“Good
Morning…….. Hyderabad! “Meeru vintunnaru 93.5 red fm vinandi vinandi ullasamga
uthsahamga!” It was six in the morning and I was returning from my morning
walk. As usual I stopped in front of a small tea stall to have my daily cup of
chai. I switched off the Radio and unplugged my ear-phones. Relaxing myself on
the sole bench in front of the chai stall I grabbed a newspaper lying
friendless on it. “Aaj ka kya khabar hain sa’b,” asked the chaiwala and the ice
was broken. We discussed of various topics across the country. The discussion
diverged from politics to cinema from cinema to sports and from there to
software when I finally remembered of my walk-in. I immediately rose and traced
my steps towards my hostel.
I had to attend an interview today and I was
supposed to be at the company’s office before eight. I got ready within 15
minutes and before half an hour I was standing in the bus-stop waiting for a
bus. The bus-stop was unusually deserted. I stared out onto the empty road and
saw a lone auto speeding in my direction. “Get in sir,” motioned the
auto-driver. I simply stared into the emptiness in front of me ignoring the
call. “Aaj Bandh Hain Na Sahib Isliyen buses Nahin Aayega”, he told me with a
base voice gone sour because of continuous yelling and shouting for passengers.
“Bandh”! Oh! I was so indulged in discussing about the society that I hadn’t
even glanced at the newspaper. After having a quick bargain with him on a price
I got in to the auto in a hurry.
The
roads were all so empty with no traffic and so I reached the destination half
an hour before time. I re-checked my certificates and relaxed for a minute when
I found a newspaper on the adjacent table. I opened it and read the entire
paper but to my surprise there was no mention of Bandh anywhere. Alas! The
people in the bus stop did not show up because it is not yet time and the
driver had cheated me. This happens to a typical Hyderabadi many a times and it
was no great deal. But I was disappointed because it was the end of the month
and my pocket money was quite low at that time. While I was lost in thought calculating the
amount spent on the auto, I was suddenly called in. That was not my first
interview and so I wasn’t that nervous. I was done with it by 1:30 pm.
I then entered a hotel and ordered a
Dum-Biryani. I was waiting for my order when I saw a family entering the
restaurant. “Leaving Hyderabad without eating Biryani is equal to not visiting
Hyderabad at all”, a host was telling his guests. It brought to me the thoughts
of my first visit to Hyderabad. I first visited Hyderabad two years ago. The
huge flyovers, the re-appearing Hussein Sagar, the unending traffic jams,
everything amused me. I kept staring at the Charminar for hours together. What
an indigenous monument! What a structure. I was so lost in the sight that I
could dream of my future nowhere but in Hyderabad. Out of those wonderful
memories my phone suddenly vibrated in my bag. I picked the call and once again
felt lost. I kept staring at nothing for 5minutes”. “We are proud to welcome
you into our company”, the man on the other end told. I didn’t know how to
respond. I had been rehearsing this feat for the past two years but now when
the right moment came I couldn’t respond. I got so used to being rejected by
the companies that these days I rarely thought of the response to be given after
being selected. I was one of those thousands of people who come here every
year, every month and every day, in search of jobs.
Like many of them I came to Hyderabad two
years ago in search of a job. I was a B.Tech graduate but my hard-luck had been
preventing me from adding a designation to my name for two years. “Send him
here immediately. Hyderabad has got so many opportunities for freshers like
him. The city never stops growing and developing”, my uncle’s words still ring
in my ears. That day his words were proved true. I got a job in an MNC and from
that day on I am an earning member too. The vast Hyderabad city which spreads
its wings to give warmth to thousands of outsiders had that day permanently
made a place for me. I cried with joy and ran home. “I got the job,” I shouted
with joy “I got it” I repeated to all my friends. We had a great party that
night and soon many such nights followed.
Today I am a
software engineer with 8years experience in the field. Last night I had a call from my uncle. His son
has just completed his graduation and he needs a job. “Send him here
immediately. Hyderabad has got so many opportunities for freshers like him. The
city never stops growing or developing,” I replied. Right now I am waiting in
the railway station for my nephew who is arriving to find a place for him in
the soul of The City of Valor and Love.
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