Born and brought up in Hyderabad, it was only natural for Raymond Andrews to open a biryani place. Well, it’s just that he happens to be a Tamilian with a taste for biryani. He started Biryani Blues along with his wife Aparna, and since then, he hasn’t looked back.Just in you were wondering where the restaurant is in Hyderabad, then, sweat not. There is no Biryani Blues in Hyderabad. Raymond feels the Hyderabadi market is over-saturated with biryani places, and it is low-hanging fruit. However, he says he will eventually enter the market someday.It all began when the couple would travel to other places and carry packs of Hyderabadi biryani with them. They would freeze it and eat it for days. That’s when they hit upon the idea of having a biryani house that would be a QSR chain, like Domino’s Pizza, for example. They started their first 16-seater store in March in Delhi, which took off really well.Of course, they had their share of ‘nay sayers.’ They were told north Indians would not take to rice. But the couple did not seem to be bothered by them. They went right ahead and opened their first joint. Now, they intend to open Biryani Blues in Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, and other places down south.Raymond is quite clear about his business strategy. He says they never tamper with the originality of the recipes. Of course, the only change is in the meat-rice ratio, he says.

Biryani Blues Making Waves Across the Country

A strange incident took place in SR Nagar. A couple, who had come to rent the house, went into the living room and were found in an intimate state. A house owner has kept a To Let board for his property and has made it available from May 1st. The couple approached him and asked him to allow them to see the house once.The owner told them that a portion on the second floor is vacant and gave them the key to look. However, they did not arrive for a long time. The owner got suspected and went up to see what is happening. They are caught red-handed indulging in inappropriate behavior.First, the girl and later the boy was seen running out of the portion and the apartment in fear after they were caught. The visuals got recorded in the apartment CCTV present in the common areas. They are now going viral on social media. The incident happened in SR Nagar Police Station limits.

Couple Comes To See Rented House, Caught Doing Inappropriate Things!

The Hyderabad Public School (HPS) Society will soon set up another campus in Greater Hyderabad. Members of the HPS Society, who recently discussed the matter with Education Minister Sabita Indrareddy, expressed willingness to set up a new campus in the Rangareddy district. The Minister assured that land would be provided for this.The land was found to be available on Srisailam road. With HPS's reputation for providing quality education, there have been calls for campuses in other areas as well. HPS initially set up campuses in Begumpet and Ramantapur in Hyderabad. Some time ago it has set up a campus in Warangal. It is now working to set up a campus in the Rangareddy district.The Hyderabad Public School, which was started in 1923 with just six students, has grown day by day and is now flourishing with 2800 students. It imparts education for Pre-primary, primary, middle school, and high schools. Former Union Minister Ashok Gajapathiraju, software giants Satya Nadella, Shantanu Narayan, TK Kurien, former CM Kiran Kumar Reddy, MP Asaduddin Owaisi, MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, former MPs Pallamraju, Kanumuri Bapiraju, G Vivek, Rana Daggubati, Sumanth, many celebrities including actress Poonam Kaur, model-designer Shilpareddy have studied at HPS.

One More HPS Campus In Greater Hyderabad

Quess IT Staffing took up a survey to find out the top skills required to thrive in the IT industry spread across the capital of the youngest state in India. According to their survey, the most desired skills included full-stack developers at 37 percent, cloud tech developers at 26 percent, data analytics at 40 percent, and angular JS developers at 25 percent.Data analyst professionals were 40 percent more in demand with top-tier, mid-tier, and small IT companies. In terms of the top 5 digital skills that included cloud infrastructure technology developer, full-stack developer, react JS developer, android developer, and angular JS developer, Hyderabad came second after Bengaluru.On the other hand, there was equal demand for full-stack developers and angular JS developers in tech cities Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Given the growth in the BFSI industry, which incidentally occupies a big space in Hyderabad, migration to platform-based solutions has boosted demand for AI, ML, and IoT experts, as well as data scientists and DevOps engineers. Another area where there is high demand is cyber security and data encryption services, as there is an increasing need to secure the digital assets of companies.According to Vijay Sivaram, CEO of Quess, the IT industry is going through a period of ‘The Great Resignation,’ as the unceasing talent surge has disrupted the demand-supply equilibrium, driving organizations to focus on both talent attraction as well as talent retention.

