Hyderabad has turned out to be a city with myriad shades. There was a time when Hyderabad mostly meant food and pearls. Today, the city boasts of a constantly evolving art scene that includes various art forms, be it painting, singing, dancing, etc. While some are native to the country, the city’s have also taken heavily to hip hop, rap, street art, street dancing creating a vibrant atmosphere amidst the dark reality of COVID-19 engulfing many near and dear.

2021 will be memorable as Hyderabadis took to various venues depending on their taste to make the most of venues opening slowly but cautiously. Hope Kosmos by artist Manohar Chiluveru to commemorate COVID-affected was supported by the Allu family and socialites like Shilpa Reddy, to name a few. Another event that had huge audiences was the Hyderabad Dance Festival. It had well-curated artists perform to packed audiences.

The city also saw performances by Bollywood biggies such as Benny Dayal, Shaan, Lucky Ali, and several bands such as Thaikkudam Bridge, Agam, Prateek Kuhad, and others. Then there was the Hyderabad Jazz Festival by Geothe Zentrum, where the German ambassador enthralled the audience.

In the dark times, stand-up comedy came as a whiff of fresh air, and comedians like Kunal Kamra, Prashasti Singh, Amit Tandon, Daniel Fernandes, and Aakash Gupta performed. Rappers and street dancers, and street artists got their due with people flocking to catch up with their art. A mural of Sergio Marquina from Money Heist by Ranjit Dahiya near MMTS station on NTR road was a crowd-puller.

Birad Yajnik took Gandhi to Kazakhstan, and his team traveled to five continents, 15 countries, and 29 cities with over 100 events. At home, there was International Photography Festival, and various venues held dance socials that covered various dance forms such as tango, salsa, belly dancing, etc.

And to keep up the tradition in a modern mold, there was a collaboration between AR Rahman, Gautham Menon, and former MP K Kavitha to make the video song Allipoola Vennela.In short, the city did have its fair share of happy memories, and with Omicron wreaking havoc once again, it looks like Hyderabadis will have to keep themselves enticed with virtual shows.