Pandemic happened, and the world turned upside down. While just about every industry and every person was affected by the pandemic, one industry that suffered a lot during the COVID-19 peak period was the food industry.&nbsp;It’s not just the staff that suffered, but the restaurants, in general, suffered real bad, and most of them incurred heavy losses. It goes without saying, so was the case with the state of Telangana and Hyderabad. The city was known for its happening food scene prior to the pandemic, and suddenly everything came to a halt.The situation looked real bleak during the first wave. While most managed with a skeletal staff and by giving takeaways, the situation was better during the second wave. People started ordering food home as there was hope in the form of vaccination. Now that many people are vaccinated and since the second wave has taken a dip, more and more people are opting to dine out. Of course, the business of take-aways and online orders has also increased.Though there was fear of a third wave, things look pretty optimistic for now, and slowly and steadily, things are coming back to a normal state. Being cooped up in houses for months, people are looking for every opportunity to go out eating. Also, since the corporate sector has been calling back its staff, many mid and small-size companies are running with a full staff. This has also led to about 80 percent occupancy in restaurants.And the best part is that some of the country’s big restaurant chains have plans of opening restaurants in the coming days.

Food Industry Bounces Back, Restaurant Chains to Open New Outlets

<a href="https://www.iiit.ac.in/">IIIT Hyderabad</a> is now making its mark in technology after its recent contribution to Facebook's AI project named Ego4D. Artificial Intelligence-driven devices are on the verge of changing the human lifestyle by being involved in every activity of human beings.The Ego4D is a Facebook AI project collaborating with 13 premium institutes and research centers from the UK, Italy, India, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. The project, which has finished its trial phase, will finally be unveiled to the whole world of how 700 participants engaged in more than 2,200 hours of dependence on augmented reality tools for their daily life routine.IIIT Hyderabad has a big reason to brag their institute in the country. They are the only Indian institute to represent this global program set to fascinate the world and make AI an actual entity for future survival. The entire dataset of videos collected for this project features a complete first-person perspective that the scientists described as an egocentric perception. Most of the videos are collected from the view of a head-mounted device that the participant wore throughout this program. The most significant plus point of this cutting-edge technology is that apart from recognizing the location, scene of activity, and social relationships, the device could also understand what the wearer is looking at, doing, or is the wearer manipulating any event.Among 700 participants from the global program, IIIT Hyderabad collected data from more than 130 participants from 25 different locations in the country. The IIIT had to use video conferencing and faced issues due to the pandemic in terms of ensuring the participants received the device and knew how to use it. According to Prof CV <a href="https://faculty.iiit.ac.in/~jawahar/">Jawahar</a>, Centre for Visual Information Technology, IIITH, this device could be path-breaking for a doctor to perform a successful surgery and could also lead the way for a visually impaired human through the first person perspective that this cutting edge technology possess.

IIIT Hyderabad - Only Indian Institute In Facebook's AI Project

The prestigious theatre festival is back in memory of one of the country's finest artists, Mohammad Qadir Ali Baig. The drama and stage artists from across the country are making their way to the city for the 16th edition of the Mohammad Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival.IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao will inaugurate this event at the Mozamjahi Market. The theatre festival is scheduled from the 21st to 24th October. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by a unique play on the construction of the Taj Mahal written by Rajiv Joseph, The award-winning Indian-American playwright, and a Pulitzer Prize Nominee.&nbsp;This theatre festival is organized every year in association with the Government of Telangana, the Tourism Department, the Department of I&amp;PR, and Singareni Collieries.&nbsp;The event will begin just like every year where Qadir Ali Baig, son of Late Mohammad Ali Baig, will recite Prince Mozzamjah's poetry.&nbsp;This festival will witness some of India's and the world's finest artists and playwrights gather for a fantastic display of exuberant art and culture through drama. This festival was a hit last year and occurred on a grand scale despite the pandemic. This year around, this festival will feature Ila Arun, Razia Baig, Heba Shah, Denzil Smith, and Mohammed Ali Baig, some of the big names of the Indian theatre and cinema.

