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Hyderabad in a hurry

Almost all major American news papers are covering India as a travel destination, this the 2nd in a series I have seen... Hyderabad in a hurry. 

36 Hours in Hyderabad, India
Courtesy of NY Times

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/travel/36-hours-in-hyderabad-india.html pagewanted=1&smid=fb-share

Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times

The Taramati Baradari, a pavilion said to have been built for a king’s courtesan. More Photos »

By SHIVANI VORA

Published: May 10, 2012

SITUATED in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad is a juxtaposition of old and new unlike any other city in India. While Microsoft, Google and other technology giants have offices in the glass and steel structures in the district known as Cyberabad, the history of this more than 400-year-old city is just as alluring as destinations like Jaipur and Agra, with sites like the 13th-century Golconda Fort, once home to the famous Kohinoor diamond, and the iconic Charminar monument in Hyderabad’s teeming Old City. In the past, Hyderabad was often overlooked as a tourism destination. But in recent years, sleek hotels, restaurants and night spots that cater to the 20- and 30-somethings working in the information technology industry have been attracting jet-setters from around the world who come to discover the past and experience the rapidly evolving present.

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Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times

The tombs of Mah Laqa Bai, a highly regarded Urdu poet from the 18th century. More Photos »

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Friday

5:30 p.m.
1. SUNSET OVER THE CITY

Skip the standard guidebook suggestion of catching the Sound and Light Show at Golconda Fort, and head to the Taramati Baradari (Gandipet Road, Ibrahimbagh), the beautiful pavilion not far from the fort that was supposedly built for the favorite mistress of one of the 17th-century Golconda kings. Legend has it that her singing reached the king as he sat on his throne at the fort less than two miles away. Stand in one of the archways, and watch the sun set over the fort and on the 16th- and 17th-century tombs of the kings.

8 p.m.
2. A TASTE OF ANDHRA

Andhra food has a reputation as the spiciest in India so get ready to face the heat at Southern Spice (Road No. 3, Banjara Hills; 91-40-2335-3802; prices from 150 to 300 rupees, or $2.85 to $5.75 at 52 rupees to the dollar), a perpetually packed casual spot that’s a local standby. The South Indian thali served in a round steel plate is the most popular order, with more than a half-dozen small dishes that might include fried cabbage with peanuts and coconut, rasam (a lentil soup with tamarind), curried eggplant and mounds of rice. Round out your meal with fiery sides like chepala pulusu, a kind of fish stew in tamarind sauce (290 rupees) and gongura mutton (295 rupees), mutton cooked with sorrel leaves.

Saturday

8 a.m.
3. FAITH AND POETRY

Most visitors don’t make it out of the city to Moula-Ali, an area a few miles north that is named after Hazrat Ali, who is believed to be the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. A shrine atop a hill pays homage to him on the spot where he was believed to have left the mark of his palm. The 20-minute climb is well worth the views of the city. On your way back into town, stop at the tombs of Mah Laqa Bai, a highly regarded Urdu poet and a famous courtesan from the 18th century. The tomb and the gardens around it have been recently restored with financing from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

11 a.m.
4. PEARL SHOPPING

Hyderabad processes many of the world’s pearls, which means the selection is extensive and the buying more wallet friendly than other places. Though there is no shortage of pearl vendors, Mangatrai Pearls and Jewelry (5-9-46, Basheer Bagh, End of the Flyover; 91-40-2323-3305, mangatraipearls.com) has an established reputation for its high-quality pearls. Park yourself on a stool, sip coffee or tea prepared in the back room, and let one of the salespeople present you with necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets and hairpieces (prices range from 250 to 2.5 million rupees).

Noon
5. HIGH-TECH WORLD

Take a drive through Cyberabad with its towering buildings and paved streets and end up at InOrbit Mall (APIIC Software Layout, Cyberabad; inorbit.in). Megamalls aren’t a novel concept in India, but this 800,000-square-foot behemoth with a mix of Indian and Western retailers is one of the largest in the country and is worth strolling through to get a sense of the shopping culture that’s driven by the younger generation and their generous incomes.

