Why Hyderabad

Is Hyderabad a great place to live in? Let me give you ten reasons why we Hyderabadis love Hyderabad. You may feel free to add your opinion in the comments

1- Truly cosmopolitan: We will speak to you in Hyderabadi Hindi or Butler English, if you can't speak Telugu- we don't say "If you are in our state, you should learn our language". We don't hate you based on the region you come from. There is a little north south friction, but that's very tiny, we gel well with most people. We had a huge separatist movement due to disparities, but ever since separate Telangana was formed, we stand as one people, as Telanganites, as Telugu, as Indians, building a Bangaru Telangana and a Cyberabad along with amazing people from different parts of the world. 

2- Our food: We are the biryani capital of the world. "Ek baar Hyderabad biryani khaye tho dusra biryani nai khaate ustaad" - once you eat Hyderabadi Biryani, you won't any other biryani- not to sound elitist, we do taste Lucknowi biryani, Kerala Biriyani (with an extra i) and other flavors, but yes our biryani is really different and amazing. Charminar street food is super famous- you get really nice biryani, mandi , haleem, pathar ka ghosh. 

3- Cyber City: Four of the five Tech giants have their second largest outside their HQ in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is quickly outpacing Bengaluru as the premiere IT destination of India. Whether it be IT or IIT, Telugus standout. I'm sure you'd hear "entra" in an IT company anywhere in India!

4- Educational and Research Insitutions: We are home to IIIT, IIT, NALSAR, NIPER, NIFT, BITS. University of Hyderabad and Osmania University are amongst the top10 universities in India. We have amazing research institures like CCMB, IICT, NGRI, CDFD, CESS- Tarnaka and Rajendra Nagar are full of research institutions. 

5- Genome Valley: Inspired by Silicon Valley, our former chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu saab setup the Genome Valley- where we have BioTech, Pharma, Chem giants like Bharat BioTech, Shanta Biotechnics, ICICI Knowledge park there. India's COVID vaccine Covaxin hamara Shamirpet se aaya!

6- Startup Ecosystem: Our IT minister KTR saab calls Telangana as a startup state. He setup the Telangana State Innovation Cell to bring innovation culture. We have Asia's largest startup incubator- THub. We have a decent startup ecosystem, though we probably lag behind Bengaluru, Mumbai, and we didn't produce many unicorns- 8% of India's unicorns are from Hyderabad.

7- Affordable Culinary Diversity: You get good South Indian aswell as North Indian food at an affordable price unlike other parts of the country, where its hard to get your local food at a good price. We have Kerala restaurants, Tamil eateries, Udipi tiffines, we have Bihari street vendors, we have people from different parts of the world serving us amazing food here. 

8- Cost of Living: The cost of living in Hyderabad is much lower than that of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and other metropolitan cities. You get a 1BHK within 5000-6000 in the suburbs, you get a hostel within 5-6k in the IT belt, inclusive of food. If you're a working professional you can get into a gated community with 25-30k/month aswell. 

9- Traffic: We don't have a silkboard- our traffic is bad but definitely better than Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai. We have good public transport and metro connectivity. We may not match Mumbaai with local trains, we have MMTS, but our public bus transport system is pretty strong and fares are pretty reasonable. 

10- Theatres and Films: Telugus are film buffs and we have amazing theatres- let it be a massy single screen theatre or a Prasads Multiplex. Prasad was south India's largest screen for a long time. This is probably comparable to other cities, not a standout point.

11- Tourism: You have a lot of places to checkout within and outside Hyderabad. We have Charminar, Qutubshahi tombs, Salarjung museum, Ramoji film city (world's largest film production facility) Tankbund- necklace road, Birla Planetorium and you can have a nice outing to places like Anantgiri hills, Nagarjuna sagar dam which are within 4-5hrs of Hyderabad.

 

So when are you visiting us?