The Top IT Skills Sought-after in Hyderabad

History does interest all, as it tells fascinating stories from the past. Well, right in the heart of the city, in Koti, is the recently renovated British Residency. An erstwhile political powerhouse of the British residents in Hyderabad, the 200-year-old building has been restored to its past glory at the cost of Rs 17 crore and a timeline of 10 years.The building is now open to the public, and it goes without saying, it’s abuzz with activity. The European style structure stands on the premises of Koti Women’s College, which was once Osmania University College for Women, which will now be called the Telangana Women’s University.Apart from the Durbar Hall, the British Residency has seven rooms on the ground floor and nine on the first floor. It was abandoned once the British left India in 1947. In 2002, the building gained attention when the World Monuments Watch declared it among the 100 most endangered sites in the world.Incidentally, after it is open to the public, photoshoots and shootings will be allowed in the building. Though it was earlier decided that the shootings would be allowed only outside the building, they can now be done with a fee. While a simple photoshoot costs Rs 100, shootings can cost Rs 1.5 lakh per day outside and Rs 3 lakh inside.However, shootings will be permitted on holidays so as to not disturb the college students. The beautiful ceilings made of papier-mache with their multi-colored flowers and vegetable patterns and gilded beadings in the Darbar Hall are a special highlight of the Residency. The chandeliers in the 60-feet high Darbar Hall and fans are still in working condition, while the woodwork in the building is of Burma teak wood.One can watch a 15-minute movie on how the Residency was established or check out the newly opened information and interpretation center. The entry for foreign nationals is Rs 200, while it’s 100 for locals and Rs 50 for students.

Renovated British Residency Now Open for All, But With a Fee

The authorities have taken a crucial decision to reduce the incoming MMTS fares by providing low-cost travel facilities to the city dwellers. First-class fares have been reduced by 50 percent. Reduction in Suburban First Class Single Journey fares will come into effect from May 5th. The decision taken by the authorities will be of great benefit to the employees and students who travel on MMTS trains in the city every day.Single Journey First Class fares for MMTS trains on suburban sections of Secunderabad and Hyderabad divisions will be reduced in line with the reduced fares. Full details of the reduced fare were shared on the official Twitter account of the South Central Railway. Authorities, meanwhile, the authorities are working to restore the MMTS trains that were canceled due to the corona.As part of this, the number of services is gradually increasing. At present, 86 services over a distance of 50 km covering 29 railway stations are being operated between Falaknuma, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Begumpet, Lingampally, Tellapur, and Ramachandrapuram. In this regard, the South Central Railway General Manager (in-charge) Shri Arun Kumar Jain said that all passengers should take advantage of the reduced fares. He said the reduction in first-class fares would be very beneficial to travelers during the summer when the number of MMTS passengers is steadily increasing.

MMTS Charges Slashed By 50%

Ice, ice baby... remember the ad? Well, looks like this summer, ice too has taken a new dimension. If you wonder as to what could be different about ice, then here’s the latest info. The newest item to enter the restaurant business happens to be artisanal ice cubes.As compared to normal, regular ice cubes that are got by freezing water in ice trays, the artisanal ice cubes have a special process for making and adding an aesthetic dimension to the drinks. The chefs and mixologists are pretty excited by the new trend as they can now make a drink look visually enticing with artisanal ice cubes.The best part is they stay longer and do not melt. Also, they are shaped differently from regular ice. Apparently, the water is frozen ‘directionally,’ which prevents air bubbles from forming or being trapped in the ice. In short, directional freezing is a simple method to make crystal clear ice by controlling the direction that water freezes.As it melts real slow, an artisanal ice cube will not dilute the taste of a cocktail or mocktail. Artisanal ice is made with a machine called the cline bell machine, where it is frozen at a certain temperature. Some restaurant owners and pub owners put their stamp on them to make them more appealing.Incidentally, there are no makers of artisanal ice cubes in Hyderabad; they are got from Bengaluru, and each ice cube costs Rs 70.

Artisanal Ice Cubes Are The New Fad in the Food Scene

Hyderabad is a city that is on the road to progress and looks like there is no stopping it. The city is all set to have another 15 major infrastructure projects that will take the Hyderabad one notch up on the development graph.Of course, the development activities will be taken up by or under the aegis of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which has 15 projects lined up under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) Phase 2. The civic body has requested funding of Rs 3115 crore from the state government for these projects.The works under consideration include the construction of six flyovers, one underpass, four roads under bridges (RuBs), one Road over Bridge (RoB), a bridge across Fox Sagar surplus Nala, a Y junction, and a tunnel at Khajaguda. Incidentally, the Khajaguda tunnel will require about Rs 1080 crore.To execute the 15 projects, GHMC will not avail of loans but will seek the state government’s aid. Under SRDP Phase 2, five projects have been proposed in the Charminar zone, four in the Khairatabad zone, two in the Secunderabad zone, two in the Kukatpally zone, and one each in LB Nagar and Serilingampally zone.One major outcome of the projects would be the decongestion of heavy traffic roads and easing the commuting problems of people. Also, a tunnel has been proposed at KBR Park, for which a feasibility study will be done by technical consultants. However, prior to starting work on the tunnel, various aspects will be looked into, like safety measures, ventilation, illumination, etc.

