On the night of June 30, a young man rushed into a marriage hall, where his alleged love was getting married, and set himself on fire. He happened to come to the hall with fuel and set himself ablaze, though people tried to stop him.The 21-year-old man was identified as Mohammad Ashwaq, 21, a resident of Rajendranagar who was into the stonework. He told the police that he could not see the woman he loved dearly getting married and set himself on fire.On the night of June 30, patrol teams of Langar Houz rushed to the function hall near PVNR Expressway and found a man lying with burns. He was immediately rushed to a hospital. Though he received 40 percent burns, he later succumbed to them while undergoing treatment.The police denied rumors that he held the bride and held her slightly, injuring her. However, when some people in the hall tried to stop him, they got slightly burnt but were largely unhurt. But he did try to run towards the bride but was stopped by the guests at the wedding hall.(If you have suicidal tendencies, dial Sneha Foundation – 044 24640050 or Tata Institute of Social Sciences – 9152987821.)

Tragic! Young Man Sets Himself On Fire at Marriage Hall

Shero Shayari, art, poetry, and literature have been a defining part of Hyderabad’s cosmopolitan culture and what keeps the city thriving. At the recently held An Unexplored Mic, the city saw a comfortable sharing space for hundreds of literature lovers. Two enthusiasts, Abhiram and Srikumar, founded An Unexplored Mic (AUM) to take open mics to all cities across India, including small towns and cities.Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Coimbatore have been a hotspot for nearly two years for their events. The latest event was held in a rather beautiful cafe in Sindhi Colony as AUM was celebrating its silver jubilee. Incidentally, it happened to be their 25th Open Mic event, and the house was full.The performers or artists were passionate, and the whole experience was magical thanks to the ambiance and healing of the heart. In all, there were 18 speakers from different backgrounds united by their shared love for poetry and storytelling. Also, what was interesting was the fact that there was a transition between many themes and genres of poetry. There were first-time performers, experienced shayars, and occasional performers who narrated their experiences.One of the main themes, surprisingly, was heartbreak and love. A Shayari of poems of Shamsher Khan was presented in Urdu during the evening. Co-founder Srikumar shared that they witnessed many new faces in Hyderabad, and they were glad to reach out to fresh talent. He says reaching out to people and connecting to a chain of artists from all over India is what they aim to do.The AUM community is growing by the day on Instagram (@anunexploredmic), and the next event is in Bengaluru on July 10.

Bring Out Your Poetic Side With ‘Unexplored Mic’

Of late, with everything happening online, one is finding it difficult to figure out if something is genuine or a fraud. Despite many stories in the media, people are still falling for fraudsters. Recently, a woman from Hyderabad was cheated under the pretext of the KBC lottery.Cybercrime police arrested one Rakesh Kumar from Patna for fraud. As per the police version, a housewife from Khairtabad received a phone call on October 2, and the caller informed her that she had won a lottery by KBC, and they explained to her the withdrawal procedureThe caller advised her to deposit different amounts in the name of fees. Other people in the guise of bank managers spoke to her to convince her to send money. Incidentally, the woman sent Rs 39 lakh in the name of different charges.However, she later realized she had been cheated on and approached the police. The police arrested the accused, and they seized 16 mobile phones, 73 debit cards, 30 SIM cards, 11 bank passbooks, and two checkbooks.Police have also cautioned people not to fall for KBC or Naptol tricks. In another case from Noida, four women cheated a woman in the name of reward points. A woman resident of Kanchanbagh received a call from a person claiming to be from the SBI Credit Card division and offered to redeem reward points in cash. The victim followed the instructions and even divulged the OTP received on the phone. Subsequently, she lost Rs 1 lakh over a period of three years.The police busted a call center and arrested 11 accused of using it for cyber fraud. The fraudsters were involved in 18 cases across Telangana and 101 crimes all over India.

Hyderabad Woman Cheated Of Rs 39 Lakh in Cyber Fraud

For the past few months, the pub culture in Hyderabad has been witnessing considerable differences. This word is from none other than frequent pub visits as they are noticing a clear-cut difference from entry to existing in the pub premise. As per the new rules, the entry for younger people is throughout examined and even asking for an ID to check if the entrant is a minor if the staff gets doubt.Earlier, pubs would attract customers with offers like Stack Entry, girls' nights, free drinks, and offers for employees of MNCs, but now the scenario has completely changed. After a recent gang rape of a minor girl at Insomnia pub in Jubilee Hills, the government is also taking necessary actions to restrict the pub rules.Even a few pubs earlier are raided, and police found drug capsules with youngsters. Especially, the drug culture in private parties is widely worrying the parents and citizens. A few posh pubs located in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, and Gachibowli areas have been sized in the last few months as the respective managements are not running pubs with proper guidelines. Looks like tough days are ahead for the currently running pubs as the police have kept a bull-eye on them and have to run the pub according to the government guidelines.