City Gearing Up For 16th Edition Of Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Festival 

Hyderabad is quite famous for its food scene these days. While the city boasts of some fancy restaurants of late, it has its share of famous street food points that make the whole scene pretty tantalizing. And one food stall that has been in business for the past 60 years and is evergreen as it used to be is <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Bhagawati+Pani+puri/data=!4m6!4m5!1m1!4e2!1m2!1m1!1s0x3bcb99cba635ed65:0x9f0579865d6f0ed2?sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwidjum4ptbzAhVDbn0KHaHaBkAQ9Rd6BAhkEAQ">Bhagawathi Pani puri</a>&nbsp;or Famous Gupchup shop in Kachiguda.The place cannot be missed as it's quite near to the Mahankali temple in Kachiguda, and during the evenings, the place is filled with people. One can see a huge gathering of people wanting to eat Pani puri and chaat here. In fact, the place is totally crowded between 5 pm and 7 pm. And just about everybody takes more than one plate of chaat here.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/nbn-engine/uploads/6394cf3fa8d59be5e73b0fda8d9d004cb60670b1.jpg" alt=""> The place was started by Bhagawathi's grandfather about 60 years back in the same place. So when the time came for someone to run the business, Bhagawati took over the reins, and she has been running it for the past 35 years. And now, both her sons Rajeshwar and Maheshwar, who happen to be engineering graduates, chose to join the business as they did not want to do a 9-5 job.The best part about Bhagawathi Pani Puri center is that their Pani puris have amla juice in them instead of the usual tamarind water. From the pani puris to the spicy water, Bhagawathi makes everything at home.One must-try chaat here happens to be ragda chaat, apart from pani puris. As for the price, one can understand that it will be pretty affordable as it's true street food.

60-year-old Bhagawathi Chat Shop, a Must-try for Pani Puri Lovers

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On Monday, the World Health Organization (<a href="https://www.who.int/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">WHO</a>) released a statement that it expects Bharat Biotech to provide more info on its COVID vaccine, which means the company's hopes of getting an emergency-use listing for the shot goes for a toss. The two-dose <a href="https://www.bharatbiotech.com/covaxin.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Covaxin</a> is unlikely to be accepted as a bonafide COVID-19 vaccine around the world without WHO's nod. </blockquote>Bharat Biotech is an Indian multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Hyderabad and has been pursuing an emergency-use listing from WHO for several months, having submitted data on a rolling basis since July.On their official Twitter handle, WHO said that they are aware that many people are waiting for WHO's recommendation for Covaxin to be included in the COVID19 Emergency Use Listing, but they cannot cut corners.
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are aware that many people are waiting for WHO’s recommendation for Covaxin to be included in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> Emergency Use Listing, but we cannot cut corners - before recommending a product for emergency use, we must evaluate it thoroughly to make sure it is safe and effective. <a href="https://t.co/GDx8GAc1KU">pic.twitter.com/GDx8GAc1KU</a>— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1450069244910129154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>The response from Bharat Biotech is still awaited on WHO's statement.As it has been widely reported, Covaxin is one of the three approved vaccines that are being used in the country for the vaccination drive for adults. Around 30% of about 944 million eligible adults have been fully vaccinated so far, including administering more than 112 million doses of Covaxin.WHO also added that Bharat Biotech has been submitting data on a rolling basis, and WHO experts have reviewed these data. WHO is expecting one additional piece of information from the company on Tuesday.
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bharat Biotech - the manufacturer of Covaxin - has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and WHO experts have reviewed these data. WHO is expecting one additional piece of information from the company today. <a href="https://t.co/kfaNI05KIw">https://t.co/kfaNI05KIw</a>— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1450069497642110978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>On Sunday, WHO's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that the agency's technical advisory group would meet on October 26 to consider the listing for Covaxin.
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">When the information provided addresses all questions raised, WHO and the Technical Advisory Group will complete the assessment and come to a final recommendation whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to the vaccine. <a href="https://t.co/QULXMYRGMf">https://t.co/QULXMYRGMf</a>— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1450070059112706053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