GHMC Proposes 15 New Infra Projects Under SRDP Phase 2

OnlyPaithani is a store that is your one-stop shop in Hyderabad for lovely, exquisite Pythani weaves. While they have a beautiful and thoughtfully curated collection of Pythani sarees, the store also has a good collection of lehengas and dupattas.So in case you are searching for some authentic weaves, then head right here. OnlyPaithani is the baby of Arati Baandal, who decided to revive the centuries-old weaving technique through her label. Arati was an engineering student, and she was looking for an original Paithani saree for her wedding. Though she went to a lot of stores and weavers, she was not completely satisfied with the quality.Way back in 2006, Arati realized that there was an immediate need to showcase the weave in the right way and in newer colors. She wanted to bring in more people to appreciate the weave and also buy them for their trousseau. That’s when she started researching the entire process, from yarn to the final saree.It took her a good two years to understand what goes behind making one exquisite Paithani saree. Once she felt she was ready, she started with a small collection of 12 sarees under her label OnlyPaithani.Arati shares that Paithani sarees were part of her growing up years, just as Kanjeevarams are down south. She says no ceremony went without a Paithani saree. Her website was launched in 2011, and it started getting traffic in 2013. And in 2021, she opened her store in Hyderabad.Paithani comes from a village in Maharashtra called Paithan, which is about 300 km away from Mumbai. Arati emphasizes that the fabric is woven by highly skilled artisans. She says she works with weavers from Yeola and Paithan. Though the weavers initially did not like her inputs, they have, over the years, started experimenting to the extent possible.Her store in Hyderabad is just the beginning. Arati says she now has plans to open the store in various cities. Apart from her sarees, the store also has dupattas and lehengas. In the future, she intends to come up with different types of hand-crafted sarees and garments like Jamdani cotton and hand block prints in an affordable range.

Flagship Store for Weaves Straight from Paithan Village

Human trafficking is a rather disturbing aspect of society, and despite efforts by various NGOs, it continues to be a matter of concern for all those involved in rescuing them and rehabilitating women who have been sold as sex slaves. Prajwala, run by Sunita Krishnan, has completed its silver jubilee this year, and the NGO aims to eradicate the system in totality.During the recent silver jubilee celebrations of Prajwala at Uppal, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said that society must be free of human trafficking in the next 25 years. He added that there must be no need for an organization to rescue women in the coming 25 years.Bhagwat took the opportunity to call upon sex workers and other such victims to come forward and lodge a complaint against traffickers and agents who land them in the profession. He lauded the efforts of Prajwala over the years and said that during post-rescue operations, all victims are provided with rehabilitation in Prajwala Shelter Homes.And it is here that the process of assimilating them into the mainstream happens. The women are given financial aid and vocational training to lead a self-sustained life. Some victims are helped to get married and reintegrate into society.The Rachakonda anti-human trafficking unit, along with SOT, has rescued about 700 victims belonging to not just India but from various countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other countries.Speaking about her experiences over the years, Padmasri awardee Sunita Krishnan pointed out that the emotional, mental and physical trauma that a victim of human trafficking goes through is horrible and painful. She further added that Prajwala, along with the police, has helped in saving 24,500 victims from sex slavery.

Prajwala Completes 25 Yrs of Rescuing and Rehabilitating Trafficked Women

The pandemic has hit the aviation industry hard, and though the prices have been hiked during the pandemic, it looks like the travails of passengers will not end soon. Flying from Hyderabad and a few other cities will cost be costing more starting April 1 as several airports – both PPP and AAI ones – will be increasing the prices.In the past, the reason given was sustenance and expansion plans. This time, it is the shooting up of prices of jet fuel. Both the user development fees (UDF) and aero charges levied on airlines will be passed on as higher fares to customers. The airports that will see a hike will include Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and Kochi. On the other hand, Pune will see a minor fall in prices.While the airline executives say the hike will have a limited impact, it is nevertheless a hike. ATF prices have been revised from April 1 as jet fuel prices are at a 14-year high globally. Kolkata, for instance, will see UDF for departing domestic and international passengers rise from Rs 583 and Rs 1401.7 rise to Rs 598 and Rs 1437. Also, the prices will rise in phases to Rs 644 and Rs 1547 starting April 1, 2025. However, the good news for frequent fliers is that, starting January 1, 2026, the prices will fall to Rs 547 and Rs 1315.Though the airlines did hike prices owing to the pandemic, they have made it clear to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) that any hike in prices would hamper air traffic recovery. While AERA did not hike prices in 2021-22, it has also rejected the requests by Delhi and Mumbai airports to levy ad hoc UDF to tide over the COVID crisis.In all, flying will be a costlier affair, to put it candidly.