Friday, July 31, 2009

Hyderabad revisited...

Last week has been pretty hectic and a new chapter in my life has begun. The purpose of my last visit to Hyderabad has materialized as I got engaged to Ruqaiya last Tuesday. She happens to be my cousin Romana's close friend of many years. Romu deserves a special thanks on getting us hooked.

The trip was a family reunion. All of us enjoyed the two days in a resort close to the Golkonda fort called Taramati Baradari. It is a historical construction which dates back to the era of Quli Qutub Shah. It is an amazing work of engineering. I had read about acoustics in college, witnessed what it means over there.

One thing that surprised me about Hyderabad is how late the parties begin and how late they finish. Generally it is "baad namaz-e-isha (post night prayers)". In Bangalore we are used to "baad namaz-e-mogrib (post sunset prayers)". I reached the function hall at 10 PM and the function went past midnight. My afternoon nap saved me from looking terribly tired. Still, it was a testing time to face the audience.

While interacting with Ruqaiya's family I noticed that even normal communication in Hyderabad involves super formal gestures. Even the basic greeting "Assalamualaikum" is done with a royal bow. Looks pretty normal for those who live there. A bit strange for those who live in Bangalore. These subtle differences make relationships across regions interesting.

More on this topic will come around the nikah time. Right now, I am still digesting the fact that I am committed and my search for a life partner has come to an end.

Next morning all of us checked out of Taramati Baradari and went to see Hyderabad. Most ladies with my uncle went out shopping to old city area. Rest of us(read kids) went to snow world. In my opinion it was good but not great. Especially sudden changes in the temperature can make you fall sick. Some other rides like scary house were fun.

We had lunch in paradise. How can you go to Hyderabad and miss out on the biryani? It was a late lunch that went on till about 5 pm.

We returned to Bangalore that evening. It was a short but eventful trip. I am waiting for more of such trips in the near future ;)

Monday, July 6, 2009

As of now...

Last month has been pretty testing for me in many ways. Atlast work has begun full flow and there are new challenges in getting adjusted to the new technologies and techniques. Not that exciting as it initially sounded but life is going on.

One happy event was Sakhib's engagement. The trip to Hassan was a nice one after many years. I could recall so many trips to my aunt's home in my younger days.

It is a pleasure to see Faisal grow in front of my eyes from a baby to a little boy. He is the most interesting person in my home who makes us smile even when the going gets tough.

There have been some testing times for my dear ones of late. Everybody is fighting just like the world has been fighting the recession. Bad times will pass and good times will return. One has to face everything with the grit but not without letting the happier moments pass. Only in tough times does one value those moments.

Like this post, my mind has been swaying between happy and not so happy thoughts. I rather look at the glass as half full and wait for some interesting updates till I update my blog next. Bye till then.