The real glory

When the strong get stronger

When the pure get purer

When the pinnacle is nearer

When the legacy actually begins 

But the opportunity is turned down 

Credit is denied, nothing is expected

The words are not understood

But the conviction transcends words

The soul meets self, it's beyond, 

It's beyond pain and pleasure, 

It's the equi-animous moment, 

It's the moment when you go beyond

It's the moment with no desires

It's the moment with no expectations

It's the moment with no guilt

Its the rejuvenation moment 

It's heavy, but the endurance is within, 

The world won't resonate, but it's okay, 

A few stories are meant for the world, 

Not meant for the world to comprehend

Few words are incomprehensible, 

But the actions better impact, 

The survival is in those deeds, 

The currency is what your heart counts

You wake up stronger, you take it all, 

You may have to, you really want to

It's a long journey, the wounds rise high

This is a different experience

I'm judged, I forgive

I'm not understood, I empathize

I intimidate, I don't intend 

Am I pure, I question 

Am I selfish, I question 

Am I seeking pleasure or purpose

Does pain become pleasure 

Do purpose become life 

I write so I can remember

The cost of the tomorrow I create

The you becomes I, for only I knows

I would remember this feeling, I hope

The Dark Knight

Is Leadership lonely?
Is it lonely at the top?
Is it tiring to influence people?
Is it tiring to fight oppression?

Is a dialogue tiring, with the sheep,
trust when they trust the butcher?
Is a dialogue tiring, with instincts?
Are you speaking to yourself?

Why me? Do you ask yourself?
Are these challenges breaking you?
Is the world hounding you?
Is Leadership tiring?

Not until you transcend yourself,
Not until the spirit re-arrives,
Not until the pinnacle meets you again,
Not until the Dark Knight meets you again,

You advance to a high, you experience bliss,
You are invincible, your glory is eternal,
You have solutions, no problem is spared,
You carry people together, you're the Dark Knight!

Every problem, every challenge is an arrow,
That pierces through your torso, but you'd just,
pull it out and your head rises, is held high,
with pride, it rises, you're the Dark Knight!

Your horse is marching swiftly, you're dancing,
You're moving up and down, your head is still,
You've got the smile, you've got the pride,
You've got the swag, you're the Dark Knight!

You cut through problems, your ego tears them all,
You run and strike the adversary, Thunder is heard!
You're a delight for the gods to watch, you're brutal!
You get back to your horse, you're the Dark Knight,

You think several steps ahead of the others, 
You're several steps ahead of self, you think of the others
You're the bridge between Antaryam and Antaryami, 
You're an enigma, you're the Dark Knight

You've got a beautiful word, you're alone,
The world admires you, the world hates you,
You get the care, you get the support,
You're a force, you're the Dark Knight!

Someone's self-esteem is low, they look at you,
They gain self belief, you've not spoke a word,
your life, your struggles (they think so) speak, 
you are the voice, you're the Dark Knight!

Everyone entrusts their problems with you,
but your human limitation comes back,
you experience personal emotions, you look for support,
you forget that you're human, you're the Dark Knight!

You are the reason for ambition,
You inspire people with your spirit,
You don't have to speak, Your eyes do,
The look says it, you're the Dark Knight!

Did you realize, this is not you, but this is you!
This is Steve Jobs, this is Mahatma Gandhi, this is revolution,
your spirit has transcended, to meet a bigger self,
The Atman now equals the Brahman, you're the Dark Knight!

You leave the pages of history to the heroes,
You leave the adulation, to the human within,
You leave the scars behind, your head is held high
You leave yourself behind, you're the Dark Knight

Ah, I was there, I was just there, I wanna get back,
When I am high, I am myself, but when I'm torn,
I look inwards, I question thyself, I meet the new me,
I leave me, I transcend, I become the Dark Knight!

Me and you are not different, there is a bigger spirit,
An ocean, a confluence of all our spirit is waiting,
A new world is waiting for all of us, 
We all can transcend into being the Dark Knight!

Do you hear the pinnacle?
Do you hear youself?
Are you the Dark Knight?
Have you become the Dark Knight?

The Holistic Disruptor

Here's to the Adinath, here's to the dance of disruption,
Here's to the Adiyogi, here's the meditation of disruption,
Here's to the Adiguru, here's to self-learning, to self-teaching,
Here's to the Swayambhu, here's to the self-created, to self-destiny!

This is the story of an innovator, a rebel, a disruptor,
This is the story of a destroyer, an angry young man,
This is the story of Trinethra, the eyes that keep a watch,
This is the story of Neelakanta, the one that can take it!

