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Hyderabad which was once known as Bhagyanagaram is the capital city and most populous city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.^[1] The city of Hyderabad is estimated to have a population of about 8.8 million.^[2] The city has thus been classified as an A-1 status city joining the list of other A-1 cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.^[3]

Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique character as a meeting point for North and South India, and also its multicultural nature, geographically, culturally and intellectually. Also known as The City of Nizams and The City of Pearls,^[4] Hyderabad is today one of the fast developing cities in the country and a modern hub of Information Technology, ITES and Biotechnology.

Hyderabad has become a preferred conference venue in India, with many conferences and meetings taking place in the city. The city is home to the world’s largest film studio, the Ramoji Film City as well as the second largest film industry in the country, the Telugu Film Industry known popularly as Tollywood. The city is also known to be a sporting destination with many national and international games conducted here. The people here are called Hyderabadis. The city is regarded as a blend of traditionality with modernity.

History

Although Hyderabad was founded less than 500 years ago, archaeologists have unearthed Iron Age sites near the city that could date back to 500 BC.^[8]

Approximately, a 1000 years ago this region was ruled by Kakatiyas. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty the ruling family of the Golconda, previously a feudatory of Bahmani sultanate that declared independence in 1512, founded the city of Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591;^[9] to relieve water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golconda.^[10] He also ordered the construction of the Charminar, the iconic monument of the city, in 1591, reportedly in gratitude to the Almighty for arresting the plague epidemic before it did irreversible damage to his new city.^[11]

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured Hyderabad in 1687^[12] and during this short Mughal rule, Mughal-appointed governors of the city soon gained autonomy. In 1724, Asaf Jah I, who was granted the title Nizam-ul-Mulk (“Governor of the country”) by the Mughal emperor, defeated a rival official to establish control over Hyderabad.^[13] Thus began the Asaf Jahi dynasty that ruled Hyderabad until a year after India’s independence from Britain. Asaf Jah’s successors ruled as the Nizams of Hyderabad.^[14] The rule of the seven Nizams saw the growth of Hyderabad both culturally and economically. Hyderabad became the formal capital of the kingdom and Golconda was almost abandoned. Huge reservoirs, like the Nizam Sagar, Tungabhadra, Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, and others were built. Survey work on Nagarjuna Sagar had also begun during this time; the actual work was completed by the Government of India in 1969. The wealth and grandeur of the Nizams is demonstrated by the fabled Jewels of The Nizams which is a tourist attraction.The state was richest and the largest among the princely states of India.The land area of the state was 90,543 mi² its population in 1901 was 50,073,759. It enjoyed an estimated revenue of £90,029,000.^[15]

Before 1947, Hyderabad was under the suzerainty of the British Crown but was not part of British India. In 1947, at the time of the independence of British India and its Partition into the Union of India and the new state of Pakistan, the British abandoned their claim to suzerainty over the Princely states and left them to decide their own future. The Nizam, because of Islamic leanings, wished either to remain independent or to accede to Pakistan.^[16] However, for the Indian Union, this was unacceptable from the strategic perspective. Nizam’s efforts also triggered the largest agrarian armed rebellion in modern Indian history, the Telangana Rebellion. To deter the Nizam, Indian union chose to implement an economic blockade which made the state of Hyderabad to sign a Standstill Agreement with it. Nizam’s intransigence compelled Indian Union to use military force against the landlocked princely state of Hyderabad. This operation, termed Operation Polo, was successful and on 17 September 1948 the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession to the Union of India.^[17]

On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. The territories of the State of Hyderabad were divided between newly created Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai state (later Maharashtra), and Karnataka. Hyderabad and the surrounding areas were added to Andhra Pradesh, based on the Telugu speaking community. Thus, Hyderabad became the capital city of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.^[18]

Since ’90s owing to liberalisation, the city has become a major hub of the IT industry which in turn brought changes in lifestyle and culture. The growth in IT sector and construction of International Airport witnessed rise in various other fields like real estate in 2000s although the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009 has had a significant impact on construction activity.^[15]

Geography and climate

Situated on the Deccan Plateau, Hyderabad has an average elevation of about 500 metres above sea level (1,640 ft). Most of the area has a rocky terrain and some areas are hilly. Crops are commonly grown in the surrounding paddy fields.^[19]

Climate chart for Hyderabad
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
3.2 29 15	5.2 32 17	12 35 20	21 38 24	37 39 26	96 34 24	164 31 23	171 30 22	182 30 22	91 30 20	16 29 16	6.1 28 14
average temperatures in °C precipitation totals in mm source: IMD
Imperial conversion[show] J F M A M J J A S O N D 0.1 83 58 0.2 89 63 0.5 95 69 0.8 100 75 1.5 102 79 3.8 94 75 6.5 87 73 6.7 85 72 7.1 86 71 3.6 87 68 0.6 84 62 0.2 82 57 average temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches

