Lessons both big and small

It was an embarrassment for our own standards as a heritage nerd that I hadnrsquot visited Hyderabad until recently And when it happened it was more of a dash and less of a relaxed sojourn that would have given us adequate time to soak in the sights and sounds of the historic city Since it was a personal visit that was squeezed into less than 48 hours I grabbed the opportunity to explore whatever came my way But even before the mini Hyderabad darshan began I found myself marvelling at the miles of lush wellmanicured greentopped vistas that formed a part of the airportrsquos landscaping project Mind you there were no eyesores read ghastly expensive and poorlylit installations and Middle Easterntype faux flora I loved that there were no posters of netas welcoming me into lsquotheir cityrsquoAs I made my way through its new and old parts I was particularly curious about their metro service I heard good things about it and naturally wanted to see what the hype was all about Since it was elevated on most roads that we travelled I could fully gauge its impact on the existing infrastructure It was wellplanned thought had gone to ensure establishments immediately below the metro stations were visible I could see the sky above and there was no sense of feeling claustrophobic or caved in despite moving right below these routes a far cry from what happens when one uses the road that runs right below the MarolSaki Naka stretch of the metro line Clearly there was minimum disruption to the identity of the original city I noticed this throughout my time theremdashbe it how the elevated metro ran seamlessly near Secunderabad railway station or around busy parts like Nampally It was aesthetic to the eye logic and citizensrsquo convenience seemed to have been taken into consideration in the execution of these plans Letrsquos not even get into citizen woes and the pressure on existing infrastructure that continue to plague our multiple metro lines even before they begin operations here The aftermath of Julyrsquos rainfall gave all us a chilling teaserWhen our hosts took us for a bit of the realdeal touristy things I was equally curious to see what the locals refer to as the ldquoNecklacerdquomdashthe section that lines the Hussain Sagar Lake The second factor that won my vote was the noticeably clean footpaths despite massive Sunday crowds We walked past Eat Street which is a cluster of waterfronting cafeacutes and restaurants I was immediately reminded of the lack of good eating out spaces not the fivestar variety at our promenades Another section that caught the eye was a line of stores that sold locally sourced products from wild honey and jaggery to regional savouries like aapalu and rice chaklis There was intent to empower smallscale entrepreneurs and startups What better place than here to showcase the statersquos specialties These stores were doing roaring business smart pricing did the trick not to mention the tasteWe might have covered only half of the lakersquos circumference but all of it was spotless the roads and footpaths were welllit and security patrols kept whizzing past to ensure safety was maintained A few lakefacing parts were created for walkers and joggers it reminded me of all thatrsquos gone wrong with Powai Lakersquos similarly planned manmade waterfront As nightfall descended the lsquoNecklacersquo looked resplendent in its many hues luring one and all in its direction I could see why itrsquos the goto for its citizens pretty much like Marine Drive Bandstand or Carter Road promenadesThe Hussain Sagar experience was another lesson The waterfront with all due respect to my Hyderabadi friends is not half as spectacular as Marine Drive if you blend its legacy architecture and history However the civic authorities have done everything in their power to ensure it remains its true jewel There is a synergy between the powersthatbe and its people to highlight this showpiece On the contrary in our glorious city we find citizensrsquo groups of Marine Drive facing endless battles as they play watchdog to ensure their beloved and globally celebrated neighbourhoodrsquos identity is salvaged from ghastly street furniture to unplanned public loos and tasteless road dividers theyrsquove had to combat all kinds of aberrationsAnother observation was the absence of overthetop banners and hoardings across the city by political partiesmdashin power or in the opposition It reminded me of how little our authorities here have done to stop these emboldened acts that continue to deface the city Civic sense in general was commendable in most parts that I crossed a startling reminder of a key factor that ails most of our city apart from a tiny population do the rest really careHyderabad seems to have got these basics right It wouldnrsquot hurt for our cityrsquos lawmakers to step down from their high pedestals and look at what is working well in other metros Solutions are there to be adapted and executed How we wish that they look at the larger picturemdashwhere all that matters is the overall welfare of the city at its coremiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom