On reaching here, my first stop is at my favourite monument in the city. No, it isn’t the Charminar, which, incidentally, is no longer accessible by car. Instead, it is the beautiful and underrated Qutub Shahi Tombs. These massive structures mark the final resting place of the monarchs of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty. They are splendid examples of Indo-Persian architecture and are spellbinding to witness at close quarters. By the time I’m done exploring the tombs, darkness has fallen, so I make a beeline straight for my hotel to rest up for the night.
I spend the night in Hyderabad’s Hitech City. As the name suggests, this is the technology hub of the city and quite an impressive-looking one at that. The usual suspects, big names in the Indian tech space, are present here as well. From Capgemini to Dell and HCL to Deloitte you can find them all right here. The buildings are again a marvellous feat of modern architecture and, if you like this contemporary style of structure, they are quite a visual treat. They also make a fantastic contrast to the old-world charm of the Qutub Shahi Tombs and that, in a nutshell, is the essence of Hyderabad too: remnants of the old world holding a proud place of honour in the heart of town. But the town is ever-expanding and always marching forward into the future.
