On Hyderabad

The topic of discussion had been the various cities around the world and their allure.This was a poem I had written in defence of my home town Hyderabad.

City Loved...

To see the world from your chair
Was certainly an idea to share
To hear and feel what she has to say
And globe trot without a dime to pay
So many places I have sensed now
Though another's eyes, thats how
It makes me want to tell
About hyderabad's sounds and smell
Its a place which I did not choose or see
And yet had to make it a home for me
Its the picture that it brings to the eye
Of bejeweled hands and towers high
A cradle to the nawabs was what it was
Of Mosques, muezzins and houz
There is still grandeur left of the past
Enough culture of the nizams to last
Legacies left and manners taught
A way of speech and thought
And then when you turn the leaf
Be spellbound by the other side of the sheaf
Crane your neck to see structures as you go
Or just study the people and the show
There used to be rocks there ages back
Now dazzling steel makes up for the lack
Heard of our slang, have you not?
And still admired our charming lot...
There is a divide we maintain here you see
Of the city’s beauty that’s the key
How one place makes faces two
Blending the old and new
It’s the food and the clothes they say
Which makes worthwhile your stay
But there is something more to it
Something that makes it a perfect fit
No matter from where or who you are
Hyderabad’s welcoming spirit is without par
It will encircle and grow upon you
You shall then sing it’s praises too.