Hyderabad: Shilparamam - Night

This was our last visit to the place with the sole purpose of buying gifts. It was a Saturday night. However, there weren't as many people as our first visit.

The lights at night lent a brilliance to the already colorful wares.

By the puppet stand, a boy sat on the ground playing with a dog. I wanted a picture of their interaction. But the dog forsake the boy and took to following me instead.

Julian 'adopted' a dog along the way.

I have noticed that the stray dogs in Hyderabad were all very docile and timid. Almost all the time, they have their tails between their legs. When their sleep, they curled up into tight donuts. I can only suspect what atrocities had been committed to these canines. During my second Shilparamam visit, some teenagers were gleefully throwing rocks at a resting dog who were not even in their way. Maybe it is only within the shadows of caste and hierarchy that I can understand why.

Hyderabad: Shilparamam - Stalls and Lawn

Walking along bouncing little feet, we passed by a lake where the goose bathed. The herder and fishermen in the distance were all life-size models.

A pair of holy cart-pullers were grazing in the shade. I thought the cows had very stylized eyes, like that we usually associate with Egyptian Cleopatra. The last picture below was a model.

A Rock Garden bordered the north-western corner of the park. Herein stood both natural rock formations and man-made ones. The friendly security guard on-duty also invited me to knock on the rock. He winked at me as some of the rocks returned a hollow rang.

'Wonder Dolls - Unbreakable' were the tag-line of this decorated hut. Between the hypocritical religious strive nowadays, it was indeed refreshing to see the idols sit side by side, at peace.

Now here is a saint who made a difference, unlike the dead and the mute altar-dust-covers.

One of the other main reason tourists frequented Shilparamam was for the craft bazaar. Here the artisans displayed their mass-produced hand-crafted works. Those seeking to improve their tenacity and bargaining skills could find no shortage of practice between these colorful stalls.

Nearby, the school girls took turn to have their delicate hands decorated with mehndi.

By the exit of the park, A wooden Ganesh looked straight through the gates.

The elephant-headed god was by far the most popular form of souvenirs we could find. He came in all shapes and sizes and from precious metals to wooden materials. Too bad elephants do not wander the streets of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad: Shilparamam - the Kids

These were the spirited bunch I encountered in Shilparamam that sunny morning. It could be a chore to be asked to take pictures of them every few steps you walked. However, it was a joy to share in their youthful exuberance and boundless enthusiasm for the morning.

I never asked for their names, nor from which school they came from. This was a chance meeting of travelers. I wish them well, and perhaps in this vast public web, these pictures will find their way back to their subjects.