Hyderabad and Bengaluru

My last tour to India was a memorable one. I could not imagine covering too many popular tourist spots within ten days, including having health check-ups for my family members and me in Bengaluru. Since I was a government officer and held a blue passport, I was not afraid to travel from one corner to another, covering and seeing the vast territory of India. And, I made the tour very successful; when the necessity and thirst to see new places aroused in my mind, I planned a tour, like my Oman tour. I was very successful in planning precisely and implementing it according to my plan. I had chosen Bengaluru, specifically NH Health City (International Wing), for a master health check and a comprehensive women’s health check before I reached India. So why not set foot in the once-famous Golconda Sultanate andthe Land of the Nizams, as history always beckons me to dive deep into the past? And so it has been like before, I always focus on places of historical interest, architectural wonder, and natural beauty. But I miscalculated the actual distance between Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It eventually forced me to curtail one day in Hyderabad and add one more day to Bengaluru, as I could not confirm my plane tickets from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. Anyway, nobody would believe me! The way I travelled and spent every day was with amazing experiences!

We reached Kolkata with a Regent Airways Boeing within half an hour. After spending two nights in Kolkata, in Treebhad reached Hyderabad o Trend Glorious Rim Rocks Palace and The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, situated on 1, 2, 3 Old Court House Street, Dalhousie Street, Kolkata City Center, we got on board a Hyderabad-bound Air Indigo (which is always my favorite airliner) and had landed on Hyderabad after three hours, approximately at 3:30 pm local time. We chose Srinivasa Road Transport Private Limited to pick us up from Hyderabad Airport and then drop us off at FabHotel Arastu Nampally at the cost of 1350 Indian rupees, which I booked via Booking.com. It was past 5:30 pm, at evening, when we checked into the hotel. We felt very comfortable, though we booked two separate rooms side by side. The behaviour of the manager was very friendly, and the overall services provided by the manager and the support staff were excellent. The manager did not mind as I cancelled one day; moreover, he arranged a convenient day-long city tour and bus tickets from Hyderabad to Bengaluru.

Hyderabad, Telangana, India, is the virtual land of the Nizam. The history of Golconda, Nizam, and Hyderabadi biryani added a new dimension to my plan when I decided to visit Bangalore and Mysore, the land of Tipu Sultan. 

Along with a culinary heritage, Hyderabad has a hidden gem of historical evidence dominated by the Nizam dynasty. I booked two rooms at FabHotel Arastu Nampally, Hyderabad. We hired a car the next morning, and our driver was a guide by himself. A road trip in Hyderabad city was very exciting and refreshing.

Charminar 

One of the must-visit places in Hyderabad is the iconic Charminar. The tourist activity in Hyderabad revolved around this magnificent structure. When we first arrived, it was early morning, and the shops in the surrounding streets were beginning to open for business. We climbed the narrow, winding stairway to the top of the Charminar, where we were rewarded with a breathtaking bird’s-eye view of the entire area. We revisited the Charminar the following evening, and this time, we were greeted by the vibrant environment of the makeshift marketplace that surrounded it. Among these markets, the Lad Bazaar stood out as particularly noteworthy. 

Then we went to see the famous Mecca Masjid (mosque) close to Charminar. Local people said that this masjid was built with the soil from Mecca, a historically holy place for muslims.

The location was close to the Charminar. Sumptuous—that’s the sole word to describe the Chowmahalla Palace. We acquired a wealth of knowledge about the Nizam’s history here. The palace is impeccably maintained. What truly captured my attention were the ceilings, the chandeliers hung from the inner roof, and the gorgeous throne of Nizam.  

This museum in Hyderabad is widely regarded as one of the best, and it’s not an exaggeration. If you’re a museum enthusiast, you could easily spend a week exploring the Salarjung Museum. However, we didn’t have the intention of spending an entire day there, so we headed straight to the suggested “The Veiled Rebecca” sculpture. It’s truly a remarkable piece of art that leaves you in awe. Another attraction at the museum is the musical clock, which draws a large crowd at noon. We had the opportunity to view it from a balcony above, and it was just as enjoyable to see the reactions of both children and adults. If you plan on visiting the Salarjung Museum, it’s advisable to read up on it beforehand so you can prioritise the sections that interest you the most and make the most of your visit.

