THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY OF HYDERABAD

Living in Hyderabad is all about being a Hyderabadi. I shall list out a few things that one can do to experience Hyderabad. In Hyderabad you live life king size and enjoying every simple pleasure of life. To answer the question how do you experience Hyderabad ??

I have been living in Hyderabad for over 15 Years, I find this city to be an ideal blend of the past, the present and a little pinch of the future. I guess it is only natural to fall in love with your home town.

Let me start with the thing most integral to Hyderabad, the Biryani. There is many a place in the city, but everyone has their own favorites. So here is my take on it, if you are some one who is not sure of how like your biryani then Hyderabad House is the place for you. If you are one for good spicy masala and flavour Paradise Hotel at Secunderabad is the place to go. If you are a person who loves his meat then Bawarchi at RTC crossroads is the one for you.

Now lets get to places for activity, if you are some one with need for speed Runway 9 on Medchal road is where you ought to be. It is a state of the art floodlit go-karting facility. If You want to "shoot em'up" then Paintball at Jalvihar on necklace is the place for you. Knocking pins down is your thing, Alligator in Secunderabad is the place to be.

So long before coffee shops and chains made a splash in India, Hyderabad had its very own version of CCD( cafe coffee day). Irani cafe as we call it, you find it at almost every corner or junction. The Irani Chai and Osmania biscuit are must try. Madina cafe Lucky cafe and Sarvee are the prominent ones.

As far as night life is concerned Hyderabad is not far behind cities such bangalore and Mumbai. Places such as Touch and F-Bar on road no 2 Banjara hills are swanky up town joints with great ambiance , crowd and music. Ahala in Taj on Banjara hills road no1 is place that definitely deserves mention for its amazing interiors and atmosphere.

Places that fall in to the second tier are joints like Bottles and chimneys near the old air port, Firangi Paani in Banjara Hills rd 1 & 10 Downing Street at Begumpet. If you just want to go with bunch of guys have drink take in a game in the process Club 8 in Begumpet and Outswingers in Secunderabad are the places to be.

If it has been a late night partying, and you want to get some grub. Ohri's in banjara hills and Pickles ( Basera) in Secunderabad are eateries that offer buffet's that are open late in to the night.

This is my take on things, so please feel free to share your opinions with me.

For More detail on Hyderabad and Hyderabadi gourmet please visit:
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Vellore Institute of Technology a.k.a VIT University

It is that time of year again, when you have entrance exams for engineering colleges left right and center. VITEE is one such exam; it is the entrance exam for VIT University (Vellore). Being a graduate of the 2007 batch in mechanical engineering I would like to share with you my experiences. VIT University is situated in the city of Vellore in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

For all of you who have no clue about where Vellore is, let me put it to you this way it about 4 hrs from Bangalore by train and 2 hrs from Chennai by train. At the outset please be warned that Vellore is no thriving metropolis.

There are only two places of significance in Vellore, one is VIT University and the other is Christian Medical College. Both are at opposite ends of the city. To say That VIT university is a concrete jungle would be an understatement.

The campus can basically be divided into two parts by a railway line.
a) Main campus b) Boys hostel

The main campus has buildings which house all the academic departments. The highlight of the campus side structures are the technology tower and the state of the library building. The technology has possess a large number of state of art smart class rooms and auditoriums.

In the recent Past VIT University has played host to large number of international conferences eg. GCMM, AIMTDR & CARS AND FOF. The library is a four floored fully air conditioned building with a large stock course study content.

The hostels are maintained very well, the choice of rooms range from A/C rooms to four bedded rooms. The mess food is exactly what you would expect from a mess (open for interpretation). One thing the college has in abundance is facilities for sports, it ranges from multiple floodlit basketball courts to Olympic size swimming pools. There are two football fields, one cricket field & an indoor sports complex on its way to completion.

As far education goes I would say it is quite respectable. Placement is never a problem for a student in VIT University. A large number of students also tend pursue higher education abroad.

