HYDERABAD : With Gareth Owen taking over as the British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, in a freewheeling tête-a-tête with CE, he talks about his work in the two Telugu states, his family loving Hyderabad as their home, food, architecture and the pearls of the Nizamian city, among other things
From instantly becoming a fan of the Irani chai to looking forward to going street food hopping, British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Gareth Wynn Owen, could be more desi than a lot of us, especially given their spice tolerance. “I was initially worried that our kids could have a problem adjusting to school but their classmates surprised us with their warmth on the very first day,” says Gareth who could go on and on about how welcoming Hyderabad has been.
The diplomat, with his family, toured several places in both states, who fell in love with the art and architecture from the Nizamian, Pallava, Chola and Kakatiya period. When it comes to food, the family enjoys trying new street food places often. “We recently tried something called the mirchi bajji and were in awe of its idea. We also love the street chais, the biryanis and my kids call the vada, the spicy doughnut,” he laughs. He is yet to try the avakai (mango) pickle that he has heard so much about.
Gareth is a fan of street life and says he loves to just sit back and watch life happening around, something that he calls ‘fast-paced.’ Despite the laidback attitude towards life that Hyderabadis wear as a badge of pride, the family finds life her way too early and sleeps late at midnight. “I was already warned at how people honk for various other reasons here, not to forget that it took us a month or so to realise the vehicles that whiz past really close is normal and safe,” he says adding that he enjoys cycling and is looking forward to the discussed bicycle-friendly tracks in the city. The family goes on regular walks in the city and uses a distant ice cream cart as an incentive to encourage the kids to walk a mile longer, he shares.
One new habit he has picked up and has now become his new normal, Gareth says, is folding his hands to greet with the ‘namaste’, something he loves doing. Asked if he has gotten a chance to explore Indian content, he says, “I would love to, I did watch a play and am looking forward to listening to some good classical music. I also will soon try watching some good movie the world is talking about, from the Telugu film industry, like RRR and Godfather.” He adds that he recently had the pleasure of ‘Megastar’ Chiranjeevi and was enamoured by his mere presence and humility. “I saw how people went crazy about him and how he was so calm and welcoming. The family’s hospitality, our conversations about art, politics, movies, etc., is something I’ll cherish,” he shares.
The Owen family has had a wonderful time celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, Bathkamma, Dasara and Diwali here and Gareth recalls how he almost broke ‘shoe protocol’ to parttake in the traditional kolatam. Some other things he finds lovely about the city, he says, “Is how sometimes, seasons change in just a day and how endearing it is to watch how closely-knit families are in this country.”
With Rishi Sunak making history after becoming Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister, Gareth believes India-UK relations are only going to get better, stronger and are headed in the right direction.