Just like the Survivor series, we could evolve a new one in India and name it the ‘Find your way if you are dare’ series and declare a winner. AAA trips tiks,a map quest driving directions and even a Hertz rental car ‘Never Lost’ system might be put to shame in the ubiquitous galis and roads in India. Wanna hear more…

I live down the lane of a chowrasta in a remote corner of the city where roads and pavements are still not bumpy,where the fresh air greets you on the morning walk and the postman delivers your letters on time. My friends have often envied my living in a spacious sprawling and purple painted house with a cheerful pink gate and tinted windows. These, as you see are my favorite colors. Born a rustic desi, I had still to experience the niceties of city life or so I gathered.
My address simply reads
Plot No 2
Garden Villa
Secunderabad

This city of the Nawabs boasts of a number of things, it's close cultural diversity of all communities,the delectable and delicious moghlai cuisine of Dabal Ka Meetha, Baghara Baingan and Biryani and the one man collection of Salarjung Museum. These were of course,way back before the common era started. Excuse me folks, but the one thing missed by the passionate Hyderabadi is the names of colonies and address of houses

To locate a house in the city is like finding a needle in a haystack. For instance, a friend of mine once sent me her address which ran something like this

1-11-5/a/6b
New Nallakunta
Hyderabad

and you have more like
1-8-44/3/5c
domalguda

how about this
2-2-647/35/55b
Narayanguda

You get it! How exasperating, I could go on and on. All Hyderabadis make a note, if you are reading this and feel one with me, please post your comment in the column. And to top it all, you could count your lucky stars if you are able to locate that 1-1-221/b is next to 1-1-221/c. That is never the case. Residents of the locality will helplessly look at you but offer their helpful comment nevertheless “Contact the nearest post office will be the answer.” The postman, with an all knowing look gives you the direction.”Go straight on ,you will find ‘A Stitch in Time’ tailors on your right,take the lane adjacent to it till you reach the Banyan tree. There will be a small rock underneath it and in a reverential undertone “the Devi amma herself”, pass that to the third house to the right, first storey. So explicit, you will find it. I have started depending more on the postman than the post box.

And the names of colonies are equally confusing. You have gudas(Somajiguda, Domalguda), gaddas(Erragadda) puras(Yakutpura) pallis( Nampalli) pets like (Hakimpet,Gandipet, Amirpet,)and Bazaars and Bastis. Then there are colonies with the same names located at different areas of the city. There are two Ramnagars,Anandnagars,Vijayanagars and Adarshnagars etc.
In the old city we have exotic meaningful Bastis and Bazaars. The Jume raat Bazaar,Chappal Bazaar,Laad Baazar and Chudi Bazaar.Even the royalty are not spared. You have the Sultan Bazaar followed by the Begum Bazaar and so on. Then the names of nobles and peers. There is Yakut pura,the Agha pura, and the Azampura, Dabir pura et al !

All of which make a veritable collection of the ethnic and the exotica.

Names breathe the tradition of the place,the oriental charm and age old tradition that it holds. Rarely will you come across an English sounding name and perhaps in the New City. I can only quote Charles Lamb delightful essay on the Londoner,the city he loved and admired and on which he penned the following lines “Where has spleen her food but in London ? Humor,interest,Curiosity suck at her measureless breasts without a possibility of being satiated. Nursed amid her noise,her crowds,her beloved smoke,what have I been doing all my life,if I have not lent my ear with usury to such scenes”

Don't get me wrong !I love the city I come from and cannot wait year after year to visit and find my way home.So next time you make a visit to the city of Pearls, try getting the latest navigator from the market or atleast try inventing one.
Happy travelling !

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