Upon reading the title you might be thinking to yourself, “hmm.. this is an odd comparison of the two cities”, as they’re not even in the same country or continent, only separated by 8000 miles.
I was born and brought up in the Nizami city of Hyderabad up until 21 before leaving to the US of A to pursue my Masters at the University of New Orleans in Louisiana. I have to say right of the bat I clicked with the city. It could be because I was just new to it, it’s a new country, everything is just novelty. But as time passed, my love for New Orleans, (and even though i’m not a local, I wont take kindly to people calling it New Or-leens or Nawlins; Its very simple to say New Or-lins. And if you can’t say that I have nothing to say to you 😛) hasn’t reduced one bit.
I lived in NOLA (yes, people call it that sometimes) for about 6 years and I have to say in that time I’ve visited all around USA to all the top cities except Chicago and I couldn’t find one city where I could see myself living in. All these cities were better than NOLA in the sense there were high rise buildings, metropolitan living, tourist attractions, people hustling day and night and all that.
The things which New Orleans seemed to possess were what’s lacking in all the top cities, such as beautiful, old and well preserved architecture like in the French quarter, the Mardi Gras parades, the laid back people, the southern hospitality, the FOOOD inspired by French and black history.
People from New Orleans seemed to have a sense of laid-backness to them which was lacking in the brisk walkers of New York and Los Angeles (I think that’s the reason they call Nola the “Big Easy”). There was a sense of not needing to be anywhere, greeting a stranger who walked past you with a smile, having a good outdoor barbecue with people in your community on a good sunny day. Even if there were 50 or 5 people at the barbecue, the vibe stayed the same.
As with every city in USA or the world, it comes with its fair share of problems, and New Orleans is no exception. I feel I have seen New Orleans’ problems up close and still feel strongly that this is one of the best cities to live in. For the sole reason that the city has a soul. Everywhere else is a literal copy paste (with cosmetic changes of course).
Now, a little bit about my native city of Hyderabad. What can be said about this beauty? if you ask me, all my conversations will revolve around food because it is second to none in all of India, and I don’t think anyone will debate that (except delhi-ites because they have to be the best at everything 😆). Apart from that the similarities I see in Hyderabad which makes me feel so much love are common with New Orleans.
The City of Hyderabad was a part of Hyderabad Deccan state and its capital, which was ruled by the Nizams who were basically Mughals or Mongols. They ruled from 1724 till about 1948 before the annexation by the Indian army post WW2.
The Nizams brought in their culture, their architecture, and their food. They also had inspired a sense of laid-backness in the people of Hyderabad who hadn’t been hit with the “Western Wave” yet.
A feeling in a city where you could enjoy a glass of tea with your friends at a cafe, without trying to rush it down your throat and head somewhere, was priceless. Hyderabad was a place where you didn’t need to prove anything to anyone, where you didn’t need to flaunt your riches, position in the society, a place where there was no need for gentrification because what was, was good enough. What was, had enough class, poise, beauty which didn’t feel the need to be shown off, it shone through.
Needless to say, the Hyderabad I speak off is no more. It is now replaced by a concrete slab of buildings as far the eye can see, and not a single tree in sight. People seemingly more pissed off normally about every small thing, rushing to go nowhere, multi national companies hiring an army of yes men with the promise of a decent salary, and posh night clubs, bars and breweries opening up for people to drink away their “stresses” from said work.
I have to admit I have been a part of this at some point. I have liked visiting these clubs, going to new malls, eating at new restaurants and working at a multi national company. It didn’t take me long to realize this is not normal in any sense while everyone around me thinks otherwise.
The future of these two cities I absolutely love is unknown but a guy can guess. It’s only going to go “upward” (which is debatable if that’s even a good thing), but till then I will reminisce the slow moving, enjoying the moment, and nonchalance there once was in the people from those cities.