The original city of Hyderabad was founded on the banks of river Musi.^[20] Now known as the historic Old City, home to the Charminar and Mecca Masjid, it lies on the southern bank of the river. The heart of the city saw a shift to the north of the river, with the construction of many government buildings and landmarks there, especially south of the Hussain Sagar lake. The rapid growth of the city, along with the merging of Secunderabad, 12 municipal circles and the Cantonment has resulted in a large, united and populous area. Still so many villages near by are getting a facelift to merge in the twin cities in the near future.^[21]

Hyderabad has a wet and dry climate with hot summers from late February to early June, the monsoon season from late June to early October and a pleasant winter from late October to early February.^[22] In the evenings and mornings the climate is generally cooler because of the city’s good elevation. Hyderabad gets about 32 inches (about 810 mm) of rain every year, almost all of it concentrated in the monsoon months. The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.5 ^o C (113.9 °F) on June 2, 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was 6.1^o C (43 °F) on January 8, 1946.^[23]

Demographics

[show]Hyderabad Population
Census	Pop.		%±
1971	1,796,000		—
1981	2,546,000		41.8%
1991	4,544,000		78.5%
2001	5,404,000		18.9%
Source: Census of India[24]

The city’s population in 2001 was 5.7 million and it has reached over 8.8 million by 2008 making it among the most populated cities in India , while the population of the metropolitan area was estimated above 9.6 million. Hindus form a majority in the city. Muslims constitute about 40% of the population, making Hyderabad’s Muslim community the largest in Andhra Pradesh.^[25] Muslims have substantial presence across the city and especially they are densely concentrated in and around Old City (Hyderabad), where they form 70% of the population. Christians constitute a small amount of the city’s population. Churches are located across the city and the popular ones are in Abids and Secunderabad areas.^[26]

Language

Though Telugu and Urdu are the principal languages spoken in the city, English has a strong presence among the educated people. The city has a considerable Marathi and Sikh population.^[17]

The Telugu spoken here has assimilated many Urdu words into it. Similarly, Urdu spoken here is also unique, with influences of Telugu and Marathi, giving rise to a dialect sometimes called Hyderabadi Urdu or Deccani. The official language, Telugu, varies a little across the state but the core language remains the same.^[21]

Administration

Local Administration

The city is administered by a Nagar Nigam called Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC),^[27] whose titular head is the Mayor of Hyderabad who has few executive powers. In the past, the mayor was chosen by the legislative body of the corporation, but just before the last elections, the state government modified the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955, to stipulate that the mayoral election be held directly and simultaneously with the corporation elections. The real executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Andhra Pradesh state government. The Mayor and the Corporation legislative body can and have been in the past dismissed by the state government. For several years elections had not been held for the corporation. Recently the corporation completed its full term and elections are due to the GHMC and for the post of Mayor.

A large part of the twin city Secunderabad and some parts of Hyderabad itself come under the jurisdiction of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) owing to a large presence of military units. It provides basic infrastructure like roads, parks, water and other municipal needs to the public residing here.^[28]

The GHMC is in charge of the civic needs and the infrastructure of the city. Hyderabad is divided into 150 municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator. The corporators of the administration are elected through popular vote, and almost all the political parties field candidates.The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are in three districts, Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medak. The administration of each district is headed by a District Collector who is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. The district collectors also oversees the elections held in the city.^[29]

Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), a planning agency chaired by the Chief Minister along with an IAS cadre officer has been formed to undertake developmental activities in a jurisdiction of above 6,250 km².^[30]

District Administration

The Hyderabad Metropolitan area ^[31] falls under the following districts each headed by a collector

1. Hyderabad district- full (16 Mandals)
2. Medak district- part (10 Mandals)
3. Rangareddy district-part (22 Mandals)
4. Mahboobnagar district- part (2 Mandals)
5. Nalgonda district-part (4 Mandals)

State and Central Administration

Hyderabad voters send 24 members to theLegislative Assembly, whose constituencies come under 5 Lok Sabha segments, after the delimitation of constituencies coming into force w.e.f. Indian general election, 2009.^[32]

The new Assembly segments and their respective parliamentary constituencies(PC) are: Malkajgiri, Kukatpally, Uppal, Lal Bahadur Nagar (LB Nagar), Secunderabad Cantonment, Quthbullapur under Malkajgiri PC; Musheerabad, Amberpet, Khairatabad, Jubilee Hills, Sanathnagar, Nampally, Secunderabad under Secunderabad PC; Malakpet, Karwan, Goshamahal, Yakutpura, Charminar, Chandrayanagutta, Bahadurpura under Hyderabad PC; Maheswaram, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally under Chevella PC and Patancheru under Medak PC.