When you visit Hyderabad, a visit to the Hussain Sagar Lake is a must. However, our driver said that to avail a boat ride, we needed to arrive at the dock in the morning and specifically, on a Sunday to witness a local event. Unfortunately, it was the day after Eid, and we had to wait in a long queue to get on board any boat to ply on the lake. We discarded the idea; however, we strolled around the lake and stayed in the adjacent park for quite some time to enjoy the gentle breeze blowing deep from the direction of the middle of the lake. The lake is vast, and even from the top of the tower, as the visitors informed, you can not see its other end. However, we did come across captivating street art adorning the wall across the lake. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Hyderabad also embraces a street art culture, and this burst of colors added a unique touch to the Hussain Sagar Lake.

The driver led us to NTR Amusement Park, which at present you will find amusing due to certain renovations and installations; go and search on Google, it is worth visiting. 

Bangalore, Karnataka, India: City of Health and Gardens: 

Our departure from Hyderabad, however, was dramatic as the manager of Fab Hotel Arastu arranged our bus tickets from Hyderabad to Bangalore.

We waited and waited anxiously for the bus to arrive at a makeshift, tiny bus station; the double-decker bus named ‘Kundlskar’ with sleeping arrangements for the night finally came to our relief, and we got on board very quickly, as it was not a fixed station, we guessed. Never before had we availed of a journey in a sleeper bus, not even at home. So it was a special experience for us, as I found a person just opposite my bed who was travelling to Bangalore to perform his office duties, leaving his family in Hyderabad.

It was a very intimate exchange of words between us about our travel and his experience of serving in another state without his family. At how many stations the bus stopped at, or how many twisted and hilly roads the bus passed at midnight, I could not see; all I felt were the dangerous movements and swings repeatedly that forced me to have a sight of the darkened outside through my closed window glass in most of the cases, and, instead of feeling the impotence of sleep, I repented for a day journey as I missed the beautiful jig-jag natural environment. Who does not know the world is a vast place for a limited life? I knew I might not travel through that road again. 

Over the years,  Bengaluru has been famous for an IPL team named after the city, ‘Royal Challengers Bengaluru’, the very abode of King Kohli (Virat Kohli, one of the all-time best batsmen in modern cricket).

 My overall impression of the city is that India can take pride in the city, a city that is well adorned with large streets connected to world-famous hospitals and large gardens full of big trees and vegetation. 

Our three-night stay at the five-star Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa Bangalore was truly memorable, considering the wide range of buffet breakfast options and in-room amenities at an arguably low cost.

We arrived at Gokulum Grand, situated at 115, Gokula Extension, HMT Road (near BEL Circle), Bangalore, 560054, India. Initially, we booked two nights in that grand hotel, though later extended one more day, as my wife showed her indifference in travelling to Mysore because of excessive rain. We selected 14 August to check into the Hotel and see how Indians celebrate their Independence Day on 15 August. Additionally, we planned to experience the famous flower show, a rare, auspicious arrangement of colourful flowers and many things and replicas of animals and houses made of flowers in Bengaluru’s Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a rare one in the Indian Sub-continent. On 14 and 15 August, we found a festive mood inside and all around the Hotel with special colourful light effects. As evening approached, an atmosphere duly supported my daughters and me to engage in a prolonged photoshoot session.

But the experience, especially at breakfast, was worth remembering for years to come. The auspicious dining hall was adorned with diverse North Indian, South Indian, and continental dishes cooked with inventive recipes: mouthwatering and beneficial for health. We ate to our heart’s content. My wife virtually fell in love with South Indian food. No doubt, it was an experience of a lifetime, provided with elegance and luxury.

During our stay at Gokulam Grand Hotel, we travelled to NH Health City twice for a health check-up. But the problem was that it had been raining cats and dogs for the three days we stayed. But we never cared, as on the third day we had a city tour during an occasional seizure of rain. I will never forget those three days, as our health check-up reports were fine; that gave me extra inspiration to travel to Mysore and Ooty.

