The Hyderabad Playlist : Visit to Shilparamam


travel hyderabad
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Hyderabad. I never had the slightest inkling that I would spend that the second half of 2017 in Hyderabad. Till June, 2017. I left the job I had been doing for the last two years after graduation and moved to this city with a friend to study for competitive exams. I had taken the plunge without the guarantee of landing on safe grounds. Risk it was, yes, but it gave me an experience of a lifetime.


I had never studied so much and also enjoyed the lectures in equal measures in my entire life. The feeling of going back to being a student was so good. I loved being a student, abiding by the routine of classes, study hours, making notes and being a part of the classroom that had students from every part of the country, of different age groups. I was not really social. But I liked it. A change from two years of monotonous repeated work in the cubicle was most welcome.


Must visit places in hyderabad
Outside Shilparamam

We decided to take a bit of break on a certain Sunday and visit Shilparamam- the traditional handicraft village situated in Hi-tech city. The entry fee was 40/- rupees for adults. It has a Cultural Crafts Museum, Art Gallery and Library, and a multipurpose auditorium. Shilparamam is a perfect place for art lovers, and people who seek a quiet time to admire art and culture.


The Art Village
In a museum inside Kala Kshetra

It was one of the best evenings spent in the city. We explored the place with wide eyed wonder, through different art and craft stalls from around the country. There were wooden furniture stalls, clockworks, curios, showpieces, decorative items of metal and marbles, pots and terracotta, lanterns, kalamkari printed dress materials, hand-woven shawls, kundan earnings etc.


The Art Village
Love those lanterns.

We visited the Art Museum, strolled along the gardens, clicked selfies near the flower beds and the beautiful sculptures, posed near the man made waterfall and enjoyed a boat ride.


The Art Village
Boating!! Yeah!! Look at that bridge!!

There was an amphitheatre where we watched classical dance shows in the evening. It was showcased in the weekends only, and we were lucky to be able to watch it. Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi. It was my first time watching Kuchipudi and I enjoyed it a lot. I loved the classical music. The dancers gave such incredible facial expressions and emoted the story so well. Renowned artists had performed that day- we could tell from the minute long introduction that the host gave them.


Kuchipudi
Watching Bharatnatyam

There were many ladies sitting near the entrance with Mehendi cones doing Arabic designs. And in the other end near the food courts, under a big banyan tree there sat many sketch artists who did portraits for different rates. I watched them in action. It was great. I so wanted to have a portrait made for myself, but didn’t have much money with me. The rates started from 500/- and went till 1500/- ruppees.


Those Flowers in the background

We did boat ride, it was such a great experience. We pedaled and navigated the boat around ourselves. We went near the bougainvilleas near the stony edges of the waters, went under the bridge, hit the fellow boats in front of us in frenzy and clicked a lot many pics. It was so much fun.



That statue! Those eyes!

We had kulfi and pani puri while returning. An awesome end to an evening spent well.


The Art Village
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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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