Goodness, it’s hot in Chennai. Sticky hot, with a pretense of a sea breeze that doesn’t really hit you until the evening. A week spent in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, however, was no escape from the heat; on the contrary, it was an exchange – lose the humidity, in favor of mouthfuls of dust. Still, touring around the city on the back of a scooter was well worth the grime collected in the process.
While the imam sat silently observing us, the hajji led into a lengthy and impassioned monologue about the peaceful nature of Islam and its followers, their love for all as brothers, and the frustration of Pakistan and the divisions it created. The “local people,” he said, painting their mosques and houses green and flying the Pakistani flag, could not understand this properly – they were not “high minded” as we were. It seemed I, as a foreigner, had won immediate approval, while Amby was lauded because “the lady trusts you.” Most importantly, however, remember: Islam is a peaceful religion, scarred only by the black sheep that scar every group, and we are all brothers under the Creator – Americans take note. “There are no guns or bombs hidden in the mosque – would you like me to show you? I will happily take you in.” Preaching to the choir, my friend, I thought; it’s not those carefully garbed in head scarves who need to be warned against Islamophobia, though I’d happily spread the message.
The 12-15 hour overnight bus between Hyderabad and Chennai, while a bumpy ride, is a cheap, relatively positive way to travel. Pro: sleeper style and AC. Con: rolling over in the middle of the night to find that someone has ambled into the bunk across from yours and proceeded to stare at you. …Creepy. Safely arrived in Chennai, I bounced from one side of the city to the other, switching from a friend near the University of Hyderabad, in suburbs west of the city, to a friend on the far eastern side of the city. Train was the most expedient (and ridiculously cheap, at Rs. 6) way to move between the two, but the trip was still a dusty 80 minutes in total.
Between meandering at the University’s annual festival and making my way through heaps of biryani (a Hyderabad specialty), the vast majority of my time was spent on the back of my friend Amby’s scooter – an excellent way to see the city, though one gets a bit saddle-sore after the first few days. March 23 marked the Telugu new year, which naturally meant plenty of delicious food, chatting with relatives in town for the occasion, and more food and chatting. So began the risk of my bursting from the amount of rice I was served during my time in Hyderabad.
Aside from biryani, Hyderabad is known for the jewels of the Old City, most notably the focal point of Charminar (1591). Heading that direction, I leaned around Amby to take street shots while he dodged the rickshaws, other scooters, and daring pedestrians attempting to cross the bustling street. Similarly dodging dozens of fellows hailing us with handfuls of pearl necklaces, we made our way through the bangle shops then jingled on down to the Makkah Masjid, Charminar’s neighboring mosque (completed in 1694). Shoeless and appropriately veiled, I was still quite clearly non-Indian, and we unintentionally attracted the interest of the imam in the process. Within two minutes of entering, we were pulled into conversation by a hajji, who then beckoned us along to the office of the imam.
After a significant amount of time spent in conversation with the hajji – the imam, silently observing me throughout, interrupted only once to ask (via Amby) what I was doing in India – Amby and I made our way out of the office with bemused smiles and copies of the Quran. Back to the scooter, back to the city center, and, for me, back to Chennai.
For a few more Hyderabad photos, check out this (relatively brief) online album.
Meanwhile, back in Chennai, it's some work and frequent outings for food, celebrations, and general revelry. I stand by my belief that building a social life is crucial to settling in. :)
Enough babbling for now. More soon- off to Mumbai/Bombay next week!
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