Friday, April 16, 2010

Hyderabad fears?!

And I've decided never to enter Hyderabad again! Gosh! But why? I don't hate the city. In fact, I love the city because that is one of the very few places close to my heart and the only place where I've spent all my childhood, teenage and most of my adulthood too. Then what's with me? Well, never mind.

Or, may be you should mind and take note of things. Okay, actually, let me make myself clear. I love Hyderabad but I'm scared of the city now.

This syndrome of "Hyderabad fears" started last year in October when I went for Dasara holidays with my daughter. There was the unfortunate spate of floods. Floods, floods, floods... at unheard of places too... all because of unannounced arrival of untimely rains. It kept pouring and pouring, and water kept flooding the city and its surrounding areas. Water, water everywhere not a sip to drink at all! So there went my holiday josh in one jolt. All 10 days gone for a toss! Disappointed, I went back.

The next trip came after two months... Christmas vacation. How can I miss all those fun visits and Christmas cake(s)? Sigh! And grrrrrrrrrr! Wrong timing I guess. The whole Telangana issue cropped up like there was no tomorrow. Agitations, slogans, more agitations, more slogans, burning down buses, pelting stones... oh what a fun trip it was! One week went by without us venturing out of the house for fear of landing in hospital, or, worse, jail! More grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

This time I thought I was being extremely smart before booking my tickets after a 3-month break. I carefully followed all the newspapers both online and offline without missing even a single letter on each page to make sure everything was fine with Hyderabad. It actually was - after I made my booking, and during my 20-hour train journey, and even after I reached the Secunderabad Railway Station.

But as luck would have it, within a few days after I landed, riots shook the city as two communities fought violently over some different colored flags. Right! Thank you! And the area we were staying in happens to be surrounded by troubled areas. Time gone is time lost. Soon time was ripe for me to bid another activity-less goodbye to the city and travel back to my peaceful haven.

That also makes me wonder if the AP government should pay me some concession fee of sorts to keep me where I'm so I don't step into the city and, THEN, there's no trouble... :P

Time for some quick bucks I say! When should I plan my next trip?

1 comment:

Usha said...

lol! Hyd simply doesn't want you there, I feel! So stay put in your seaside resort home. But you must note that these sundry troubled visits to the beloved city bring back the tang in your sense of humor. And as true blue Indians we love our masaledar stuff more than bland intellectual musings!