Society to Save Rocks / KFC in Hyderabad—Wow! / Happy Ugadi!

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The landscape of South India, especially the Deccan plateau, is rife with ancient large rock formations that are dated to be millions of years old. Driving around Hyderabad, it is surprising how many of these large clusters of brick-red freestanding rocks stand, some almost teetering, amidst their neighboring buildings and hills. Interestingly enough, there is a non-profit organization in Hyderabad whose mission it is to foster public awareness of these natural wonders and to help preserve them from destruction and vandalism. This group, started by a few nature-lovers of Hyderabad, is called the The Society to Save Rocks (www.saverocks.org) and a couple of weeks ago myself and a few others from HMI joined the group on their regular monthly trip.

The Society’s trip this month was to climb the large rock formations just north of Hyderabad in the city of Secunderabad, and specifically to view the Sufi shrine called ‘Moula ‘Ali’. This shrine sits atop a large hill, and one has to climb about 300 steps in order to reach the summit with the shrine and several other small structures of worship. Legend has it that a man had a vision of ‘Ali and subsequently the imprint of ‘Ali’s hand was found in a rock on top of a hill. The place of the vision and the imprinted rock are now part of a complex of buildings dedicated to ‘Ali: there is an ashurkhaneh, a dargah, and small houses for the shrine’s custodians.

Inside of the dargah there were many beautiful pictures of ‘Ali, framed scriptures from the Qu’ran, and pictures of Ali’s shrine in Najaf, Iraq. The rock with the imprint of Ali’s hand is hidden behind a curtain in the dargah, and those in our Society of Rocks group were not allowed to touch the rock because none of us were Muslim. However, I took some nice pictures of where the rock is kept and some of the decorations inside the shrine.

After this day of great exercise climbing rocks and viewing the shrine, a few of us decided to try the newest craze to hit Hyderabad—Kentucky Fried Chicken. I’m telling you, there is no way back home that I would eat at KFC, but in India, any reminder of home is a relief. When we arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes—the place was so shiny, so clean, and they were playing American pop music! It was such a contrast to what was waiting for you as you exit the place—such as the dust, diesel fumes, and constant horn-honking.

And the chicken! I mean, I never thought that I would relish the Original Recipe as much as I did. And because recently in India the Avian bird flu has been reported in a few states, KFC put up lots of signs noting that they cook their chicken at a very high temperature for a longer time than regulations mandate. And of course, this fantastic meal was finished off with some traditional American soft-serve vanilla ice cream.

Another interesting happening here was the celebration of Ugadi, which I’ve been told is either the Hindu New Year, the Telugu (the language spoken in Andhra Pradesh) New Year, or the Andhra Pradesh New Year. Probably all of those are correct. Ugadi literally means the beginning of a new era, and so the traditions that occur on that day reflect the concept of life’s renewal: a traditional paste and drink are made of a combination of things sweet and sour, and the traditional foods are a combination that are said to reflect the experience of life: sour, sweet, and salty. Anyway, a few of us from HMI went to our hostel’s cook’s house for the traditional celebrations, which included the ritual of puja (Hindu offerings to their deities) and most importantly, good food. Also, the daughters of the house treated us to the traditional Ugadi body markings: marks of turmeric on the sides of our faces, the Hindu bindhi mark between our eyes, a mango leaf (very auspicious) tied with a string dipped in turmeric around our wrists, and for the ladies a special turmeric foot wash.

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Photos

Inside the Shrine
At the end of this room is where, behind a curtain, the rock is kept.

Viewed on the Hill of the Shrine
These rocks have the names of 'Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, painted on them.

Another Sufi Shrine
Close to the hill of Moulali

Multiculturalism
A muslim woman in a burka with a Hindu bindhi mark--only in India.

Cook and Her Family
It's so interesting--usually here people don't smile for pictures!

Comments

[suchi]

excellent
india is a multicultural country and a friendly place