It was raining on the 14  August evening, as we rented a car to eat pizza at Domino’s Pizza, an international chain shop famous for pizza. I later learned from a Google search that India is the only country with over 1,000 Domino’s outlets. The rain-soaked afternoon in Bengaluru was also a memorable one, followed by the evening as we discovered a familiar scene like Dhaka. People, specifically young boys and girls, were moving to and fro to avoid raindrops; a few did not care or bother to be utterly rain-drenched. We savoured pizzas and ice creams while viewing the hob-nob inside the restaurant, as it became a temporary shelter for the passers-by during heavy rainfall.

On 15 August, we roamed all around the famous Parliament buildings. We took photos in front of the new and old buildings, each equally gorgeous and representing architectural wonders. Even if you look at them from a certain distance your eyes will be bewildered by the Vidhana Soudha

( ‘Legislative House’) that serves as the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It was constructed in Neo-Dravidian style and completed in 1956.

What if you get the rare opportunity to discover the gorgeous way of life of the Maharajas of India in the 19th century? The 19th-century Bengaluru Royal Palace has preserved everything for you to lose in lost time the glorious past of a Maharaja who lived a Victorian-type life- a life with luxury and wealth. The palace belongs to Maharaja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and his wife, Her Highness Pramoda Devi Wadiyar.asd

Over the last few years, the Palace grounds have been home to some of the world’s biggest music bands and personalities, like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, Bryan Adams, Elton John, Deep Purple, Scorpions, and many others.

What if you get the rare opportunity to discover the gorgeous way of life of the Maharajas of India in the 19th century? The 19th-century Bengaluru Royal Palace has preserved everything for you to lose in lost time the glorious past of a Maharaja who lived a Victorian-type life- a life with luxury and wealth. The palace belongs to Maharaja Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and his wife, Her Highness Pramoda Devi Wadiyar.

Over the last few years, the Palace grounds have been home to some of the world’s biggest music bands and personalities, like Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, Bryan Adams, Elton John, Deep Purple, Scorpions, and many others.

In 2007, Iron Maiden played a historic concert on the subcontinent called Eddfest. It was part of their A Matter of Life and Death Tour. It was the biggest paid concert ever held in India, with an estimated crowd of 38,000, with 4000 watching the show from the stands without tickets. This was Iron Maiden’s first visit to India and the first big heavy metal concert in the country. You can see a video on my YouTube channel to learn how large and beautiful the palace’s premises are.

We were lost completely in a 19 th century environment as we wandered through the narrow alleys and silently walked on beholding the reminiscent past. A rare look at the replicas of Greek/ Roman vases and a well-constructed wooden staircase astounded my eyesight, A true and fruitful visit in Nature and Habitation/habitat.

Bangalore Palace is a gigantic museum full of architectural wonders, exquisite interior designs, precious vases and wall paintings, collected from all over the world, though, except for a part of the staircase, I could not take any snaps as taking photos was completely forbidden inside the Palace, which was later turned into a museum.

Then we entered Lalbagh Botanical Garden to behold the flower show, and to our utter surprise, we discovered a flood of crowd, locals, and foreigners were waiting in a never-ending long queue to enter the house adorned with flowers. We could not help but break the law while pleading with local people to give us favour as tourists, and finally, we managed to sneak from the left front side to enter the flower house. The experience was astonishing as we caught sight of many things made of flowers, especially the replica of an elephant, and a well-constructed house with flowers that were scintillating. So, my plan regarding Independence Day paid a dividend to behold a show that occurs twice in one calendar year. In addition, we took shelter under a few large trees after strolling in the garden to become cool and refreshed. 

Unfortunately for the viewers, and for me, almost all the precious photos were lost as in the next year, in Bangladesh, a mugger snatched my Android cell phone containing all precious memories. Anyway, if you want to experience the creativity and innovation of floral artists, you should plan and view the famous flower show held twice in Bangalore, in August and in December.

My elder daughter and I had to pay a visit to the famous Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Bangalore, for two consecutive days for health check-ups. Each time, the journey by car was a scary one because of the speed along the wide, neat, and clean highway, where cars and other vehicles are supposed to travel over 100 miles per hour, but the large trees and flowering plants that adorned the highway on both sides pacified our hearts and made us cool.