Move to India: one year later

We are about to complete a year in Hyderabad. No mean achievement, this! Akanksha is going to school, she is loving it. Akanksha is getting an average of one infection a month; she was even in the hospital for 7 days last month! But she handled it really well. Even I am not far behind: I am getting one infection a quarter. Madhumanti is doing definitely better. I found an unposted entry on Hyderabad; written last year.

 

Hyderabad The last time I visited Hyderabad, it seemed like a city of contrasts: culturally. One could find women in burqa’a and in mini-skirts side by side. Now the contrasts seem economic as well. Mercedes showrooms (and people buying and driving them), malls, multiplexes, organic grocery stores and beggars on the streets: true globalization! But still, it still doesn’t seem to have become a full fledged city yet: it seems the development is a bit random, patchy; parts of Hyderabad look like a western metropolis, and then there are parts that look like suburbs and then there are miles of rural emptiness. This is stark contrast from the uniformity and consistency of the US. But this is very different from the other Indian cities I am used to: Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Parts of the Hyderabad reminded me of Gurgaon in 1997; but Gurgaon was 20 kilometers from Delhi. Hyderabad still has a long way to go. But there is a good chance of getting there. It maybe have to go through some social upheavals in the process. Affordable housing seems to be slipping out of reach of even the upper middle class. A mini-version of the US housing cycle has also happened here. The interest rates were low, the banks would fund even upto 90% of the home (unheard of 10 years ago); the attraction of 50% appreciation a year drove demand up; a virtuous cycle! Things seemed to have cooled down slightly, with the interest rates rising from 7% to 11% over the last 12 months. So now, it is hitting the middle class the most. But the number of housing projects that have come up are amazing: almost copies of the US style apartment complexes. Long story short: housing is a problem. The traffic is like any other Indian city: the lights are just guidelines. Even with half a dozen cops at the intersection, jumping a red light is easy and usual. One difference from Kolkata: there are no rickshaws. Another difference: there is fewer public transportation and fewer taxis compared to other metros. So, traffic is better run than the metros: better roads, and fewer cars and buses. But then, as I said before, the roads are not consistent either. The main roads are wide with almost no potholes: but the narrower lanes are pockmarked. Exciting times ahead!