The is the story of Rudra, the wind, the storm, the roarer,
This is the story of Bhairava, the annihilator, the frightful one.
This is the story of Tripurari, the destroyer of the three planets,
This is the story of Mahamrityunjaya, the victor of death

This is the story of Mahamaya, the creator of delusions.
This is the story of Durjaneeya, he is difficult to be known,
Shall we unfold the journey, shall we anhilate our misconceptions?
Shall we embrace the disruptor, shall we understand the Bhairava? 

He is the Bholenath, he is the simple one,
He is the Varada, he has boons to give,
Ravana found bliss in meditating with Shiva,
Why did so few connect with the Sadashiva?

How do we connect with the spirit, the Sadashiva?
How do we destroy the assumptions in our mind?
How do we lead an internal renaissance?
Do we then overcome our fears and embrace Nityasundara?

He is the Omkara, the lord of the universal sound,
He is the Pranava, Om controls the praana!
Do we connect with the Omkara? Do we meditate?
Do we transcend the sounds, to reach the Sadashiva?

He pursues the arts, he is the Nataraja, the god of the dancers,
He pursues meditation, he is the Dyanadeepa, the light of meditation,
He pursues education, he is the sarvacharya, the supreme teacher,
He is a holistic being, he is the Vishwanath, the master of the universe!

We see his anger, we see his distruction,
We see his power, we see his beauty,
We see his knowledge, time to see his process,
Ravana did, we can do too, let us meditate with him

Hara hara mahadeva, he shows how we challenge the old,
Hara hara mahadeva, he shows how we can create the new!
Hara hara madadeva, he introducees the courages already in us!
Hara hara mahadeva. he shows what we can be!

Damad Damad Damad the damaru is beating,
That's the clarion call, that's the invitation,
to the warrior within us, to the Sadashiva with us,
to manifest, to disrupt and reinvent ourselves from within!

Let's draw from the Kedarnath, from the Kailashnath,
Let's draw from the lord of the daughter of the mountains,
Let's embrace holism, let's embrace disruptive innovation,
Let's embrace the story of first DeepTech innovator!

Spiritual Professional Life

Who are you? This is one of my favorite questions. I think one can experience bliss by pursuing this question in a certain way. Let me try and do that- to take you through this question in that certain way so you could experience the bliss. There is a deeper bliss for grabs if one can let others experience this bliss. Wait, do I smell Blissoception here- bliss within bliss within bliss, may be!

So when I ask "who are you", what comes to your mind? Your name? But what if you change your name? Your profession? Your family? Do you recognize that possibly every cell of your body changes during your lifetime? So your DNA is you? What if your biology completely changes? So would this answer be outside biology? People around you could change, so the answer could be outside your sociology? But there is something about you, something which is invariant.

Would this invariant be tricky if you are person who evolves a lot? Look at Valmiki, he starts as a hunter and transforms into a great writer who gave us the Ramayana. Or look at Siddhartha who became Gauthama Buddha. How about Steve Jobs 2.0 or Arvind Kejriwal 3.0 who doesn't shout at people! Would you have one core idea of these people. Can you find consistency within those inconsistencies? Or order within chaos? Nonlinear dynamics seems to do it in a completely different context. So can we then speculate such an idea in this context?

Some people say Adi Shankara or Swami Vivekananda are avataars of Shiva, would that sound crazy? If I tell you that Rama, Krishna, Varaha are avataars of Vishnu would that sound crazy? Rama and Krishna are two different individuals, so how can they be the same? Understandable, they are human, but how can you say Varaha(pig), Matsya(fish) are same as Rama? Can you say Apple and Amazon are same? Can you say they are different avataars of AI? Does this go back to speculative human mind's ability to see similarities to learn from a different example?

So we conceptualize the idea of a soul. Soul is that DNA of you or that identity or that software of you. Soul is not a static piece but a dynamic evolutionary software which is basically a summary of you. Soul is to the body what juice is to a fruit. One may provide several such examples since the idea is quite abstract. This is mere speculation and if one asks if it is true, the answer is that is just an idea which gives perspectives. Soul gives qualitative perspective of things while material explains the qunatitative perspectives. So Soul is you- your cognition + your emotions + your matter.