1 p.m.
6. TWIST ON SOUTH INDIAN

End your trip in new Hyderabad with lunch at the Indian Art Café (F- 29, first Floor, Inorbit Mall; 91-40-4011-7445; indianartcafe.in), which, as the name hints, is decorated with modern Indian art and sculpture. The menu is a riff on classic South Indian cuisine like a pizza dosa (thin rice crepe) made with Cheddar cheese and served with ginger relish and a peanut dip (145 rupees).

2 p.m.
7. OLD CITY

Surrounding the four minarets of the 16th-century Charminar monument, one of South India’s most recognizable landmarks, is the 400-year-old Old City. You’ll find centuries-old buildings, an overwhelming amount of street noise and huge crowds, including burqa-clad women and men in kurtas. Hundreds of vendors hawk sequined turbans (from 200 rupees) and tunics for men (800 to 5,000 rupees) and scarves and clothing for women (100 to 10,000 rupees). The Laad Bazaar is filled with shops like Irfan Bangles (20-4-1205 Laad Bazaar; 91-40-6535-7411), which sell sparkly bangles (30 to 600 rupees), a Hyderabadi trademark.

3:30 p.m.
8. THE ROYAL LIFE

After shopping, walk over to the Chowmahalla Palace (Khilwat, 20-4-236; 91-40-2452-2032; chowmahalla.com; 150 rupees entrance fee for international visitors, plus 50 rupees for carrying a still camera), more than 200 years old, where the Nizam rulers — specifically the Asaf Jahi dynasty — held court. The structure, which is modeled after the Shah’s palace in Tehran, offers a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyle of these Muslim rulers, with such sights as a 1912 restored Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, elephant howdahs and 19 grand Belgian glass chandeliers.

5 p.m.
9. ENGLISH RITUAL

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Continue your journey into old Hyderabad with a trip to the Jade Room in Taj Falaknuma Palace (Engine Bowli, Falaknuma; 91-40-6629-8585; tajhotels.com; 1,500 rupees a person), a former Nizam palace turned luxury hotel that has hosted dignitaries and royalty like King George and Queen Mary. Today, the opulent space, with hand-painted ceilings and chandeliers, serves a decadent afternoon tea that includes salmon sandwiches, lamb samosas and masala scones. It can easily double as an early dinner. On your way out, take in the views of the city from the hotel grounds and listen to the sounds of the sarangi (stringed instrument) player sitting in a passageway.

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9 p.m.
10. NIGHT SCENE

Get a taste of the night life that’s become increasingly popular among Hyderabadis by heading to the hip Park Hotel (22 Rajbhavan Road; 91-40-2345-6789;theparkhotels.com/hyderabad/hyderabad.html), which reigns when it comes to after-hours spots. Start by picking from nearly 20 kinds of Scotch at Sicca (450 to 4,000 rupees), a bar that’s reminiscent of an old-fashioned gentleman’s club. Then make your way over to either of two nightclubs for some dancing: Carbon has a more retro feel, while the newer Kismet attracts the city’s glitterati; a glass tunnel leads to the 10,000-square-foot space with its gold and black color scheme and sparkling lights. The soundtrack is Bollywood, house, trance and Western pop. Besides the main dance floor, the club has several side lounges for quieter conversation.

Sunday

10 a.m.
11. ANTIQUES HUNT

Hyderabad doesn’t come to life until midday, and few visitors make it to the weekly antiques market along Pathergatti Road in the Charminar area to experience its morning energy. You’ll find several dozen vendors selling wares like 200-year-old wine bottles, antique cameras, coins and hurricane lamps. Pick up a trinket or two to take home, and don’t forget that bargaining is a prerequisite to buying (most items fall in the range of 100 to 5,000 rupees).

