Mr. Hyderabadi biryani eater

1.75 kg biryani in 10 minutes!
Staff Reporter, The Hindu
23 musclemen from 16 States take part in ‘biryani eating contest’

Hyderabad: The city of nawabs and kababs witnessed a unique event the other day. A biryani challenge to be precise. Well, biryani may be the dish to die for. But how much of it can you eat? continue reading

Chowmahalla set to regain grandeur

J.S. Ifthekhar, The Hindu,

Effort to recapture the ambience of the palace which was venue for official banquets of the Nizams

HYDERABAD: Breathtaking and awe-inspiring. That about forms a word picture of the famed Chowmahalla palace. But the renovated palace is even more enticing. With the restoration of Afzal Mahal, the grandest of the four palaces, nearing completion, Chowmahalla is all set to regain its past grandeur.

Conservation architects Rahul Mehrotra and Raja Martand Singh are doing a meticulous job to recapture the ambience of the palace which served as a venue for official banquets and receptions of the Nizams. By November-end Afzal Mahal is expected to be thrown open for visitors.

See also: Chowmahalla Palace to play host to celebrity banquets

Iranians find home in Hyderabad

Nov 2007, 0221 hrs IST, SAPNA KAUSHIK, The Times of India News

HYDERABAD: It is a warm, sunny afternoon as the middle-aged gentleman sips his cup of Irani chai with a calm, peaceful demeanour. Listening to Md Yavari’s conversation, one would never guess that he is a migrant from Iran. Reiterating the fact that Hyderabad is truly one of the few cities that is a real melting pot of cultures and peoples, he insists "Hyderabad is where I belong to." And other Iranians settled in the city eagerly endorse his sentiment. "I always feel I am a part of this land," Yavari smiles as he reminisces about how his family came to Hyderabad just a year after India’s independence. There has been no looking back for him ever since. continue reading

On the same shelf and aisle:

• The Nectar of Survival
  JAVED KHAN lists the best places in the city to drink the famed Irani tea. How many have you been to?
  
  
• Iran to help restore Hyderabad's architectural treasures
  posted by Sandeep at 2:17 AM on February 14, 2007

Halloween party in Hyderabad

2 Nov 2007, 0000 hrs IST,TNN

It was Halloween night and folks at this nightclub got down to some real spooky affairs! Dead men walking, dark spirits and devils rising - the evening had an eerie aura of the other world. Everyone let their hair down and the sights, were well, hair raising, what else! Actor and model Deepika Padukone was flown down for this party and although she wasn't dressed for the occasion, she cast a spell anyway! Srikala Reddy seemed to be leading from the front, dressed in a stylised sorceress' dress. Actor Navdeep was here looking every bit a Halloween freak, while Nitin and Bharti sported scary masks through the evening. Others seen enjoying themselves were Dhisha Girglani, Priya, Meer Aga, Meera and more. OVERHEARD: "It's alright if the skeletons from the closet come out today!"

See also:

All about Halloween
31 Oct 2001, 0138 hrs IST, Times of India