11 things that define Hyderabad..

They call it the City of Pearls and by many standards it has been ranked as the best city to live in India over and over for many years. Be it the food, the culture or the easy going nature of it's people, Hyderabad is a wonderful city and today we look at 11 things that really defines this beautiful city of even more beautiful people.. 

11 things that define Hyderabad:

1. The People:

The Charminar, the biryani and the Irani chai. That's the first things that come to mind when we think of Hyderabad. But what if I told you that it is not the things of Hyderabad but rather the people of Hyderabad that make it what it is.
Hyderabadi people are joyous and carefree. The people here are easy to mingle with and not judgmental at all. They easily open up are fond of gossips. They are known to be resourceful and always eager to help out someone in need.
They do not discriminate between religion, color, cast, creed etc and treat everyone  one of their kind.

2. The Culture:

In my personal opinion Hyderabad is he most secular city in India. Hyderabad is home to the biggest religions and communities out there. But that doesn't effect the social harmony of this beautiful city.
You'll find people celebrating Eid, Diwali and Christmas with the same energy. You'll find Hindus and Christians devouring on Haleem,biryani and sheerkhroma on eid, Muslims and Christians flying kites and burning crackers/fireworks on Diwali and Sankranti, and all of them coming together to celebrate Christmas.
Hyderabad is surely the city the whole world should look up to in this department.

3. The Food:

The Food of Hyderabad is on a completely different level. Seriously, you wont find such vast diversity in food anywhere else. From Biryani for which Hyderabad is most known for, to Andhra meals, Osmania biscuit, Irani Chai, The South Indian Idlys and dosas, Chat, Fast food and shawarma.
Hyderabad has one of the most diverse cuisines around the world. It is credited to the vast, long and diverse history it has. The Hyderbadi cuisine has been influenced by Persian, Arab and Turkish cuisines as well as the local traditions over the years.
Checking out the hyderabadi cuisine is definitely a must in every foodie and travel enthusiast's list.

4. The Architecture:

Similar to the cuisine, Hyderabadi Architecture has been influenced by Persian, Arab and Turkish architectures while also retaining the traditional Indian architectural designs. In the late 19th century it was also influenced by the European architecture brought with them by the colonial forces especially the British.
Some famous monuments include the Charminar, Golconda Fort, Mecca Masjid, The Spanish Mosque, Birla Temple, Raymond's Obelisk, Falakanuma Palace etc.
The most famous of the architectural wonders of Hyderabad is Perhaps the Charminar. Made by the Qutub Shahi ruler, it depicts the indo-arab architecture that has become a symbol associated with Hyderabad from ages. A structure consisting of four minarets that exemplifies the antiquity and splendor of the structure. It is surrounded by shops all around it which further exemplifies it's beauty and has made it one of the most popular tourist attractions.

5. The Markets:

It will not be too far fetched to say that this city never sleeps! and so does it's markets.
Hyderabad is known for is various markets or "bazaars" as they like to call it. In markets such as Laad bazar, Begum bazar,Sultan bazar and chor bazar etc. You'll find everything ranging form pearls, bangles, perfumes and commercial goods to antiques.
Especially on the nights before any festivals you may witness the spectacle of the Hyderabadi bazaars as families rush to shop for the festival next day.

6.The Lakes

Hyderabad is well known for it's lakes. There was a time when it was know as the city of lakes. There are natural lakes and various are Man-made lakes. Most of them have been built during the reign of the Qutub Shahi rulers. The most famous of them are: Hussain sagar, Osman sagar, Himayat sagar, Durgam Cheruvu, Saroonagar Lake, Alwal Lake etc.
The Largest of them being The Hussain Sagar Lake built around the 14-15 century. It houses  large statue of Gautama Buddha in the middle which was built around 1992. Most of the lakes are covered with dense greenery and parks around them resulting in a spectacular display of beauty and grandeur. They've become popular tourist spots and are crowded with families and friends alike hanging around during the evenings enjoying the time of their lives.

7. The Art, Music and Cinema:

The city is gifted with individuals each excelling in their respective fields. The city has produced some gems such as Amjad Hussain, Khamakha Hyderbadi, Sarojni Naidu, Sir Kishen Pershad etc in fields of poetry and literature. The city is blessed with the culture of Qawwali and some great Qawwals such as Ateeq Hussain Khan and The Warsi Brothers have been from this city.
Over the years the city has also developed it's own film industry apart from the Tollywood, called as the Daccani or Deccani film industry which boast of some incredible talents such as Aziz Naser, Adnan Sajid Khan and Mast Ali etc who produce some really hilarious and well written content.

8. The Sports Enthusiasm:

Cricket is not just a sport but rather a religion in India. The same goes for Hyderabad. People here are crazily obsessed with cricket. The World Cup and the IPL is treated as a festival where all the families and friends gather around to watch their favourite teams play. The cafe's and shops too put up special screens during the matches and all the strangers gather around to watch it, overjoyed they even embrace and congratulate each other in case their team wins. This are the times that bring all the people together.
As a result of it's enthusiasm it has produce some really great cricketers over the years several of whom have even represented the National Teams such as Mohammed Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Ambati Rayudu, Mithali Raj, Syed Mohammed Hadi etc.
There have also been several successful individuals in other sports too like Syed Abdull Rahim who is credited as the man behind the golden period of Football in India and Mir Mohteham Ali Khan who won silver in Mr.World Bodybuilding 2007.
But the Pride of Hyderabad rests upon it's daughters who represented it in international events and made Hyderabad as well as the whole nation proud. Those names include that of Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Syeda Falak, Jwala Gupta, Mithali Raj, the list just goes on.

9. The Kohinoor:

The worlds largest diamond, The Kohinoor was discovered in the kollur mine part of the Golconda Mines and was cut and polished in Hyderabad. The Golconda was the primary source of the finest and largest diamonds in the world. Hence Hyderabad was the largest diamond trading centre in the world.
Apart from Kohinoor, several other famous diamonds such as the blue-hope, Daria-i-Noor, The Regent and the Orlov are all accredited to the diamond mines of Hyderabad.

10. The Nizam:

How can we write about Hyderabad and not mention the man himself who is credited to making this into the beautiful city it is. The Nizams were a dynasty of rulers who ruled over the deccani region from Hyderabad. The most prominent of them is the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan upon whom several of the endeavours in the city such as the Osmania Hospital, Osmania University, the Osman Sagar etc are named. He is held to be a benevolent ruler who patronized education, science and development. He was a philanthropist who donated millions of rupees to various educational and religious institutions all over India.
He is accredited as being the Richest Man of his time even richer than all other monarchies such as the British and middle eastern. Yet he was known for his eccentricities as he used to knit his own socks  and borrow cigarettes from guests.
He was a benevolent and extremely unbiased, just ruler who is till loved and remembered for his noble heart and the legacy he left behind.

11. The  Dialect:

Last but not the least, how can we forget the thing that distinguishes Hyderabad from most other Indian cities, it's Dialect.
The Hyderbadi dialect is a combination of words and dialects from Hindi, Urdu, English, Telugu and a little of Arabic and Persian. This endearing dialect sound strange to most other Indians but is beloved to the hyderabadis who are proud of it and keep adding new additions to it over time. The words like "Kiraak"(awesome), Mama(dude) and "Lite lo yaaro" (let it go/ take it easy) are just as hyderabadi as the hyderbadi briyani itself.

Do you think we left out something that more or less defines Hyderabad?


Let us know in the comments below..