Ranking of Departments in VIT University in my opinion:
1) Mechanical & Civil
2) Biotechnology
3) EEE
4) CSE & IT

Facts About VIT University

Now I will enlighten you about things which brochures do not tell you. You will be fined by the college for many a reason. Please do not mess with the management. There is still a stigma associated with boys and girls being friends. Girls have an in time of 7 Pm in the evening. Please note knowledge of Tamil is an added advantage.

All in all, mind your business stick to your life and don not get in anyone's way. You can have a good time.

Interesting Facts about Vellore

Vellore has no pleasant weather by any stretch of imagination.It is ALWAYS at a temperature custom-designed to make you feel uncomfortably hot or unpleasantly cold. It is a large-scale model of the new-fangled 'intelligent' facilities that housing developments now offer, with the slight difference that if its sensors detect that you are wearing tiny shorts and headed to brush your teeth, there will be a carefully-timed wind that is programmed to blow its fiercest at your skinny knees and make them clatter together and freeze. At all other times, (especially when walking to a "xerox" shop (at noon, inevitably) to get indispensable copies of some forgotten yet essential study material) it is unbelievably hot. You will NOT get used to it.


There are only about 4-5 places to eat or go to chill as one would say in the town. Please be cautioned there is no night life in Vellore, unless you count the time spent in running from one room to another to hide from your not-so-benevolent warden. There is only one Movie Theater which screens Hindi movies. The name of the best hotel in town is Darling Residency.

Auto guys will fleece you at every given opportunity.Please note from the station to the College main gate it costs anywhere between 25-30 Rs/-, DO NOT PAY MORE.All those people coming from the north please note that a paratha and parotta are two different things.

LIFE AT VIT

Life at VIT university is pretty much the same as elsewhere. One needs a golf cart to get around campus because it is so huge. Students choose to spend their time at various locations in the campus itself as the city of Vellore does not offer much in the way of entertainment for the young.

Several students can be found in the library right from it's opening time at 9 am upto midnight, mostly because of the incredible amount of reference material, but also because (i suspect) of the escape its quiet, air-conditioned, almost palatial interiors provide from the oppressive heat outside.

SUPER KINGS VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS: DHONI SHOWS HIS METTLE

Going in to this match, the pressure was on the Royal challengers having won only 1 out of their previous 3 games. Dravid's team seemed to be feeling the effects of the having an inexperienced bowling attack, with no real leader in the bowling department they seemed to be involved in a leather hunt during every match. On the hand super kings seem to be going from strength to strength in every department. With likes of Hayden and Hussey on song their batting line up is firing on all cylinders. The return to form of Jacob Oram in bowling department has bolstered the Chennai team.

At start of the game there was one notable change in chennai line up as Muttiah was replaced by Albie Morkel and Dale steyn was brought into the Bangalore outfit to provide some much needed teeth to the bowling. Chennai won the toss and elected to bat. This move payed immediate dividence as Styen opened with a fiery spell, ably supported by Zaheer. Parthiv and Hayden were dismissed early, Chennai Seemed to be stuttering at 43-2 , but then enter Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey. Along with captain Dhoni rebuilt the innings and from th 16th over Dhoni took the attack to the opposition taking a special liking to Steyn. Taking him for 23 runs in the 19th over. The Chennai super kings finished with 178.

Bangolre in reply did not start too well, with Jaffer showing that he is not a natural when it comes to this format. Chipli palyed a rash shot and lost his wicket cheaply, with Bangalore staring down the barrel at 20-1 needed a hero. Ross Taylor answered the call for his team with some lusty blows that resembled a man hacking a tree but very effective none the less. Out of the blue Jaffer seemed to have woken up to the fact that this was a t20 game. Jaffer opened up with some splendid blows and it seemed as if Taylor and Jaffer would guide them through. But Bangalore then committed cricket suicide, with some poor shot selection. At this point I would like to question the selection policy for Bangalore choosing not to play Misbah-ul-Haq. The lack of calm head in the middle for the royal challengers, was more than obvious. A lack of application ensured that Bangalore snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They finished at 165 all out.