Noon
12. BIRYANI TIME

Haggling builds an appetite, and sampling Hyderabadi biryani — a mix of rice, spices, meat, egg or vegetables — will seal your visit with delicious memories. The city is overrun with biryani spots, but the no-frills restaurant Hotel Shadab (21 High Court Road; 91-40-2456-5949) surpasses the competition. (Lunch is around 250 rupees.)

IF YOU GO

The Park Hyderabad (22 Rajbhavan Road; 91-40-2345-6789; theparkhotels.com) is part of the Indian chain of upscale boutique-style properties. This 270-room spot overlooking Hussain Sagar Lake has four lounges and suites created by prominent fashion designers like Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Arora. Rates from 4,960 rupees ($95).

You can live like a king at Taj Falaknuma Palace (Engine Bowli, Falaknuma; 91-40-6629-8585; tajhotels.com), a former Nizam palace that has been transformed into a 60-room luxury property following a 10-year restoration. The hotel is perched above the city and has 32 acres of immaculate gardens. Prices from 20,500 rupees.

A guide and car and driver is recommended for seeing the city. Detours India(detoursindia.com) is a local company that offers private tours starting around 6,500 rupees.

Mike
- - - - -
(214) 325-1916 | MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily. 

Beef Festival in India Sets Off Outrage

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2012/05/beef-festival-in-india-sets-off-outrage.html

'Beef Festival' in India Sets Off Outrage and Misogyny.

When there is a divisive issue in the society, instead of getting the conflicting parties to find a lasting solution, the politicians aggravate the situation by supporting one side or the other and get them to dig in their heels.

Religion should remain within personal bounds and not become a public policy instrument. India is a free country by choice of the people, let it remain so. There was a time, when it did not bother you or me, what we ate, drank, breathed, wore or believed.

Pluralism was built into our DNA and the shameless politicians raped Mother India of her heritage of respecting every which way people lived their lives.

In the seventies, when the dirt bag politicians were struggling to find a few seats in the parliament and failed, they resorted to dividing Indians by issues that did not exist for centuries from the times of Lord Krishna till 1947.  The selfish reckless men found Cow Slaughter, Conversions, and Temple building issues to divide Indians and mess up its ethos, and as Indians, we got suckered into it. They brainwashed us to worry about some one eating beef rather than finding food for our own family.

We need to ask those lost souls.

What is your problem if I eat beef?

What is your loss if I become a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or an Atheist?
Why does it matter to you if I have one God, no God or many Gods?

Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached, the goal is to shut the divisive politicians and build a cohesive India, where we mind our own effing business.

We are a free nation, and we are a democracy where our individual security is based on respecting the otherness of other, obeying the rules and following the rule of law; our constitution. If we commit ourselves to do that, every Indian will be safe and secure and can focus on prosperity.

The messed up nations around the world are looking up to us,  to be like us. As a model nation, we should continue to be an example to others and not even think of becoming like them.  We are a witness to the prosperity of America, we pray the way we want to pray, we eat what we want to eat,  and believe what we want to believe, aren’t we successful? 

Shame on a handful of Indian Americans who want to do to others (in India), what they don’t want done to them here in the US. It is time to learn from America and be like America rather than other nations.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies where no human has to live in discomfort, apprehension or fear of the other..

BLOOMBERG

MAY 2, 2012

'Beef Festival' in India Sets Off Outrage and Misogyny

By Chandrahas Choudhury

A "beef festival" organized last month by Dalit (or low-caste) student groups at Osmania University in the south Indian city of Hyderabad ended up not only provoking the very violence and repression it sought to draw attention to, but uncovered other pathologies deeply embedded in Indian social life.

What started out as a debate over the validity of the cow -- to many Indians, the holy cow -- as a source of meat was overwhelmed, on the day, by a conflagration of vehicle-burning and teargas, and, in the days that followed, by a firestorm of upper-caste outrage, conspiracy theory, and, most strangely (but revealingly), by sickening misogyny.