City-based Covaxin Receives a Setback from WHO

The real estate market of Hyderabad has indeed touched the sky as the steady rise of property prices, and unending demand has made the city the second most expensive real estate market in the country after the all-time leader Mumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR).The Q3 from July to September has seen the city record some big numbers in terms of property sales, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr9Dti_t25huMMAXF1XNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1634674751/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.proptiger.com%2f/RK=2/RS=emF7cgDfdLYQGxJO3Y84RsAvEk8-">PropTiger.com</a>'s latest report. Hyderabad is ahead of the other big cities of the south like Bangalore, Chennai, and Pune from the west. Hyderabad made the most significant Q3 jump of 222% and a 140% growth year on year as the city sold land and property like hotcakes.&nbsp;Most of the sales are from Dundigal, Medchal, Miyapur, and few other locations. Though there is a giant leap in demand and property prices, the current growth is still less due to the city's lowest overhand inventory of 25 months among the Top 8 in the country.&nbsp;The city also has an unsold stock of 50,000 plus units which is the biggest reason for the low inventory. PropTiger's statistics point towards a stable Q4 among the top 8 cities with the same demand but with 10-year low home loan interest rates and sops offered by governments. The demands of property are indeed high, along with manufacturing costs and all other charges, but that hasn't stopped sellers or agencies from offering discounts that have saved people lakhs and thousands of rupees on multiple occasions.

Hyderabad, The Second Most Expensive City To Buy A Property 

Drinking and driving on the streets of Hyderabad has always been a menace as high commuters in past incidents have met some horrific end and are battling disabilities due to accidents. Knowing how dangerous this is the law enforcement, especially the traffic police, over the years have made rules stricter, fines heftier, and made the process of acquiring seized vehicles longer.&nbsp;But none of this has worked as the Cyberabad Traffic Police have arrested 43 people for drunk driving and jailed them for between 1-5 days.&nbsp;The arrested people are from 100 people who Cyberabad Traffic Police caught on October 11 during their regular checking at multiple junctions and locations.&nbsp;The police produced these 43 men in front of a court because they were violating the drunk driving rule, and a few of them broke the law without a driver's license. Out of these arrested men, those who have been caught drunk drinking but have the license and other relevant documents will have to pay a fine of Rs.17,100, and the ones who have no license and fail to produce papers of the vehicle will have to pay a fine will have to pay Rs. 1 Lakh and other additional penalties and might lose the vehicle until they furnish all the documents.&nbsp;Miyapur and Kukatpally are areas where the police have found these men offending the drunk driving rule with and without licenses. Therefore, the licenses of the violators have been sent to the&nbsp; Regional Transport Authority concerned for suspension of the license. Cyberabad police have stated that jail time will increase, and acquiring vehicles will get more challenging if the rest of the people do not learn a lesson from this and continue to neglect the road rules.

Cyberabad Police Send 43 Drunk Drivers To Jail 

There was a time when Hyderabad used to have its showers, mostly in the months of June, July, and August and sometimes in September. However, of late, the city is experiencing delayed monsoon, and the state of Telangana is getting heavy showers even in the months of October and November. Well, monsoons are the ideal time to visit beautiful Kuntala waterfalls in the Adilabad district.It is an ideal destination for a long drive, and it happens to be the highest waterfall in Telangana. Incidentally, the Kuntala waterfall originates from the convergence of several ponds that lead to the Kadem river. What makes the waterfall really awe-inspiring is the fact that it comes down as two separate waterfalls adjacent to each other. And the waterfall is located in the dense teak forest of Neredikonda village, which is about 300km from Hyderabad.What’s more enchanting is the drive up to the waterfall. There is lush greenery on both sides of the route, and it is a photographer’s delight. Though one can reach the waterfall from various routes, one has to trek for about 20 minutes to reach the waterfall.But one must be aware that there are quite a few monkey ‘gangs’ that one gets to meet on the way, and it is best to avoid carrying food packets. However, make sure to take water with you as you need to ascend and descend quite a few steps.As for food, you can have your fill at the many dhabas sprinkled around the area, which serve hot vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Also, be prepared for the trek by wearing comfortable footwear and clothing.

