Pronounced more like Hy-dra-bad, but not quite (hear it authentically here).
Although it's not as famous as some of India's cities, Hyderabad is actually the sixth largest city in the country. That means nearly 8 million people live there. Holy moley!
Hyderabad is the capitol of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and is considered to be in Southern India. Looking at a map though, Hyderabad looks like it's pretty near the middle to me (coming from the girl who is notoriously bad with geography). The official languages are Telugu and Urdu, but English is fairly common - thank goodness. Several other dialects are spoken that I have never even heard of (Tamil, Sindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, and Kannada...).
The majority of the population are Hindu, but there is also a large Muslim presence in the area. This makes for a very vibrant culture; Hyderabad is considered a city where the cultures of North and South India meet. Because of the large Muslim population, there is an expectation of modesty. When I'm there, I will be wearing pants or long capris so that my knees don't show, and women are told not to wear revealing tops (no tank tops and nothing low-cut). I'll probably also wear a scarf sometimes so that I can cover my head if I enter a Mosque (awesome!). Plus the scarves there are amazing from what I hear.
Despite some of the apparent glamour of the city, there is real need in Hyderabad. I don't have lots of reputable statistics on Hyderabad's poverty just yet, but India's stats overall are pretty insane. The percent of urban Indians living in poverty is 37%, and only 63% of adults are literate. Only 58% of the state of Andhra Pradesh has access to sanitation facilities - and only 27% of houses have running water. One-fifth of households in Hyderabad itself are located in slum areas, and only 55% of poor children go to school. Seventy percent of poor women have no education at all.
With that in mind, we are so excited to collaborate with the people there and find ways to make small improvements. More to come on possible project ideas, and what has been done in the past through HELP. We've got two months and counting!
Although it's not as famous as some of India's cities, Hyderabad is actually the sixth largest city in the country. That means nearly 8 million people live there. Holy moley!
Hyderabad is the capitol of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and is considered to be in Southern India. Looking at a map though, Hyderabad looks like it's pretty near the middle to me (coming from the girl who is notoriously bad with geography). The official languages are Telugu and Urdu, but English is fairly common - thank goodness. Several other dialects are spoken that I have never even heard of (Tamil, Sindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, and Kannada...).
The majority of the population are Hindu, but there is also a large Muslim presence in the area. This makes for a very vibrant culture; Hyderabad is considered a city where the cultures of North and South India meet. Because of the large Muslim population, there is an expectation of modesty. When I'm there, I will be wearing pants or long capris so that my knees don't show, and women are told not to wear revealing tops (no tank tops and nothing low-cut). I'll probably also wear a scarf sometimes so that I can cover my head if I enter a Mosque (awesome!). Plus the scarves there are amazing from what I hear.
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| The Charminar - built in 1591, apparently built in commemoration of the plague being eliminated. |
With that in mind, we are so excited to collaborate with the people there and find ways to make small improvements. More to come on possible project ideas, and what has been done in the past through HELP. We've got two months and counting!
What an adventure!!
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