PSLV: INDIA LAUNCHES 10 SATELLITES

Today was a monumental day in the history of ISRO ( Indian Space Research Organization). They have successfully launched 10 satellites in one go. This is better than the previous record of 9 which was held by Russia, they done so just about a year ago.

The Polar satellite launch vehicle took off from Srihari Kota at around 9.30 am this morning. The was a little concern preceding the launch due to the development a slight low pressure in the bay of Bengal. But it was decided that the launch would go ahead.

Out of the 10 satellites put in space 2 were Indian and the remaining were for foreign clients.
Of the 2 satellites placed into orbit by India CARTOSAT 2-A, is a next generation remote sensing satellite which has ability to identify objects to the greatest detail like never before.

With this successful mission India has established itself as one of the big players in the field of space research. It has been a long journey from the early failures of the Rohini rocketin 1979 to development of completely indigenous launch vehicle capable of launching multiple satellites. I' looks certain that India's Chandrayaan mission is on course to be a resounding success.

DECCAN CHARGERS VS MUMBAI INDIANS : THE GILCHRIST SHOW ALL THE WAY

Going in to the 14th match of IPL (Indian Premier League ) both the Deccan chargers and the Mumbai Indians had no wins from 3 games. Which meant that this game was a must win game. The Deccan chargers went in to this game, after heart breaking loss to the Rajasthan Royals, a game which they should have won. Mumbai Indians on other have been suffering from losses on and off the field starting with , the injury to their leader Sachin, followed by heavy losses to Chennai and Mohali and now with the suspension of Harbhajan following the brawl with Sreesanth.

The Deccan chargers won the the toss and elected bowl. The new D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai offered a picture perfect back drop for this crucial encounter. Shaun Pollock took on role of captain for Mumbai in the absence of Sachin and Bhajji. Laxman brought in Nuwan Zoysa for Chaminda Vaas . The Indians got off to the worst possible losing wickets early at regular intervals. They were stuttering at 56-4 in the 11th over. This brought Bravo and Pollock together, they went of about rebuilding the innings. Just as the recovery operation seemed to be working, Pollock got out trying to push tempo. This brought the promising Abhishek Nayar to the crease. The youngster did not disappoint by dismissing the ball to all parts of the ground and showing some much needed urgency. But his cameo innings was brought to end by RP singh. But Bravo continued where he left off and Mumbai finished with a fighting total off 154.


The Deccan Chargers came out all guns blazing relying heavily on the blade of the Adam Gilchrist. It seemed as if the Indian bowlers for some reason that cannot be explained wanted to check if Gilly can play the short ball. Laxman on the other hand was quietly returning the strike to Gilchrist who belligerent mood. Gilchrist took a special liking to Shaun Pollock in the 7th over carting him for 3 sixes and 1 four. Gilchrist continued his bludgeoning of the Mumbai attack by taking apart the youngster Nayar. Gilly brings up his 100 in the same over. Gilchrist 100 of 42 balls is the fastest in the tournament. By the 13th over believe it or not the match was over. The Chargers had finally got on the board with a win. On the other hand, time is running out for the Indians to get things going.

CHELSEA VS MANCHESTER UNITED : BALLACK'S DOUBLE KEEPS BLUE'S IN THE HUNT

At start of the evening Chelsea were 3 Points Behind Manchester United, with two games left in the season it was all to play for. Both Manchester united and Chelsea have have mid week Champions league games at home. But with the domestic title undecided, it was all to play for at Stamford Bridge. Sir Alex as usual took the focus of his plays earlier by slamming the officials for the poor schedule. He surprised every one with his line up also by leaving Ronaldo, Tevez & Hargreaves on the bench. The actions of Sir Alex may be with one eye on the Champions League return leg at Old Trafford.

