The fabled Hyderabad
 

FROM RODNEY Martinesz in Hyderabad

THE noisy traffic, teeming masses, giant billboards bustling hawkers gives the first time visitor the impression of a busy metropolitan typical of a South Indian Capital. But Hyderabad is more than just an asphalt jungle. It is a city of the present and the past throbbing with a rich culture and proud heritage.

A 20 minute ride from the Airport takes one to the old city which resembles a medieval fortress and stands mute testimony to a past grandeur. Hyderabad was once a Caliphate and at almost in every rotunda and street corner is erected a monument or statue in memory of a past mogul or warrior king.

A museum at the city centre housing Royal memorabilia and period artifacts, a derelict looming tower all add to the mystique engulfing this fascinating city of five million. However the city does not thrive by its old world charm and past glories alone.

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls. But it is no oyster. Educational Institutions like ICFAI has ensured that a whole wide world of knowledge is opened to the young and willing.

A group of journalists from Sri Lanka were guests of ICFAI private University which has led the way in opening avenues to various fields of learning in this modern age of communications and technological advancement.

We were greeted at the Hyderabad Airport by the lanky and genial Prasad ICFA's chief Media man and immediately and whisked away on the short drive to the Royal Park Hotel which was to be our nesting abode for the next four days.

Journeying from the Airport one is automatically struck by the city's sprawling landscape and bustling life.

The huge shopping malls, giant billboards and hoardings depicting India's sporting heroes and Bollywood stars, its noisy bazaars, souvenir shops, dress marts, clothing emporiums added to the surreal quality.

Heat and jetlag notwithstanding we were only too eager to join in sightseeing trip to the city centre. Before long we were taking in the breathtaking sight of the massive Buddha statue standing amidst a vast lake. A visit to the museum followed.

The old city was a mass of humanity with hurrying rickshaws, tooting horns and cries of hawkers adding to the babel.

The oppressive heat and the swirling dust however did not stop us from venturing into a bout of shopping in the maze of streets and alleyways and the network of dingy cells of the old city.

The first choice of course was for pearls and bangles displayed in a riot of colour catching the attention of the two ladies among us - Mandana and Lanelle - while the males went for Sarees, shirts and bed sheets, a trade mark of Hyderabad, with the shopping extending to the late night with Sunday Observer colleague Lalith Edrisinghe and yours truly on a "leather hunt" so to speak scouring the bazaar for travelling bags and other paraphanalia and bric-a-brac which were harvested in profusion at bargain prices.

Thoroughly exhausted from the predawn rise to catch our plane we were only too glad to return to our Hotel late that night to rest our weary bones.

If our first day was devoted to sightseeing the next three days took us on a voyage of discovery - of learning how ICFAI has assumed the position among the top 10 of the country's institutions of Higher learning.

Starting in 1984 with an initial layout of Rs. 75,000 and a small but dedicated group but with tremendous intellectual capital ICFAI has today come a long way from those modest days.

Today the Institute has established an all India Network of its own branches at over 160 locations, and set up around 180 centres for full time campus based programmes.

With its presence established in all 28 States, an annual intake of 35,000 students and budget now snowballing to 300 Crore over a 20 - year period the tendency to expand has overtaken the giant monolith.

We visited ICFA's new campus site - a 90 acres sprawling complex standing in 90 acres of coconut and mango groves situated at Shankarpally 30 kilometers off the city.

According to N. J. Yasaswy, a member of the ICFAI board who hosted us to tea and cakes the turning point for ICFAI came in 1991 along with the economic reforms which opened the country to private enterprise, investment and globalisation.

He said education was a subject on the concurrent list and the States have legislated for privatising education.

The myriad of specialised discipline courses and study programmes like Bio Technology, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering and the ready response to enlist speaks volumes for the success of private enterprise in the field of education in the sub continent.

The institute launched the CFA programme in 1985 and in 1995, the ICFAI business school was established to offer MBA programmes with various specialisations.

Currently there are over 50,000 students who come from all the States in India pursuing various campus based programmes and distance learning programmes.

The success of ICFAI has not closed its eyes to its social responsibility and perusing this aim it has set up the ICFAI Republic school catering to children of low economic background to provide them with knowledge skills and facilities to enable them to compete in the mainstream. The co-ed school has 460 children on its roll and over a 60-member staff.

The medium of instruction is English to prepare them for the challenges ahead in a viciously competitive world. The children from ages three to 12 are provided with free breakfast, lunch and are made to feel at home under the benign care of a dedicated staff.

It was almost lunch time when we arrived at the school and the tiny tots stood up in wide eyed wonder to greet us with a loud Good morning. ICFAI is also no stranger to Sri Lanka having opened its premises at Dutugemunu Street Kohuwela. ICFAI Education Lanka offers fulltime and Distance Learning programmes at Bachelors and Masters level.

Yasaswy said they had plans to open a fully fledged campus in Sri Lanka and was emboldened by the interest shown by the authorities here but is currently restrained by certain local compulsions which militate against the immediate setting up of such a campus.

"We are told that the UGC Act needs to be amended for the campus to attain degree awarding status".

He was however full of praises for Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in India Mangala Moonasinghe for his support and efforts towards setting up the ICFAI Unit in Colombo.

Our itinerary also included visits to the ICFAI University press and a grand cocktail for media personalities in India at a lavish 6 Star hotel, where our media team was welcomed with bouquets of Roses.

Colleague Lalith Edrisinghe as usual held centre stage with a memorable speech delivered extempore. The visits to the multifarious ICFAI institutions of Higher learning and Centres of multifaceted disciplines were conveniently interspersed with pleasure trips and excursions to places of interest in the fabled city.

One such visit took us to a Gypsy community with camel hordes which provided exciting material for our picture albums.

The piece de resistance however was the Ramoji Film Studio, a behemoth film location complex standing in 2000 acres of mock ups, rig outs and landscaping which represented a cross section of the world's famous landmarks ranging from the London's Hyde Park, the Pensylvanian Railway station, Swiss Bank Headquarters in Zurich and salons of the Wildswest.

The journey from Real life to Reel life started abroad the bus at the entrance to the Studio with a guide to show us the way through this vast world of make believe.

Exhaustion getting the better of him it was as much for Island colleague Suresh Perera to ease his bulk out of the tour bus to view the special effects.

But not so fellow colleague Amare from Silumina who was eager to pose before lookalike scenes of London, Paris or New York for his photo album which will vouch he had not just been only to Hyderabad.