A Visit to the Old City in Hyderabad

Standing in the bus stop at Osmania University, I have been accustomed to the Deccan heat for over 21 years now. The weather wasn’t exactly close to my favorite kind, but nevertheless, I was enjoying myself. It was a Sunday, and not wanting to waste the day, I decided to visit the iconic Charminar. It would need me to visit the older parts of the city, and I took the bus to Afzalganj, from where a short trip by auto rickshaw would take me to Charminar area. I remembered the paths like the palm of my hand.

Sitting in the auto at Charminar, staring out at the chaotic congregation outside, I lay in wonder how the cogs work together to keep the machinery in place, if at all there is one for these patches of areas in India. Markets, hawkers, peddlers, vendors, pedestrians, two-wheelers, cattle, auto rickshaws- all seemed to compliment each other in the chaotic assemble of daily life. How do such random plethora of activities go about in unison, should be a matter of research! Getting down, the first sight met with Islamic architectures:

The streets had all kinds of shops selling items like ‘itar‘- a strong perfume, or the famed bangles available in the area. It seemed like a street shopping arcade that would surely draw the fancy of women.

I checked my watch. It was 4:30 PM only. It was too early to call it a day. I consulted Google Maps and noticed another place nearby, I could visit that day in my hometown.

The plan was simple. Board the right bus and trust my feet. And I was not disappointed! But, this will be covered in another post, fellow traveller!