Wandering Around in Hyderabad - ft. Pallavi, Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur

March 08, 2021

Pallavi offered to take me to view the Art and murals done in suburban Hyderabad - Eidgah. I was tired of being cooped up at home studying so I said yes. I took the polaroid camera A anna gave me on my 11th birthday and Mama's second phone for pictures. All set, we left at 250 pm and reached t around 315. We parked in the compound. The buildings on the left were painted. Pallavi especially liked a pink wall with flowered designs. Another had images of a man stumbling. Through the crack of the buildings we saw a green building with a few birds. The garbage, sewage and general unhygienic environment right in front of the buildings was paradoxical. The walls had symbols of secularism followed by a Do not Pass Urine sign which had been adorned with the same. Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur were a little while away so we went down the lane. Pallavi told me that an organisation call St+rt had collaborated with Asian Paints and several artists to bring contemporary art to the common man and hence the Bastis were full of thought provoking stuff. While approaching the lane we saw a couple of goats chilling on top of a run-down car and Pallavi took out her DSLR. Seeing this, a young man approached us and asked us if we were artists and if we would paint his house. Pallavi said sure. But, we said after Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur came we would check it out. That was all.

Picture Credit : Anjali and Pallavi

Vidhur blowing bubbles

Me and Bhutta

Vidhur and Bhutta

Vidhur with his sword

Vidhru at Kaamat

Blistering Sky

Very real

Ice cream wala

Pallavi drinking water

The birds that remained behind from their flock by the time I took out the camera

Children playing

Secularism

Starting point

Cat posing

Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur at Yellow Gully

Jelly Fish in Yellow Gully

Then we started down the road. I felt like a stranger in my hometown here. I realised that the environment I grew up in is a small fraction when compared to the city. I felt artificial and very modern. The houses looked amazing. I saw a girl lower a basket and a vendor drop vegetables in it very casually. Nobody minded the goats or dogs roaming around. The young girls wore dresses or salwar-kameez and the older ones a head scarf or burqa. Everyone seemed to know the others. They were all very glad to give directions, often confusing. The shops had a very homely feeling with names like Rehman Baker or MZ Enterprise. COVID-19 protocol however was not being followed. Personally, our group sanitized and distanced ourselves.

We met Niveditha Aunty and Vidhur soon and then we went in search of Yellow Gully. An old man wearing a fez and kurta had an amazing smile. We went to Yellow Gully and saw a jellyfish on a yellow wall and some other yellow walls. A goat was urinating right next to Yellow Gully. We then walked a bit more. We saw men preparing food in handis as a daawat was approaching. It all seemed as if out of a travelogue. After a while, we decided to head back to Niveditha Aunty's car and drive around.

The walls were covered with lovely geometric art and we saw one small rectangle with a hipster titled 'Goal Digger'. After a icecream pitstop, we drove around some more. We went to the ATM and then we drove through Public Gardens. We had bhutta and juice. We then went to Kaamat Hotel and I had a plain dosa. Vidhur blew plenty of bubbles into his milkshake. Overall, it was a fun getaway after a long month of exam preparation.

Thank you so much Pallavi, Vidhur and Niveditha Aunty! I had the time of my life!