New Rules Shock Hyderabadi Pub-goers 

The Pink Circus is today a known name in wedding and celebration circles. It’s been six years since three close buddies came together to set up a wedding decor company, and today their Instagram profile shows that they are pretty popular. Aarti Kumar, Tanya Gupta Viccajee, and Sindhu Rao Vemula are the three girls doing what they know best and call it a borderline obsession.Weddings are special moments that need a lot of detailing. Currently, when just about everyone is obsessed with having their share of Instagrammable moments during their weddings, there is ample demand for creative teams such as The Pink Circus.The three girls come from different backgrounds – celebrity styling, PR, and marketing – and they put their heads together to come up with interesting decor ideas that please the groom and bride. All three believe it is vital to keep the interests and demands of the married couple. They say there are a lot of factors that one needs to keep in mind and be sensitive to before finalizing a look.The Pink Circus takes care of all detailing, their backgrounds, interests, hopes, and ideas, and then the trio goes about their work diligently. They pull them off from back-to-basic decor to flamboyant ideas with equal ease. They say more than focusing on the ‘latest trends,’ they focus mostly on personalization, putting them on the ‘wanted’ list of wedding planners.

Weddings in ‘The Pink Circus’ Style

It looks like the issue of renaming Hyderabad remains on the top agenda as far as BJP is concerned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Hyderabad Bhagyanagar while addressing media from across the country in the city. He said that it was in Bhagyanagar that Sardar Vallabhai Patel had spoken about the concept of 'Ek Bharat.'PM Modi said that Hyderabad is Bhagyanagar, which is of significance for all of us. Sardar Patel kept the foundation of a unified India, and now it's BJP's responsibility to carry it further, said BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad in Hyderabad, quoting Prime Minister Modi.The RSS, BJP's ideological fountainhead, and several BJP leaders have been on a campaign to change the name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar. Asked if Hyderabad's name will be changed to Bhagyanagar, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that the issue will be discussed when BJP comes to power in the state. He added that the then chief minister would decide this along with other cabinet colleagues.However, the MA&amp;UD minister and CM's son KTR tweeted, "Why don't you change Ahmedabad's name to Adanibad first?" He further tweeted, "Who is this Jhumla Jeevi, by the way?"Meanwhile, BJP's decision to pick Hyderabad for the meeting is being seen as a direct signal from the party that the state is a top priority in its agenda for expansion in territories where it remains relatively weak. Post-2014, it is the fourth time the party is holding its key national meet outside of Delhi. Earlier, it held meets in Odisha in 2017, Kerala in 2016, and Bengaluru in 2015.

PM Calls Hyderabad 'Bhagyanagar,' Creates a Buzz

Hyderabadi Biryani:&nbsp;When it comes to food, Hyderabad is synonymous with biryani as the city is one place for a wide variety of biryani flavors. Especially the Hyderabadi dum biryani is definitely a must-try for its unique taste and masala flavor. When in Hyderabad, don't miss a chance to try Hyderabad dum biryani, which will be in your memory for a long time for sure.Qubani Ka MeethaThis recipe is a mix of dried apricot and is decorated with almonds. This is one of the must-try desserts when in Hyderabad, especially for sweet lovers.&nbsp;Usually, Qurbani Ka Meetha is served with ice cream or a side of thick malai in most of the food outlets in Hyderabad.Hyderabadi Chicken 65Yes, for non-vegetarians, chicken 65 is definitely a favorite craving dish. But the Hyderabadi-made Chicken 65 will impress the food lovers to the next level. In Hyderabad restaurants, the appetizer is usually paired with biryani. It is one of the must-try dishes in starters, and its combination with biryani is no doubt a heavenly taste.Nihari or NahariIn general, Nahari is named after Eid festival special dish and is widely available during the Ramadan season.This dish is cooked with lamb stew which is slow cooked with bone marrow and even lamb brain. Usually, this dish will be cooked during the night times so that the recipe will be well mixed with the ingredients.Double Ka MeethaDouble Ka Meetha is a&nbsp; bread pudding dessert that is a must-dessert at any Muslim wedding in and around Hyderabad. The making of this dessert includes soaking bread slices in saffron-infused milk. In the baking process, Double Ka Meetha swells up to twice its normal size.Hyderabadi HaleemHaleem is also termed an Eid special dish. It was introduced during Nizam rule in Hyderabad, says history. The preparation of Haleem is usually a very lengthy process, but the taste makes everyone crave it. After the Ramadan fasting hours, this dish will be taken by the Muslims as a nutritional food.

Must Taste Dishes when in Hyderabad

Sunday evening was a nightmare of sorts for those who were driving during the weekend as they faced severe inconvenience in view of the traffic restrictions imposed ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting at Parade Grounds.In order to facilitate the gathering, the traffic police imposed restrictions between 2 pm and 10 pm. Restrictions were in place on several roads right from HICC in Madhapur to Secunderabad Parade Grounds and surroundings, with several VVIPs taking the route to reach the meeting venue. Barring those who were going for the meet, the general public was not allowed to use the route.The road between Tivoli Crossroads and Plaza Crossroads was closed to the public, and motorists were advised to avoid roads within a three-kilometer radius of Parade Grounds. MG Road, RP Road, and SD Road in Secunderabad were totally blocked for regular traffic in the afternoon. However, it was residents staying around Parade Grounds that suffered the most. People in Prashanthnagar, Prakashnagar, Begumpet, Rasoolpura, Sindhi Colony, and other areas faced problems.Traffic slowdowns were witnessed near Secunderabad railway station, Jubilee Bus Station, Tank Bund, Khairatabad, Greenlands, and other alternative routes. Many complained that it meant spending a lot of extra money and about two hours on the commute. TSRTC buses were also diverted. Around 1000 traffic and law &amp; order policemen were deployed to streamline traffic.

