Sometimes the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason….

Hyderabad – the city of nawabs and nizams, famous for its Hyderabadi Biriyani, the Golconda fort, the Charminar, Choodi bazaar, and of course been in the news more recently for the bomb blasts in Lumbini Park, Gokul Chaat Bandar, and also the Punjagutta flyover crash … there’s also quite a few other things that this city is famous for.. Oops sorry!! NOTORIOUS for…

Its unruly traffic, arrogant auto-drivers, and as I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts (parochial people!),…. But let me talk to you about the first two aspects of the not-so-famous Hyderabad!!

This incident happened as recent as today morning… me and glen were on our way to meet Kalyan from where we would go to office.. we tried hailing an auto from outside my apartment on the main road… the first auto we saw, that chap asked for 20 bucks to go to Marredpally… normally it takes only 13-14 bucks to go there, so we asked him why he wanted 20 bucks and asked him to come on meter charges (this is btw mandatory in Hyderabad after all the autos were fitted with electronic meters) … he refused.. We said ok, we don’t want the auto and moved on… we met another chappie and the same response. This one wanted 20 bucks too.. We said no.. He said ok and we moved on.. The third auto guy we met asked us for 20 bucks as well.. By this time we were running late and so we decided to get on and give the guy the 20 bucks.. He asked us where in Marredpally and we said just a little ahead of the flyover… he said okie.. We got on.. And on we went on our way… we crossed the flyover and the dude asked us where to stop.. We said you have to go a little more ahead… then that SOB got wild on us and started shouting saying that we should’ve told him that it was this long and that it’s his fate that he has to take people who don’t know where to go exactly and all crap.. I got totally pissed… I started shouting back saying that this is why there are autos and if he was so concerned about the charge he should have used the meter… at the end we all ended up shouting at each other.. I gave him the 20 bucks and we both walked off from there…

This is not the first time that this has happened… most of them refuse to use the meter and then they start shouting at us… each time those assholes think they are doing us a huge favor by letting us get into their auto… and most of the times they don’t even come to the place we ask them to … they just blindly say NO..

The worst part of Hyderabad is the traffic here… it’s unruly, scary, and disorderly and whatever synonyms you wanna give it!! :$... u never know where the lone ranger on a motorcycle is gonna come flying at you anytime of the given day or night… people are not bothered whether they cut across on someone’s lane.. Or take a left that is not warranted, or whether there’s a STOP sign or red light or pedestrian crossing on… hell..!! They’d probably take notice of you only if you run in front of their car, holding both hands out, pleading and shouting.. Don’t hit me… please let me just cross this crazy hideous and god-forsaken road…. And that too maybe.. Just maybe!! It’s a game of life and death that you play out on the roads here… my heart is always in my mouth every single time I have to cross the road or just stroll the streets, or travel!!!

So next time you’re planning to visit Hyderabad and are planning to travel by autos, brush up on your decibel level and learn some choicest of words that you can throw at them and oh yeah! Get an armor too… One made of iron would serve you best!!!