Hitec City is a misnomer. Firstly, it’s not a city, only a couple of long stretches of road too narrow for the traffic it caters to. And it’s definitely not ‘hi-tech’ either. Grand corporate offices abound but lanes around most residential areas are perpetually dusty and in a terrible state of repair. Finding a place to live here is really difficult, particularly if you’re planning to shift in with people who’re fresh acquaintances. Most restaurants are too expensive for the quality of the food they serve, more so considering their chaotic ambience. Locals sparingly speak in any of the languages comprehensible to the vast non-Telugu speaking population. All of Hitec City, from general stores to apparel showrooms, seems to be concentrated within a radius of five hundred metres. Nightlife here is non-existent. Period. For a place where high-earning bachelors and spinsters are dying to spend big bucks, it’s unfair that anything and everything beneath the moon should shut down at 10 o’clock with scrupulous punctuality.

Nevertheless, once you’re inside one of those glass-and-steel wonders thronging the area, Hitec city is fun! Offices here are more of hangouts than workplaces. Grab some latté, light a fag, shout across the cubes, chat through training sessions, shoot innocent looks of admiration at pretty ladies and gorge on lots of free food… Wi-Fi hotspots are numerous and offer terrific download speeds. Cellular service providers, banks and the like make every effort possible to rope you in as a customer with not even half the formalities required elsewhere. Just belonging here brings a sense of importance that we freshers are so desperate to experience. Then there are work timings that are extremely flexible. Mournful Mondays and Freaking Fridays only belong to some distant world I feared I might step into. Of course you have the weekends to yourself, for the IMAXes and Fusion 9s screaming out for attention, but who the hell cares when it feels so good being at work!? Apart from the moments I miss the days at my alma mater… Life is beautiful.

Hyderabad is confusing. Really confusing. Till only a decade ago, this place was just another state capital. Known for its unique fusion of Nizami and Deccan culture. Enter a certain gentleman by the name of Chandrababu Naidu. This place took off as a hotspot of IT activity in Asia..nay, the world.. and how! Since then there's been no looking back. There's been an influx of talent from across India and the globe and the local economy has taken off. Hyderabad now rivals all the erstwhile 'metros' in popularity and is one of the most sought after destinations for global corporations looking to set up offices in India. So much for an epilogue. But what truly defines Hyderabad is something that transcends narrow cultural political and technological boundaries. Here you have a place that's unique in its appeal to a nation and its people who are truly and literally 'on the move'.

The traffic in Hyderabad is a metaphor for the times and the attitude of the Hyderabadis. 'Hallu Hallu chalenga to kaise hoyenga miya? ' One of my colleagues at work said it best: "In Hyderabad, if someone sticks his hand out of the car, he has no intentions of making a turn." There are other things though that more than make up for the horrible traffic in Hyderabad.
The food, for instance. :)

If you're in Hyderabad and you're not a foodie, too bad. Such a waste. This is the place to be for those restless souls continually seeking new gastronomic delights. The Nizams sure knew how to dine in style! It's only in Hyderabad that you'll find hundreds upon hundreds of different Biryanis that will rock your tastebuds. And then there's the chicken! Uniquely spicy with a generous sprinkling of the locally popular curry leaves. And there are the myriad varieties of kebabs that will leave you mesmerized. And if you thought this place is not all that great for vegetarians, you'd have to be wrong. The Andhra veg cuisine is rich in variety. They use so many spices and flavours that you'll never for a moment feel left out in the midst of the gluttonous meat-eaters!

The language in Hyderabad is distinctly different from anywhere else in the country. Like other components of the culture, the language here has been heavily influenced by the Andhra and Muslim cultural identities. Most Hyderabadis are fluent in both Hindi and Telugu, so people from up North usually don't have a great deal of trouble settling in.

All in all Hyderabad is a place that welcomes one and all in it's magnanimity. A unique meeting point for the old and the new, the North and the South. As a newcomer this place just hits you with its vibrance and grows on you. It'll take a while before I get familiar with the nuances of Hyderabadi culture and truly begin to understand what being a Hyderabadi really means. Till then, I can only manage to say in true Nizami style,

Aadab Hyderabad!

The urge to be within the realm of security and comfort, underlines the very essence of human psychology.Too heavy a sentence for
assumption, right???let us take an example : Given the liberty on financial constraints, what would we choose if one fine day, we had to pick between a pair of Levis strauss or New port Jeans. Or may be between Nike or Action shoes.I guess , most of us (including the one writing this blog) would blindly opt for the former one. Levis and Nike. And why so??Are action shoes more susceptible to wear-n-tear or Newport jeans dont look good on us???The introductory statement would exactly suffice to the option any of us would have preferred . In other words, its the "brand" that matters.Atleast, we think,it matters! Choosing the branded item would atleast give us a sense of assurance of the item's longitivity and better performance.

The very "item" is analogous to our "career", if we take into account the corporate scenario.If anyone asks , what enlightened me to leave a fat salaried job in my hometown, and shift 1500 km away to a land which i had never visited and do a job ,which has a profile that doesnt match to my academic qualifications, i remain speechless...Except the "brand" value, there is nothing i can put up to defend myself.Why are engineers being hired when the same work can be done by any CA student?? Can I ever ,put to use,the entire electronics knowledge that we gained in the entire four years of our college tenure, or atleast ,claimed to! Would my non-commerce background pose any sort of hindrance to my career growth?

Questions that plague my mind,are numerous.And answers to those,i have are none. Better, i leave it to time itself, to bear the testimony of whether my decison was correct or not.Perhaps,being the branded company, Deloitte is, i will prosper more here than at any place else. Perhaps, five years down the line, i will see myself,as a manager ,enlightening others why they should join deloitte.

As for the timebeing,sitting in the huge "Deloitte office",wearing an "Arrow" shirt, a "Blackberrys" pant and a "Titan" watch, i can just say(read hope), that ,

Brand does matter.....

Its been a long time i have given my writing prowess some favour....so here wen i sit down to pen down my thoughts , there is high probability of incoherence between wat i percieve and wat i express..walking down the memory lane has been my favourite pastime being the utterly retrograde person i am....4 years back.. and i can see myself as a studious boy , slogging hard to fulfill the expectations from his parents, family n himself. In all that pressure, the mind found solace in the company of a few angels, whom we call friends....School friends always occupy a special postion in my life. i have grown up with them , and perhaps they know more about me than i know aboutmyself.
Then came the much awaited college life. No uniform. absolute independence.New friends. Neatly ironed pants were dumped for faded jeans. "skoolish " hairstyle had given way to the gelled look. My college friends changed me completely beyond recognition, and they ought to take fair share of the credit for the good/bad in me :)
20th june, 2007: Deloitte had visited the campus and absorbed 17 of us.while others were jumping with excitement and estimating the compensation packages, i was searching for common friends in the list. While 2 of my very close friends got through,a couple couldnt. So it was a mixed bag of emotions.Anyways ,wat we came to know that we would be posted in Hyderabad.
A blurred world was waiting for us.we call it "the corporate life". We had to take dip into this world, we were completely unaware of.
Welcome life. Welcome hyderabad!