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 1
Ballack 45' Rooney 57'
Ballack 86'
(pen)

Chelsea started the first half brighter of the two. It seemed as if United were they still playing Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as swarm after swarm of Chelsea attack struck the red defensive wall of united. But all to no avail, the Manchester attack did not seem to be doing much better as they were struggling to hold the ball. Joe Cole came close to breaking the deadlock but struck the post. United had to make an unexpected substitution, when Vidic took an ugly knock from Drogba. Chelsea huffed and puffed at Vad da Sar's goal but were unable to find a way past him. Then in 45th minute Drogba launches a pin point cross to find the head of Ballack who makes no mistake puts Chelsea in front just before the break.

The second half starts in much the same fashion as the first with Chelsea Pushing forward. Then suddenly against the run of play, a horrendous back pass from Carvalho to his keeper which under hit finds a rooney who gleefully accepts and scores. The title suddenly seems its on its way back to Manchester. Chelsea then rang in the changes with Anelka and Schevchenko coming on to find the crucial goal to keep Chelsea's title hopes alive. Chelsea lay siege on the united goal but are unable to convert their opportunities. Chance after chance is wasted by the blues till suddenly a penalty is awarded to them. Carrick is penalized for handling the ball, a questionable call but Ballack makes the most of it by scoring from the spot. After Manchester united poured forward in desperation, Ronaldo who had come on for Rooney was denied by Cole who cleared off the line. Even during added on time the reds had an effort by Ferdinand cleared of the line.

The game ended with a victory for Chelsea, the title race is far from over with two games left and both teams tied on 81 points.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL MANCHESTER UNITED VS BARCELONA

Manchester United -0 FC Barcelona-0

The clash between Manchester United and Barcelona in the Champions league semi-final was billed as the battle between two teams who play the beautiful game. It was projected as Lionel Messi vs Christiano Ronaldo. The man who is widely considered the best player in the world at this moment with 38 goals this season and his only threat Messi who along with teenage sensation Borjan Kirkic have been the only shinning light of Barcelona's rather lack luster season. Manchester united went in to the game as clear favorites, as Barcelona have been suffering from poor recent form.

The game started and before even one could blink Manchester united earned a penalty. Milito had made contact with the ball with his hands raised inside the first five minutes of the game. As expected the man of the moment Ronaldo stepped up to take the kick. A pensive Nou Camp watched as he took the penalty, the tension changed to Ecstasy as he put the ball wide. Ronaldo had missed it comprehensively. This seemed to be the only moment of any real significance in a very drab first half. Barcelona had most of the possession but failed to convert all the dominance to a meaningful chance. They just seemed not be able to find any sort of rhythm or flow to their game. Manchester United also had no joy as for much of the half the strike force of united seemed quiet and non existent. Being shepherded well by a veteran Barcelona defence.

The second half started in much the same way the first ended, Barcelona having the ball for long spells and Manchester United holding and clearing their lines. Barcelona seemed to have greater impetus, with Etoo leading the charge. But Barcelona just seemed lacking in the final third, with good build up play but not finishing the moves. There were few anxious moments for Manchester United when Ferdinand clipped Etoo in the box. The Cameroon striker did not go ground and stayed on his feet unlike certain other players on the oppsite side. Manchester United should thank their lucky stars as the referee did not give a penalty for a Evra clipping Iniesta's feet in the box. Barcelona had a few nervy Moments of their own. Yaya Toure made a clumsy tackle on Ronaldo in the box, luckily he had got a piece of the ball but I have seen penalties given for less. Thus match ended with a score that few would have expected. The were no flashes of brilliance from Rooney or Ronaldo, the Barcelona defense had done their job but the sadly their attack had not.