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-02/-beef-festival-in-india-sets-off-outrage-and-misogyny.html

A "beef festival" organized last month by Dalit (or low-caste) student groups at Osmania University in the south Indian city of Hyderabad ended up not only provoking the very violence and repression it sought to draw attention to, but uncovered other pathologies deeply embedded in Indian social life.

What started out as a debate over the validity of the cow -- to many Indians, the holy cow -- as a source of meat was overwhelmed, on the day, by a conflagration of vehicle-burning and teargas, and, in the days that followed, by a firestorm of upper-caste outrage, conspiracy theory, and, most strangely (but revealingly), by sickening misogyny.

As I wrote in an essay on the subject in January, cow slaughter, and therefore the consumption of beef, is a practice abhorrent to most Hindus. But beef is eaten by India's sizeable Muslim and Christian minorities, and historically by some of the lower-caste groups within Hinduism'selaborate and often repressive hierarchy of castes, an ancient social order that has only been partially vanquished over six decades by the egalitarian Indian Constitution of 1950. Nevertheless, beef-eating in India has become something done in the shadows. There are laws in many Indian states restricting or banning cow slaughter; most restaurants and multinational chains (including McDonalds Corp.) don't serve beef for fear of offending Hindu customers; and mixed-community spaces, such as office canteens or hostel messes, don't serve it either.

This "food fascism" was what some student groups of Osmania University sought to challenge in having a festival that served beef on campus to all those who cared to eat it. But this was like waving a red flag in front of the bulls -- the bovine metaphor seems appropriate -- of right-wing student groups dedicated to the cause of "cultural nationalism," such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Bhartiya Janata Party, India's second-largest political party. The Hindu reported April 16:

The ‘beef festival' organised by Dalit students' organisations in Osmania University campus turned violent on Sunday evening. Police had to lob teargas shells and resort to lathicharge to separate rival student groups opposing the festival. [...]

Enough steam was built up in the preceding days of the event with Dalit groups describing it as reclamation of their cultural rights, while the rival right wing groups distributed pamphlets condemning cow slaughter. In view of the attacks by Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP) activists during a similar event in EFLU last April, the festival was planned on a larger scale this time with participation of intellectuals and professors supporting the demand of inclusion of beef in the hostel menu.

Sensing trouble ahead of the D-day, police officials convinced the organisers to order food from outside instead of preparing it in the campus. Accordingly, beef biryani was brought from outside and served to the gathering near the NRS (Ambedkar) Hostel at about 5 p.m. [...] After a lull, rival students group began throwing stones and attacked media vehicles. A private TV channel's vehicle was totally burnt down, while another's was partly damaged, also injuring a technician. But, much to the relief of the police, the festival organisers wound up the feast to prevent further trouble.

An alternative interpretation of the festival was provided by the Organiser ("the oldest and most authentic weekly of India"), run by the Hindu group the RSS, which saw the event as a deliberate ploy on the part of Dalits and "Leftists" to inflame the religious sentiments of Hindus. In an article under the headline "Beef Festival Hosted By Left Communalists To Taunt Hindu Sentiments Foiled By ABVP," N Nagaraja Rao wrote:

Dalit students groups of OU supported by some senior faculty and city-based academics had organised the festival to celebrate the Dalit food culture, which includes eating beef. [...]

Now the debate is, despite all the disingenuous claims of the organizers of the Beef Festival at Osmania University, the event was indeed a foolish provocation aimed at caste-baiting. When the alliance of beef-eaters — Dalits, Muslims and Christians — resorted to this curious form of protest to advance their demand that the university hostel serve beef, it was their unstated intention to provoke upper-caste Hindus for whom the cow is an object of veneration. Thus the Beef Festival organisers did (sic) was to make a provocative public show of their eating beef and underlying motive was entirely political. How eating beef publicly leads to Dalit emancipation and assertion of their rights is a million dollar question? (sic) [...]

