Hmm, your post is inspiring me to do one too!

    • Keirthana

      I have already started the quest Sumi, Visited a few places over the weekend and planning to do more as and when I get time.

      And 12 years of life! That is really something. The place will hold so many dear memories to you, obviously. Do write your experiences ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Archana

    Ladki ka pool – seriously ๐Ÿ™‚ LOL! I liked Hyd. Been there as a part of some family tours, and some friends visits. This place yadgirigutta ( or however it is spelt) cracked me up when I heard the name first. You should write on hyderabad autowallahs – I think they are the most honest of the auto communities in India! One even gave me back Rs.1.50 as change. In chennai, its like a big dream!

    • Keirthana

      Yes Archana, I am going to cover the auto-wallas in the sequels when I write about people. Comparing with the chennai ones, the autowallas here are way better. ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Ravishankar R

    Hi Keirthana,
    Nice Insight into the Hyderabad( More of the IT main areas) in this post. I have been to hyderabad for some weddings and see my friends. The city has a charm in itself. All times the transport or autos will be available and the way the places are put up is good. I have been to Koti, Kondapur,Madhapur and find it absolutely good. Also went to mehdipattinam where my friends marriage was held. I got the flashback of Hyderabad visit after reading this ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Keirthana

      Thanks Ravi, I agree with you about the charm of this city. I never thought, in my initial days here, that I will love this city. It calls out in a way that no other city has called out to me.

      Thanks for coming by! Do come back for more ๐Ÿ™‚

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