Going in to the return leg Manchester United will be very confident but cautious as they have no away goals and one would have to be a brave man to bet against Barcelona scoring. The Catalans will be disappointed with result but will surely believe that they can score at Old Trafford. One thing is for sure, the tie is very delicately poised with Manchester having the Advantage. All this only ensures that the 2nd leg of the clash between Manchester United and Barcelona in the Champions league semi-final will be an intriguing one.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL LIVERPOOL VS CHELSEA

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1

kuyt 43' Riise 94'(OG)

Last night was another magical night of European football. For the third time in recent years Liverpool met Chelsea in the champions league. For Chelsea it has been a case of so near yet so far for many a year in the champions league, running into likes of Barcelona and Liverpool. They have been on the wrong side every single time. Nothing much seems to have changed between the two teams since the last time they met. Anfield is still a fortress, Steven Gerrard is still Liverpool's inspiration and Chelsea still keep finding a way to win with likes of Lampard and Terry at the center. As expected clear cut chances were at premium, both teams possess stingy defense records and this was very evident during the game. It was a cagey affair with midfield being the focus of the battle. As it generally happens goal came when chelsea failed to clear their lines, Dirk Kuyt the ever opportunistic striker scored when a deflected shot from Alonso fell to him. By putting ball through the legs of Peter Cech. The goal came at 43rd minute just before the end of the first half. Liverpool went in to the break on top. The pressure was now on Chelsea again.

The second was not very dissimilar from the first one. Liverpool's Ryan babel almost added to Liverpool's advantage by unleashing a rasping shot in the second half which just missed the goal. Chelsea had their share of near misses too with the attempts from Lampard and malouda. Then in the dying minutes, Steven Gerrard hit the crossbar and torres forced a big save from Peter Cech. Then when you just thought it was all over and Liverpool had put in an another tidy performance. Avram Grant brought on Anelka and Kalou to help Chelsea find the elusive and valuable away goal. A hit and hope cross from Kalou in to the box with less than a minute left of injury time left forced a quite inexplicable defensive ground header from John Arne Riise went past Reina. And in a blink of an eye Chelsea had become favorites for going through to the final.

Now Chelsea sit firmly in the drivers seat with a crucial away goal. But to say that the tie is done and dusted is definitely premature. Liverpool as we have come to see over the recent past just refuse to go away when it comes to European football. It will come down who scores first at the bridge, only thing one can be sure of is that they will be an English team at Moscow in may.

Indian Premier League -A New Chapter in Cricket

The inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) flagged of in Bangalore on Friday 18 th of April. To say that the opening ceremony was spectacular would be an understatement of considerable magnitude. It seemed that Lalit Modi had spared no expense in ensuring that the league was to start of with a bang. At this juncture one acknowledge the manner in which Mr. Modi has marketed the league. The success of which can be seen from the fact that teams like the Rajasthan Royals also are playing in front of packed stadiums.

It was very evident at the end of T20 world cup that this format of the game was here to stay. The IPL has clearly shown that it not only here to stay but is the future of the game. The part that gives me most is pleasure is that, finally the local talent in our country gets to play in front of packed stadiums. The initial few matches have shown that there is no lack of cricketing talent in this country players like Ashok binda( Kolkata Knight Riders), R. Jadeja (Rajasthan Royals), Karan Goel ( kings XI Punjab), Shikhar Dhawan( Delhi Daredevils),Virat Kholi ( Royal Challengers Bangalore) standing out with their performances. Till the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the chance to play to full stadium and ever growing T V audience was reserved only to chosen few who have been lucky enough to dawn the Indian colors.

One also has to give due credit to the administrators as they have ensured that the league was not turned into a monopoly of foreign players. I guess the the real test of the league will be whether the initial euphoria and excitement can be sustained over a period of 44 days. Time will be the best answer to this question, but till then all i can say is that support your team favorite team and have a blast doing it.

Chargers!!!
And for all of you who would like to watch it online

here are a few LIVE STREAMING LINKS FOR CRICKET (IPL)
http://acricket.com/
http://livecricketzone.blogspot.com/