Friday, July 08, 2011

Walking down memory lane


We were in Hyderabad last week for a couple of days. For those of you who don't know, I was born and grew up in Hyderabad. I lived there till I was 21 and before I moved to the US. As always, I get the "coming home" feeling when I arrive in this city. It was even more special this time because my brother, Nawaz, and his family were also in town on vacation from Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, we had a family reunion when my sister, Masarrat, and her family joined us at my parents' house.

Another highlight of this trip was a visit to Mir Alam Mandi - the oldest vegetable market in Hyderabad and located in the old city. My grandmother used to live here and I spent a lot of my childhood here. We went there to visit a couple of relatives and it was quite nostalgic. My grandmother's house is still there. The place looks the same. The streets were a bit cleaner than I remember (but then maybe it was because it was a Sunday and the market had not opened yet!). But I have to say that there is no feeling like some old memories coming rushing back.

Food is usually another important part of any visit and this one was no exception. I had my fill of all my local favorites (Nihari, Biryani etc.).