HYDERABAD: Every city has its hotspot where jobs, business, and even crime converge. This place shifts and reshapes like tectonic plates, constantly redefining the city’s pulse. But the real twist is that every Hyderabadi believes they live in the city’s centre and honestly, they might be right if you consider the timeline.
For instance, if someone randomly claims that Chaderghat (a place where mentioning it as a drop location will cause Uber to cancel and close with curses) once must have been the city’s hotspot, they might be onto something, at least if we’re talking about September 15, 500 AD. See, humans have always loved living near water, and even though Chaderghat is now unvisitable, I bet back in the day, Musi Inn riverfront must have had more rating than the Park Hyatt.
Then came the Charminar, which I’m convinced ruled Hyderabad as the centre for about 400 years. Even today, the Charminar could give other contenders for the title a run for their money.
It’s got scenic views, food, shopping, and enough people to make a bustling city just lacking in wide roads, which is why post-independence, the centre of gravity shifted to Abids, Nampally, and Koti, thanks to the presence of a post office, bank, and railway station, which was enough to complete any given task. Back then, if someone said they were going to Nampally, you wouldn’t ask why; you’d just wish them a good day at work.
For a brief period, when the IT scene first emerged and Hitech City was still under construction, Begumpet and Ameerpet were the centre of the city. You’d finish college, take coaching in Ameerpet, hop onto a bus, and get off in Begumpet to board your flight to the USA. Begumpet, by the way, is technically the geographical centre of Hyderabad and is still hailed as the centre of the city by those who never leave Secunderabad.
Once Hitech City and its friendly neighbourhood areas came up, they soared to great heights in terms of economics, opportunities, and traffic. So much so that my friends who moved to Hyderabad post-IT boom believe that anything beyond Jubilee Hills isn’t even Hyderabad anymore. They’re convinced this is the real centre, especially since Modi stays in Kondapur when he visits. He wouldn’t choose it if it wasn’t the centre, right?
But don’t get too comfortable. As the city continues to grow, the centre might just come full circle, and we might find ourselves with a new hotspot next to the airport in Shamshabad.
(The writer’s views are his own)