Now that you define your soul, you can then start nourishing it. You nourish your soul by nourishing your mind, body and heart. You nourish your body with exercise, mind with reading/brainstorming and heart with social work/art - experiences of emotions. Your soul emerges from these three and is particularly connected with your values and sense of goodness. Your mind, body and heart in unison give you reasons to see an incompleteness within you and a sense of completeness outside.

Sodium needs to lose electron. Chlorine needs to gain an electron. They can do an exchange, but they would have extra charge and this brings instability. So they form a cage structure and guard each other. The sodiums repel a positive charge which pursue chlorine and chlorine repels negative charge which pursues sodium. So there is a sense of incompleteness which leads to instability. This is resolved by seeing stability outside the atoms, in the molecule world. We see lack of satisfaction with ourselves and thats when our social life begins. We stopped being individuals and became specialized interdependent folks in society. We are incomplete without the folks who made the phone, the ones who grew the food and so many more. So your soul finds completeness in humanity.

These qualitative aspects helps you be at peace with yourself, helps you escape dichotomies, to source new ideas. But this is speculation and we could be wrong. So we need science to rigorously probe the ideas sourced by spirituality. So does science have to clash with spirituality? If spirituality is defined this way, then may be not. Creativity source of qualitative ideas and the ability to stay humble and keep claims grounded can exist- science and spirituality.

Now, that we understand the soul, can we have a speculation of what to expect by understanding the soul

1- Do we compete?
If we all have different makeup within our souls, why would we compete? Is Gauthama going for the same currency which Steve Jobs is going for? If all our souls are busy shopping for something else, how are we competing? We may be going for coming items at times, but our paths will split soon. We are on a different journey, so we don't compete, we do it differently and try to survive. This ideology helped Steve Jobs build amazing products. Can we explore this as a business strategy?

2- Is there a universal emotion?
How can I be a rockstar? If everyone is different, how do I sing something which everyone likes? Is there universality in emotions? Do all souls have something in common? Why do all souls feel proud on seeing a proud? Why do all souls feel the same on seeing a baby cry? Why do all souls feel good when a poor woman eats? Why do all souls share these primitive emotions? Evolutionary reasons? Can this help in producing art with universal appeal?

3- Enemy versus "agree to disagree"
If someone does something which is opposite to me, do I see that person as an enemy? Or do see scope of enrichment? Do I see scope for the soul to stumble upon things which she couldn't get so far? Does this help me entertain thoughts without having to accept them?

4- Empathy
Does my soul respect the other souls? Does my soul see the spirit of namasthe- I have a soul in me and you have a soul in you, your soul and my soul are different, so we are equal because we can never the same. So I am neither inferior to you nor am I superior to you, so we are equal and my soul greats the soul in you. If this sense of respect is ritualized everyday, wouldn't we feel so good? If you see everyone else as a reflection of you, wouldnt you find yourself everywhere and feel happy? Can you find happiness outside yourself? Wanna explore?

5-  Randomness
If I face uncertain situations, does it enrich my soul, does my soul have a qualitative perspective of things? So would I enjoy uncertain situations because I am adding more liquid to my reservoir? Would this help me face life better? If life is uncertain with me, why should I be uncertain with life?

Once I can design my soul and control my soul, wouldn't I be able to change my life? Wouldn't the impossible be possible? Can I rewire myself? Are these mere speculations? If they are so nice to hear, how would they feel after execution? Should we give it a try?

Jai Shri Ram

Respect, Anoint, Mirror

He is the simple one, an ordinary one,
He has skills, archery, he strikes gold,
He lacks super-powers, he is one among us,
He rose above us, a civilization adores him!

He epitomizes respect, shows the other side of status-quo,
He is the role model, for the one running a system,
He led a life with so many positives, with perseverance,
He led a life with few dark spots, urging us to reflect!

He was born with a silver spoon,
He saw it as an opportunity, to serve,
He didn't take his royal birth for granted,
He worked his way, and shines as a role model,

He mastered the skills, being a sincere student,
He won his people, being an obedient young man,
He meditated on thoughts of justice and ideal,
He was anointed, remembered, by a civilization

Status-quo, coronation, seem very feudal,
they make way for democracy, for true equality,
but few odd stars shine, in the darkness,
this man exemplifies a great king, a feudal lord!