Traffic Goes Haywire Due to Modi’s Visit to Hyderabad

Ashwini Sarabhai is now known in culinary circles, especially in cakes. Once upon a time, she was an IT professional with Infosys and used to go to the US for job-related work. During her trips, she took baking classes during free time and even won awards.When she returned to India, Ashwini had decided her calling was baking and quit her cushy IT job. Today, she is full-time making beautiful, elegantly crafted cakes. She also teaches and takes cake-making classes and has trained about 10,000 students.Dream Cakes' venture started in 2006 and expanded into India’s first online cake academy in 2012. She is quite popular for her realistic-looking sugar flowers and cake decorations. Ashwini has been a finalist in the Cake Masters Magazine Awards 2018 and 2019, which are akin to Cake Oscars in the category of sugar flowers.Born and brought up in Mumbai, the 42-yr-old moved to Hyderabad some ten years back. She has been awarded India’s Top 10 Cake Artists by Cake Masters Magazine, the UK, for two consecutive years, 2017 and 2018. She also launched Sugar Magazine, India’s first cake art magazine, to encourage Indian talent. She says she believes in making elegant cakes rather than quirky ones. Apart from taking orders for weddings and special occasions, Ashwini makes realistic sugar flowers to adorn people’s dessert tables. Each flower takes 15 minutes to six hours, and she charges Rs 3000 per kg and above for a designer cake.And now, her kids, Aditya and Aarya, run a baking channel on YouTube called Princess Bakes. The Dream Cakes takes prior orders, and one can reach them at https://www.instagram.com/thedreamcakes.

IT Professional Dreams Big With Dream Cakes

It’s not just the real estate boom; the city of Hyderabad is now ranked top amongst the cities that have a conducive environment for various start-ups. While the government is providing the necessary support in terms of policies, corporates, too, are doing their bit by providing angel funding and intellectual support to the start-ups.Hyderabad is today leading a revolution of sorts regarding the start-up ecosystem. It is ranked among the top 5 cities in the country and is only behind Bengaluru and Delhi. Mumbai and Ahmedabad come next to Hyderabad. If one were to look at the money put into the start-ups, Rs 6697 crore or 900 million dollars have been invested. The state government has also started T-Hub to provide a robust atmosphere for start-ups in Hyderabad and across Telangana. According to Global Start-up Ecosystem Report, Hyderabad stands at 30th place internationally.It has to be noted that apart from software start-ups, start-ups in various verticals and start-ups supporting a social cause have also been started in the past few years. Students and alumni of prestigious and varied universities are provided the right ecosystem to set up their start-ups in the city, giving life to some awesome ideas. Pharma, bio, medical, agriculture, IT, and socially relevant start-ups have been the norm since the state government took up the drive in 2016.Also, to ease the process, the state has around 20 incubators to speed up start-ups' growth process. Another interesting point is that the developed start-ups here have also reached the unicorn stage and are recognized internationally. This attracts people from other countries to come and set up their base here.

Hyderabad Emerges Start-up Incubation Hub of India

It is widely known that at Lal Darwaza Mahankali temple Bonalu festival will be celebrated on a grand scale amid high spirits among the devotees and organizers.Not many are aware that Mahankali in this temple was decorated with natural pearls more than a century ago, and there is a belief that the temple encouraged several jewelers to establish their shops nearby Charminar.Post the 1908 Musi Floods, The temple's significance grew when Bonam was offered for the first time at the temple so that water receded and there would not be more loss of lives. History says that when the historical flood hit the city, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad, Raja Kishan Prasad, suggested that Bonam be offered to the Goddess. Later, Nizam directed everyone to carry out rituals as per the Hindu tradition, where pearls in a silver chata were offered along with other items and later immersed in the Musi river. This was how the water levels receded. The businessmen who came to know about it later started a business around the Charminar area," revealed G. Mahesh Goud, chief advisor of Lal Darwaza Simhavahini Sri Mahankali Temple Committee member.The 'City of Pearls' came into existence back then, and the incident said the septuagenarian, who had been serving the temple for years. He also added that this is the only historical reason behind this name for the city, which is not usually possible as it is away from the sea.According to a managing committee member, The Mahankali Temple is amongst the few temples which used to have animal sacrifices involving bovines, the blood of which was applied all over the body by devotees. But this tradition was stopped after 1955 following the intervention of reformers. The sacrifice of animals was replaced by the offering of pumpkins, concluded the person.