It was in the wee hours of the morning at three o' clock when the door bell and the mobile rang simultaneously. I was right...my friends were there to fetch me for our conference tour to Hyderabad.
My visit to Hyderabad unexpectedly turned out to be more than attending an Academic Conference.
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| The Char Minar |
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| Busy Charminar |
After our Indigo landed the once rich princely state at nine a.m., we were soon heading for Taj Krishna, the venue in the cab.
Despite lack of sleep, our enthusiasm knew no bounds.
Spacious and sophisticated, known for luxurious style and comfort, Taj Krishna, a five star hotel was accommodating New Zealand and Indian cricket teams those days.
We all were especially interested in meeting the living legend, Sachin Tendulkar. Two of our friends were on the same floor where the teams were staying. And lo, Sachin's room was just diagonally opposite to their room while Sehwag's was in front of them.
Curiosity took us to visit their corridors many times a day, knowing that our giggles were not allowed and closed circuit cameras were watching us...At last our friends succeeded in getting autographs of these Indian celebrities for their kids. Yeah...it was a life time experience for most of us!
Within few hours in this exotic city, I came to know many things about pearls.
There are two types of pearls-cultured and natural. The difference between the natural pearl and the cultured pearl lies essentially in the formation of the bead nucleus. Natural pearl is formed in an oyster when an irritant causes it to secrete a liquid which hardens over a period where as cultured pearl is formed when an irritant is artificially injected into the oysters to induce the secretion over a bead. The pearl formation depends on the shape of the bead. Natural oyster pearls are rare these days. Most of the natural pearls brought to Hyderabad are fresh water pearls. Cultured fresh water pearls are produced from mussels. While one single oyster pearl is cultivated in one oyster, one mussel can have as many as 50 pearls and they can be harvested quickly. Hence they are cheaper than oyster pearls.
We visited few famous pearl shops and couldn't resist the temptation of buying pearl sets for ourselves and our dear ones back home.
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| This pearl string costs four lac Indian rupees at the Krishna Pearls. |
It was my first ever experience outside without kids and hubby and I really missed them...still it was no doubt an enjoyable four days' journey.
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| A mall at Hyderabad |
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| City Mall, a view |
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| City Mall |
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| 'Rebecca's statue', Salarjung Museum |
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| Children's section showing an army at 'Salarjung Museum' |
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| Golconda Fort, a sunny day |
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| Conference Hall 'Taj Krishna' |
Hoping to share more of Hyderabad trip with you,
Good Night...
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