Human society is neither random nor capricious. The regularities of thought and behaviour called culture are the principal mechanisms by which we human beings adapt to the world around us. Practices and beliefs can be rational or irrational, but a society that fails to adapt to its environment is doomed to extinction.

The implication of the last sentence about adapting to the environment seemed to be that unless "the alliance of beef-eaters" adapted to the wider Hindu environment of beef-eating-as-taboo, Indian civilization would be doomed. Among the participants at the festival who freely accepted Nagaraja Rao's charge that the underlying motive for the festival was "entirely political" was the Dalit poet and feminist Meena Kandasamy, who explained in an essay called "A Cowed-Down Nation":

[The organizers of the beef-eating festival] fought the “food fascism” that kept beef out of the menu [...] and criticised the imposition of caste-Hindu dietary diktats on Dalits from within the confines of a seemingly neutral educational institution. When they rapped “Beef is the secret of my energy” with all the soul of an outlaw anthem, it sounded like the secret heartbeat of an anti-caste cultural revolution. [...]

There is no point getting offended if someone enjoys beef in all its juicy glory. Since nobody is being force-fed, tolerance means digesting the idea that just as cows are meant to be milked, cows are also meant to be meat. There cannot be a shred of doubt that in a racist nation which advertises vaginal skin-lightening creams, the large, naive eyes and flawless complexion make the cow an attractive mother. Men take pride in being mummy’s boys, but it is high time Hindutva organisations and secular, state-run universities stop being swayed by bovine sex appeal, step out of their Oedipus complex and remind themselves that cows, at least the fertile ones, are only mothers of calves.

News of the festival provoked outrage from supporters of Hindu nationalism on social media. But what was most revealing about this strain of reaction was its singling out of Kandasamy for abuse. Although she explained in a Twitter post that the "beef fest motive was NOT to hurt. it was to assert the right to eat what students wanted to eat," what she received in return was a heap of sexually charged invective from upper-caste men.

The comments showed how nationalism, racism, egotism and misogyny often exist on the same continuum, and that the same elites that want to control what should be done to the bodies of cows often also want to control -- sometimes in the coarsest and ugliest ways -- the bodies of women. One might say that by standing up for the right of Dalits to eat beef in a public space, Kandasamy was acting less as a provocateur (as she was accused by many of being) and more as a scapegoat, a figure on whom a society projects its own sins. What she brought into the open was the persistence of caste in India as a source of everyday, even casual, violence, and of gender violence as a widespread response in situations of caste tension. As the writer Annie Zaidi wrote in DNA:

What newspaper or television headlines don’t always say is where that negative incident — violent or not — comes from. It comes from a society where random acts of oppression and discrimination go unpunished. It comes from the flesh and bone of the body of caste.

That, sadly, is the body in which most Indians remain trapped. Go look at some videos made by community members at the Video Volunteers website. In one, you see school-kids being segregated at meal-time. In another, you see a young Gujarati talking of having to go to the next town for a haircut because he isn’t allowed to enter local barber-shops. A tap is washed by a little girl because a Dalit woman has just used it. A Sikh father talks of how his son and pregnant daughter-in-law were killed because it was an inter-caste wedding. A farm worker is left handicapped after being attacked with a sickle for drinking water from a pot. This series of video clips, less than a minute each, is part of a campaign called Article 17. You can view them here.

Perhaps you’ve had your fill of bad news. But if you don’t look, you deny yourself a full portrait of India.

Meanwhile, the news channel CNN-IBN reported last week that men from right-wing Hindu groups had conducted a ritual in Hyderabad "to purify the campus of Osmania University" after its desecration by beef consumption.

Some would say, however, that in situations like this, the ideal of purity is much more inimical to peaceful coexistence than the perception, or reality, of pollution.

(Chandrahas Choudhury, a novelist, is the New Delhi correspondent for the World View blog. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the author of this blog post: Chandrahas Choudhury at Chandrahas.choudhury@gmail.com