More Hotels, More Food

Burp re Burp

I wouldn’t have been more surprised had I read in the papers that the sun had risen in the west. Used that I am to read about new hotels opening only in Jubilee Hills and surroundings I was rather taken aback (and understandably so) when I read that a new hotel was opened in Hyderabad at Abids. For a few minutes I was actually speechless. It was hard to believe that someone had actually opened a hotel in apna Abids. I wanted to personally meet the gentleman behind the venture and commend him for his bold venture of opening his hotel in such an area. The hotel in question is Hotel Mercure whose opening was splashed across the papers last Monday. At last, I thought, there was something to cheer about on the hotel front in this side of Hyderabad.

But my joy was rather too premature and also short lived. Hardly had three days passed than I read in the Friday papers that yet another hotel was opened in Banjara Hills. I read about the (grand) opening of ‘A’La Liberty’ Pure Vegetarian hotel at AG Heights in Banjara Hills which any Hyderabadi knows is practically next door to Jubilee Hills. For the Jubilee Hills crowd the news of new hotels and restaurants opening in their area must no longer be a cause for any special jubilation as it has become too commonplace for them.

Just how frequent and commonplace it has become was brought home when, just two days later (that is, on Sunday) I opened the papers to read that ‘Hotel Daspalla’ was being inaugurated at Road No 37 the same day by no less a person than the Chief Minister. What that means to the crowd at Jubilee Hills I cannot say but it is sure making me depressed. I cannot fathom the reason though I am not such a foodie and certainly not one to travel all the way across the city to Jubilee Hills just to have some overpriced dish. I do hope that the Jubilee Hills folks are aware of the latest developments and also quite pleased about it.

Etc.,

The way the young generation is driving I was half expecting something of this kind to happen. Sooner or later the young generation shows us how much better (or worse) they can do something that the previous generation has been doing till then. My generation of drivers while managing to drive on the roads occasionally drove into other vehicles, lampposts, pedestrians, and most frequently into the road dividers but never into a lake. In a demonstration of where the next generation of Hyderabadi drivers is headed, a youngster drove his car right into the Hussainsagar Lake. Yes, you’ve read it correctly. He took the whole car into the Hussainsagar Lake. He cleared the foot high pavement, the barrier and steered the car (and his friends too) into the placid waters of the beautiful lake. Luckily they all escaped unscathed. What next? I am eagerly waiting for the next feat by the NexGen.