Goats being herded by the traffic.
Sights on the way to the office.
There seem to be a propensity to give interesting names to their property. Wouldn't it be cool to tell someone I live in Alien Space Station 1?
Cyber Tower, a landmark of Cyberabad.
After watching Wolfman with the company the previous night, early Saturday morning I decided to head out to hunt for the wandering pigs. Activities were already beginning in the cool morning air.
I did not realize there were so many of them everywhere. You were bound to run into one every other lane.
Like all other baby animals in Hyderabad, these piglets seemed to have the 'flee on sight of human' wired deep within them. They bolted for cover, despite their lumbering mother busy digging casually a few feet away.
Of particular note is this piglet. It was the only one with stripes that I've found.
It was funny how when I showed these pictures to a butcher's son, his first thought was if these adorable things make delicious pork. I simply reminded him that these were garbage scavenger and I for one, would not want to eat them.
The trail of the pigs led me to the local train station, named 'Hi-tech City'. The logo looked strikingly like that of London Underground. Perhaps this was a relic of India's colonial past.
I decided to wait for passing trains at the station.
Beyond the platform, rock formations like these were common in Hyderabad. The hand painted advertisements on the natural landmarks were equally common.
On the terminal next to the station, autos and buses were waiting for customers while a game of cricket was underway. Cricket was humongous there. On days with important matches, the office would resound with cheering from one department to the other, even the channels in our apartment would be changed to accommodate their national passion.
On the other side of the railway track was a gated Christian cemetery, neighboring an unfenced one. As we passed by the place to work everyday. I was sure there were new additional members added to the ground. I also suspect we might have seen a burning pier with body as well.The wait for train wasn't too long. Several local trains past the station in my one hour there.
Here, people prefer to stand precariously close to the door of the speeding train. I would freely confess that it was more exhilarating and less stuffy by the doors that never closes.
Walking across the railway tracks was another consistent behavior, despite the overhead bridge being literally steps away.
Indian trains came fast and lingered for even less time. Some of the train did not slow down gradually despite stopping at the station. The passengers had honed equal skills to match. Some would start running, chasing and even hop on before the train stops completely.
This was a cross-country train. It was a lot longer than the local ones and it exceeded the lenght of the local station.
A few more cargo trains would thunder across the track before I left the station.
A bird sitting on a blue fence watched under the shade as I leave.
I think this trip to India was extra special for me because of my recent stay in UK. You can observe and compare between the 2 lands and see how the British irrevocably changed their colony. On the other hand, the colony had held on to things that even the contemporary UK society has left behind.
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