Paigah Tombs

I have been meaning to go to the 200 year old Paigah tombs for a while and kept putting it off for want of company. But now the realisation is that if an idea seizes you please go ahead and do it. Can always revisit later. So drove down to Phisal banda and on the road opposite the massive Owaisi Hospital one can see a small lane. I parked on the main road since the lane was too small and did not seem to have much space for parking.

A small walk and we see a tomb on the road which says Paigah tombs and then we realise there is a small gate that leads into the necropolis. Its a little unkempt but you can instantly see the grandeur of the  lime and mortar structures which reflect the Indo-Islamic architecture, the lattice work, the pineapple motifs etc. 

There is one to the right which is not in very good shape, one to the left which is well maintained. I walked around the structure to the left - the tombs are inside the structure which has lattice work walls and beautiful stucco work on the walls. The tombs are open to the sky.

I walked around and saw this beautiful mosque inside the necropolis and since it was afternoon and namaz time there were people coming in for their afternoon prayers. The mosque is a miniature version of any big mosque with a beautiful pond to wash. Right in front of the mosque are more ornate tombs.

The Paigah tombs are also known as the Maghbara Shams al-Umara. The Paigahs were nobles and were considered fierce loyalists of the Nizams with their own private palaces, courts and armies even. Other famous structures built by the Paigahs are the Falaknuma Palace, Asmangarh Palace, Khursheed Jah Devdi, Vicar-ul-Umrahi palace. 

The necropolis was built by Ami-e-Kabir Nawab Sir Khursheed Jah Bahadur and has the tombs of Abul Fatah Khan Shams ul Umra I to Shams ul Umra V, Sir and Lady Asman Jah, Sir and Lady Khursheed Jah, Sir and Lady Vicar ul Umra and most interestingly for me, Moin Ud Dowla who contributed so much to cricket in Hyderabad. 

Some of the tombs have names written in English with dates but most are in Urdu so I could not make out then.

Definitely a place to visit.     

Sights on Morning Walks - Nature Cure Hospital Et Al

Couple of new walks I made out - one through the Sanathnagar area, one that takes me to Nature Cure Hospital apart from the one that goes to AG Colony and the other that goes to Sagar's house.

Nature Cure  Hospital 

Interesting house in Sanathnagar

Sanathnagar Welfare Centre Ground - Fond Memories 

Lord Hanuman

Temple in Ameerpet

Sri Yellamma Pochamma Temple

Kite stuck in a tree

Scent of a Woman - Movie

 1992. Another classic. Told Anjali its a good one and we could watch it for 15 minutes and we got hooked and watched it fully again. Al Pacino is mesmerizing. Anjali was full of gratitude that I made her watch it. Nth time for me.

See How They Run - Movie

 First full movie of the year - and its something I watched before. But its a delightful movie so i was happy to watch it again. Good company - Miskil, Suhita, Anjali and Shobhs to watch movies as well. Brilliant stuff. I will add Saoirse Ronan to the list of ladies I would love to have a cup of coffee with.

Clouds - Chandrahas Choudhury

 The novel has two story lines, both disconnected to one another, though they are both set in Mumbai. One story is about Farhad Billimoria, a forty something Parsi psychotherapist who is divorced, has a Maruti 800 named Zelda, and is all set to fly off to San Francisco and settle down there. However fate throws the beautiful Zahra in his path and he ends up having a steamy affair with her. Zahra also is from San Francisco where she runs yoga classes. Another lady also comes into the picture, Hemlata, an English Professor who is the wife of philandering South Indian businessman Balu, and the fact that she and Farhad get on the wrong side to start with indicates that there is some heat which develops ultimately. Meanwhile we go through the Parsi, Irani stuff, a book event of Amitav Ghosh's 'River of Smoke', a Parsi event addressed by Modi and so on, covering a lot of ground in urban India.

In the other story a tribal boy Rabi is taking care of a senior brahmin Oriya couple, parents of his mentor Bhaban, a filmmaker, activist and aspiring politician. Rabi's people worship the sky or the clouds and believe that they are all made by the cloudmaker. However more serious issues are there such as companies out to loot the poor tribals by taking over their mountains and the ores that lie underneath them and this is where Bhaban comes in to help the poor voiceless tribals. In conversations with the old couple we understand how the caste system works and how the tribals and exploited and not even seen as equal people. In the end the lady Ooi dies while Eeja who was actually being taken care of survives. Bhaban wins the election.

Chandrahas is considered to be one of the bright young talents and you get why as you read the book. One reviewer compared his style to Wodehouse's. He has that easy flair which transforms even a mundane thing into something very interesting which means you will never get bored reading his books.       

Sights on Morning Walks - KLN Yadav Park

 Our colony park (actually more Model Colony's) KLN Yadav (Kanjeral Laxmi Narayan Yadav) Park is a beautiful piece of reclaimed land from a marshy place which was being used as a dump for several years. A small slum came up to one side and the Municipal authorities acted quickly and landscaped it into a beuatiful park with walkways and gym and sand pit and lawns and gazebos and steps and stuff which suit the exercise oriented and the romance oriented well. In the middle they have left a water body which is normally quite pleasant to look at. However it had taken this green hue - obviously jealous of something it appears. But normally these are taken care of and soon it comes back to its pristine beauty. 

A lot of people from both Model Colony and Sundar Nagar walk  in the park just as people from BK Guda and the colonies behind come along. Every now and then there is some development or improvement that someone comes up with - almost always not a great idea now - but they still come up with laying cobble stoned pathways, installing huge artificial butterflies and such other stuff instead of providing for more seating space and making the park more friendlier to users.

Still, its a great option for anyone who just wants to go and hang out there watching the clouds pass by, or watching some birds and greenery.  

Action Signals - Brilliant Stuff by Tony Robbins

I am always blown by how clear Tony Robbins is when he talks about action signals. He addresses these major emotions/ feelings that normally trip us over with utmost simplicity. I am sure I shared this before, but I will share again.

- Feelings of discomfort - Means you are unclear (get clear)

- Fear - Means you feel you are not prepared (see what you are fearful about and prepare. if prepared, have faith in your preparation. Tell yourself you are ready because this challenge would not have showed up otherwise)   

- Hurt - Means unmet expectation

- Anger - Means a rule of yours has been violated by someone or by yourself (could be misinterpreted, so relax the rule - you made them anyway)

- Frustrated (its a good sign) - Means you could do better than what you are doing now

- Disappointed (it's a bad sign) - Means you feel let down (set and achieve a new goal instead of wallowing in self pity)

- Guilt - Means you violated your highest standards (make sure it won't happen again)

- Inadequacy - Means feeling unworthy (don't have the necessary skill. get more info and coaching to feel inadequate)

- Overload/Overwhelm - Means you need to reevaluate what is important to you (focus on what's most important  to you)

- Loneliness - Means you need a connection to people (reach out)

Hurt, anger and disappointment are stuff I need to handle better.