Kuntala Waterfalls - An Ideal Weekend Getaway for Hyderabadis

For city-based ceramist <a href="http://artsquareindia.com/testimonial/manpreet-singh-nishter/">Manpreet Singh Nisther</a>, working with nature is a way of life. Having worked as a marketer for around 12 years, he quit his job about two years ago and started off giving life to his passion. He uses his <a href="http://artsquareindia.com/">art</a> form to help his clients experience nature and be one with it. In fact, his home and studio totally reflect his philosophy of life.Over a period of time, Manpreet built an eco-friendly home and ceramic studio for himself at a gated community in Kokapet. Today, he specializes in making and designing custom-made ceramic wall murals, fine art decor, and exotic tableware from eco-friendly zero-waste materials. Manpreet shares that he stopped using single-use plastic some 28 years back and has consciously chosen to lead an eco-friendly life. He shares that his work, too, is mostly from upcycled waste.His house and studio, too, have been built with re-purposed industrial waste. The house has many openings that allow one to see the sky and experience natural air and light. In fact, one of the walls in his studio is made with recycled wine bottles. Manpreet says even in the seven washrooms in the house; there are no electric ventilators. The entire space allows for the natural flow of air.But Manpreet does take a break from the concrete jungle to be one with nature every six months. He goes off to the Himalayas and Western ghats to get inspiration for his work. Manpreet’s most sought-after crafts include leaves, butterflies, flowers, birds, fish, turtles, and seashells. At times, he uses a mix of one or two crafts to make one piece. He also uses upcycled wine bottles to create abstract and crystalline fine art ceramic pieces.Manpreet wakes up at 4 am every morning and goes about his craft. He says pottery and sculpting are like mediation for him as his work involves all major elements such as water, fire, air, and earth. He also uses a power-efficient electric kiln that helps to keep the carbon footprint low.

Get a Bit of Nature into Your House in Ceramic Style

Plans are afoot to set up a layout under the auspices of HMDA in Medchal District Bogaram. Land pooling is being carried out by HMDA officials to develop the layout which will be set up on an area of 120 acres. Authorities are preparing for the lay-out with the farmers agreeing to give up their lands. Medchal‌ District Revenue officials are examining the title deeds of farmers who have agreed to give their lands.Bogaram in Medchal district is located close to the city of Hyderabad. With this, HMDA took steps to set up a layout. Medchal district almost merges with Hyderabad. As a result, land prices have skyrocketed there. Focusing on development, HMDA has decided to set up a lay-out at Bogaram near the Outer Ring Road.Many roads connect to Bogaram village. Officials expect the layout to come at seven kilometers from Ghatkesar railway station, four kilometers from Rampally Dayara Outer Ring Service Road, eight kilometers from Keesara Junction Outer Ring Road, seven kilometers from the Warangal Highway National Highway, and a close to Kesara.People from different parts of the country are settling in the Medchal district. There are Outer Ring Roads connecting the district. People are interested in Medchal district as it is convenient for public transport. In addition, there are thousands of industries in the district, and lakhs of people are employed. With this, people are preferring to settle in the area. In view of this, HMDA is preparing a plan to set up Bogaram Layout.

120 Acres Layout In Bogaram To Push Medchal Real Estate

The Independence Day ride for the rich and famous owners of luxury cars was a day that is continuing to haunt them as a 30 member special team of the RTA set up roadblocks near the airport road. The team seized 11 high-end vehicles for tax evasion and returned them their cars on August 16 after submitting an affidavit and paying the taxes.&nbsp;These cars were tracked by the RTA's special team led by K Papa Rao for almost six months and were finally stopped on August 15. The RTA knew these cars were not the only cars in the city that were evading tax, and the number of such cars is close to 100 more. The RTA has written to the central authority and closely monitoring these cars that they tracked down to locate another 100 cars evading life and road taxes.&nbsp;These cars are mostly seen together in groups of 4s and 5s ripping the ORR's and High tension roads near the IT Hubs, and their videos being posted on social media. Most of these cars are brought in from Maharashtra and Pondicherry because of the number plates with these place initials.&nbsp;The RTA might earn more than 150 crores if they locate all the luxury cars they suspect tax evasion. The RTA has also stated that these owners might have to pay way more than the applicable taxes if they are caught or do not pay the taxes as soon as possible. Out of 1000+ cars in the state, close to 950 vehicles are in the twin cities and out of which 11 have been caught and paid taxes, with 100 more still evading taxes.