I have no extraordinary to write about him,
but if you look at his wide-reaching appeal,
look at the chants of Jai Shri Ram,
he has been hijacked, his ideals are nabbed,

But then, see his reach, his ideals are forgotten,
his name is remembered, he is owned up as face,
even by some of the worst of crooks, he has few flaws,
He can save anyone, he inspires everyone,

Think deep, his story is a mirror, is not glamorous,
but this myth challenges all the myths around us,
that you needn't do anything extraordinary,
to work your way up and to rise above us

We all have some privilege, much like his silver spoon,
but can we emulate his respect, his commitment to the opportunities,
do we lament our privilege, or do we leverage and democratize?
Can we get an entire civilization to remember our ideals?

Can we look into the mirror called Ram,
Can we reflect ourselves, setting ourselves up,
to reflect on our ideals, or do we just find his flaws?
Can we see why he was anointed? Is it aspirational?

He was an obedient boy, obedience can hurt,
one may have to challenge the status quo,
one may have to challenge patriarchy,
some say he doubted his wife, the scars are here to stay

Can we reflect, can we imbibe humility,
but can we see why he was anointed,
do we establish ourselves? plant ourselves?
Or do we work our way up? Acceptance?

Is it time to redefine Jai Shri Ram?
Is it time to democratize, to break feudalism? Jai Shri Ram?
Is it time to embrace all religions, all castes? Equality? Jai Shri Ram?
Is it time to respect women? Is it time to condemn the bad? Jai Shri Ram?

He came from the palace, but emerged as people's leader,
is the cry, the chorus, which few leaders garner,
he was anointed, not by the throne, but by the people,
he was anointed, not by status-quo, but by the people!

It is possible to be the ordinary,
It is much easier to perform magic,
But this path wins hearts of generations,
This is a tale to reflect on! Jai Shri Ram!

The superawesome dude

The Superawesome Dude

He is one the one,
the one and the only one,
The first one, the cool one,
The one from the Himalayas,

He is the angry one,
The one with the third eye,
The no nonse guy, who can,
destroy the old, for renaissance

He may not be as glamorous,
He may not be the peoples God,
He may not appear like a rockstar,
His energy may not be palpable,

But, he is the achievers' God,
He is the powerful people's God,
He is the 10Xer God,
He is the stretch goals God

He is the Adiyogi, Adinath,
He is the first Yogi, the first dance,
His damru gave us Tamil and Sanskrit,
He taught us meditation, focus

He is the aggressive one, he may repel,
One may have to put effort to understand,
He is worth it, he is worth emulating,
He is the pinnacle of human achievements,

He is multi-faceted, has many angles,
He is Manjunatha, Chandrasekhara, Trinetra,
Bholenath, Tarun, Gangadhara, Dakshina Murthy,
He encourages us to emulate, Hara hara mahadeva,

He is the achiever, the humble one, the kind,
His humility is different, his kindness is different,
He is the deep one, he is the one can push all of us,
He tells we are all god Hara Hara Mahadev!


It took Sati to understand him,
She becomes back as Parvati,
She overcomes hurdles, the rules, Daksha,
Can we break rules too, understand him?

It took a powerful Sati to understand him,
The destroyer bows down to Sati, the power,
Can we take the inspiration and induce it within,
Can we be the ultimate combo?

He is not the one, he is not the only one,
Several stories were blend into one,
Into one Sadashiva, Adi Shankara, Vivekananda,
He is a quality, a role model, a story

Do we take inspiration from a person,
What if the person is flawed,
Do we then abandon the virtues
Why not create a near perfect role model?

He is that role model, that worthy being,
So we reflect upon and take a leaf,
From his page and extrapolate to our life,
He is the chill dude, the cool dude,

He is the super intellectual dude, the science dude,
He is the emotions dude, language dude, the arts dude,
He is the physical dude, the yoga dude, the sports dude,
He is the spiritual dude, the meditation dude, the values dude

He is the advertisement of Indian thought,
He blends IQ, EQ, SQ into one - human,
He combines mind, body, heart and soul,
He shows how nurture them all,

He is the all rounder, he shows how to lead life,
He is the rebel, he fought for his girl,
He fought for the world, the progress,
He can be blunt, he is the super awesome dude!