I had the great privilege of spending the entirety of winter break with my best friend, Yaksha Gummadapu ’26, and her family in India. When we finally disembarked from the more than 27-hour journey to Hyderabad, my first thought was: How does she do this every break? I was tired, cramped and desperately needed a shower, but these feelings were quickly overcome by the adrenaline I felt in the backseat of the speeding car we were driven to her house in. The driver was a friend of Yaksha’s from school. He drove as if he were the only thing on the road. We found ourselves in the backseat of a car for the majority of our break, and I became more acquainted with the feeling of both weaving through and sitting in India traffic than I would like to be. But, I also used these hours to people watch and try to understand the structure of the vast city.
In the first long car ride we took, I was amazed at how different streets could look with just two turns. I was also impressed by the architects’ ability to fit so many restaurants and shops into such dense quarters. Our first stop was a cafe right off a major road, and from the inside, you would never guess that if you went out the exit and walked just 10 feet, you would be standing in the middle of a highway. The vibe of the cafe was extremely familiar, like those that you would find in Manhattan or any major city, but the menu had an Indian flair by incorporating common spices and dishes.
The food was amazing. I credit both my friend’s great taste and the fact that Hyderabad is a well-known “foodie” city in saying I do not think I will ever eat better than I did during that month. After I had my second coffee of the meal, the chauffeur took us to our next stop: a specialty saree shop. This was the first of many shopping trips we made while in India in preparation for Yaksha’s sister’s wedding in March. We entered the shop filled with beautiful and vibrant sarees, and Yaksha’s mother immediately got down to business. I walked around the shop and sat with the reality that I was in India and that I was experiencing so many things I would not if I was there as “just a tourist.”
The classic Hyderabad tourist locations that we did visit included the Charminar and Golconda Fort, which are a part of the “old city.” Over 500 years old, these sites document the rule of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth sultan and founder of the city of Hyderabad. We went to the Charminar first, where the beautiful 16th-century Indo-Islamic architecture meets the 21st-century vendors who fill the streets. Among these vendors, you can find bangles, chai, children’s toys and an assortment of different street foods. Yaksha bought us some Kaccha Aam (raw mango sprinkled with chaat masala), and while I was eager to try any food offered to me, the bitter tartness of the raw mango was the only food I ended up having an aversion to. We took a rickshaw to Golconda Fort next, and it was there, wearing a kurti from Yaksha’s closet, that I felt both an immense joy and gratitude to be in her home city and experience the history and life that she knows.
My favorite memory from this month-long voyage fell on my 22nd birthday. Yaksha spent her last birthday with me, in Paris, so it seemed only fair for me to spend mine with her. We had cake that tasted as good as the pastries in Paris, and her family took turns feeding me a bite. In the evening, we had dinner at the Falaknuma Palace. The meal was four courses, and I got to try an assortment of South Indian dishes. Although I still have a bias for North Indian food, I do understand the hype behind Hyderabadi biryani.
When we finally landed back in the cold Garden State, I recalled the first thought I had once landing in India—how does my friend complete this journey every break?—and I had my answer: the people, places and maybe even the food alone made the grueling travel more than worth it.