20,000 Words in 2 Weekends
Just last night, as a blue light illuminated my face, I got to bridge the 9 and a half hour time difference to call my family. Having not spoken to them in over a week, I always savor the WhatsApp calls with friends and family. Oftentimes, they are short and sweet — consisting of questions and check ins — and they often include laughter when we end calls with a cordial “Good night” as a response to “Good morning.” Recently, on these calls, I find myself trying to describe the wonderful sights and places I’ve visited in Hyderabad.
Over the past two weekends, I’ve gotten the chance to step outside of campus grounds with a company of friends. ICRISAT remains extraordinarily peaceful throughout the week, so I’ve loved getting to experience the chaotic and overflowing roads leading into the city. One saying I’ve begun to resonate with more and more is that a “picture holds a thousand words,” and I think there’s no better way to explain the historical sites I’ve visited that couldn’t be summed up in any less than a lakh or two. Hence, instead of actually writing 20,000 words (I’m thankful my camera saved me from that form of punishment), I’ll dive into sharing 20 photos that capture highlights from throughout my two weekends in Hyderabad.
Weekend 1
On my fourth day at ICRISAT, I got the chance to join a training course happening on millet germ plasm conservation and new crop breeding technologies. With another intern, I listened to a presentation on host-plant resistance for major insect pests and diseases in millets. Afterwards, we visited the Rapid-Gen Advancement (RGA) facility, which streamlines the development of new cultivars by reducing costs and time requirements. That same day, we took a trip to the ABI millet processing factory and viewed different final products created in an exhibit of millet, sorghum, and other cereal items. On Saturday, I rejoined the training group to capture this photo and take a field visit to the Leasy Scan, Lysimeter facilities, and high throughput phenotyping. Even though I was younger than other participants, listening in on the work that takes place around ICRISAT opened my eyes to the expansiveness of work taking place on campus — from genomics, social science, water research, and the cultivation of different crops. When I look towards the future of food security, I am enthusiastic that ICRISAT will continue to pioneer the global development narrative for dryland communities.
On Sunday, I got my first taste of Hyderabad when I visited the Hare Krishna Golden Temple (pictured above) and the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple. Pictures aren’t allowed when visitors enter the building pictured ahead, out of respect to the Gods and everyone around you. We had to take off our shoes before entering, another sign of respect, and clean our hands with water.
Before entering the temple, we quickly took a selfie with the backdrop of the city.
A photo of the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple before opening to the public. Our last stop of the day, this gorgeous temple stood on a hill overlooking the road below. As we climbed up the street, we realized that the temple hadn’t opened yet, but we were still able to sit on the cool marble floor inside, admire the architecture, and appreciate the sacred space.
Weekend 2
Do my eyes deceive me?! On Friday afternoon of the next week, I went on a bike ride around campus. I had heard that there were peacocks around campus, but I wasn’t prepared to see one open its feathers! I watched as the bird slowly spun in a few circles before lowering its feathers to the ground. I couldn’t get too close because they are surprisingly nimble creatures, but I got to stare in awe from the other side of the road.
On Saturday, Riya and I went on a cultural tour around Hyderabad with some other faculty at ICRISAT and the World Vegetable Center. Our first stop was the Qutub Shahi Tombs — tombs and mosques that were built by the various kings of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. In the centre of each tomb is a sarcophagus which overlies the actual burial vault in a crypt below. There were 7 main tombs, and we walked around the site viewing their various sizes and architectural designs.
On our way around the tomb we stopped by this Banyan tree. One of our friends from the World Vegetable Center let us know that the roots (the vines you see wrapping their way around the tree) are so sturdy that children can swing on them. Furthermore, some people cut parts of the tree to to brush their teeth since the wood is beneficial for preventing teeth and gum disorders.
This was the largest of all the tombs; Riya captured this 0.5 photo to show its size!
A quick selfie!
Our next stop was Golconda Fort, a staple in the Hyderabad skyline since the fort and hill juts out of the relatively flat landscape. Taking over 20 minutes to climb to the top and well over 700 steps, we could feel the sun beating down our backs as we took in the views.
At the top of the fort stands the King’s Durbar (King’s Court), which we climbed inside to reach the highest point on the hill.
A selfie to celebrate reaching the top of the building!
Farther away, the royal grounds of the Chowmahalla Palace beckoned us in. It was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad during their reign, but the palace has been renovated into a museum.
This image depicts the inside of the largest building that makes up the palace complex.
Inside of the museum, there were hundreds of old photos taken throughout the 19th and 20th century when kings and queens from around the world would visit the palace.
As we walked back to the car parking lot, I had to quickly snap a photo of this serene pagoda lining the entrance to the palace garden.
The Charminar! We cruised through the streets surrounding the building as vendors and pop-up stands crowded our vision, yelling product names and price as we passed. There were people milling in every direction I looked—selling bags, jewelry, writing, dresses, street food, and more.
A photo before entering into the crowd.
Our day ended at around 5 pm when we walked out of the Charminar center to get Biryani for dinner. The stores and vendors illuminated the street to create this pretty glow on the camera.
Over the past two weeks, I’ve loved getting to immerse myself into the research process — reading articles, outlining my questionnaire, and hearing from experts around ICRISAT’s campus. Moments like these, when I got to leave the institute, opened my eyes to all that Hyderabad has to offer. I’m forever grateful to all the friends that helped Riya and I explore (and not get lost).
Thanks for following along on this Medium post. I have one last surprise today. This past week, I created a Wix website to share stories, photos, poems, and other creative forms of media. I will continue to post on Medium, but this website will allow me to expand my creativity in new ways.I f you’re interested, check out zaramiller.com for my blog A to Z(ara).
Best regards,
Zara