Law and Order

The city is divided by the state police into Hyderabad Police and Cyberabad Police which come under the state Home Ministry and are headed by Police Commissioners, who are IPS officers. Basheerbagh houses important government offices such as the Police Commissioner’s office, Police Control room, Income tax Commissioner’s office, Central Excise and customs office, Central Reservation office etc. The city is divided into five police zones, each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissionerates.^[28]

Judiciary

Hyderabad is the seat of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and also has two lower courts – the Small Causes Court for civil matters and the Sessions Court for criminal cases. The High Court and Legislature are heritage buildings built by Nizam.

Economy

See Also:List of IT companies in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the financial and economic capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is the largest contributor to the state’s gross domestic product, state tax and excise revenues. The workforce participation is about 29.55 percent. Starting in the 1990s, the economic pattern of the city has changed from being a primarily service city to being one with a more diversified spectrum, including trade, transport, commerce, storage, communication etc. Service industry is the major contributor, with urban workforce constituting 90% of the total workforce.^[33]

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes and, lately, for its IT companies. The bangles market known as Laad Bazaar is situated near Charminar. Products such as silverware, saris, Nirmal and Kalamkari paintings and artifacts, unique Bidri handcrafted items, lacquer bangles studded with stones,silk ware, cotton ware and handloom-based clothing materials are made and traded through the city for centuries.

Hyderabad is a major centre for pharmaceuticals with companies such as Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited, Lee Pharma and Vimta Labs being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley, Fab City and the Nano Technology park are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.^[34]

Like many Indian cities, Hyderabad has witnessed a remarkable growth in the real estate business, thanks to a predominantly information-technology-driven boom in the 1990s and the retail industry growth over the last few years which have spurred hectic commercial activity. A number of mega malls have come up or are being built in the city. Real estate demand in the suburban and rural areas surrounding Hyderabad has gone up exponentially leading to reckless increase in prices over the past few years.^[35]

The retail industry in Hyderabad is on the rise. Many international and national brands have set up retail chains here. The city has multiple Central Business Districts (CBDs) spread across the city. There are many major business/commercial districts from the older Charminar area to newer Kothaguda. For the advancement of infrastructure in the city, the government is building a skyscraper business district at Manchirevula, near Rajendranagar with a 450 m supertall structure APIIC Tower at its centre. Also, the Lanco Hills near Gachibowli presents the tallest structure in India for residential and commercial purposes.

Information Technology Industry

Hyderabad city is today known for its IT and IT-enabled services, pharmaceuticals and entertainment industries. Many software firms, call centres, business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, dealing with IT and other technological services were set up in the 1990s making it one of the major regions for call centre setups, technology development and KPO hubs in India. The development of a township with state-of-the-art facilities called HITEC City prompted several IT and ITES companies to set up operations in the city. An aggressive promotion of growth in this area has led civic boosters to call the city Cyberabad. Hyderabad is the largest IT exporter in India compared to Chennai and Bangalore.^[36] There have been extensive investments in digital infrastructure within the city promoting the setting up of several campuses by a vast array of companies within the city. This list includes several multinational corporations having established their development centres in the city. The major areas where such campuses have been set up are Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli and Uppal.

Hyderabad is home to many Fortune 500 Corporations, with the majority related to IT or BPO services industry. Microsoft (the largest R&D campus outside the US), Computer Associates, Amazon, GE, IBM,AMD, Accenture, Google, Motorola, SAP AG, DuPont, Deloitte, Oracle Corporation, Dell, Franklin Templeton, Qualcomm, Agilent, ADP, UBS AG, Rockwell Collins, Bank of America, CSC, Verizon, Convergys, Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard, Virtusa, are some the Fortune 500 companies that have significant presence in Hyderabad. Honeywell opened a new R&D centre at Nanakramguda, which is situated on the verge of Gachibowli.

Indian IT giants such as HCL, Satyam, Infosys, Wipro, Patni Computer Systems, Cognizant Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Polaris, and Infotech Enterprises, have set up their development centres in the city.

Transport

Road

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation^[38] runs a fleet of 19,000 buses, the largest in the world.^[37] Hyderabad has the third largest bus station facility in Asia, with 72 platforms for 89 buses to load passengers at a time. Officially named as the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, it is locally known as the Imlibun Bus Station, making trips across the state and to some parts of South India. Jubilee Bus Station at Secunderabad runs buses to various parts of the state. Buses plying in and around the city provide major commutation for city dwellers.

The yellow colored Auto Rickshaw usually referred to as an auto, is the most widely used transport service and has flag down minimum fare of Rs 12 for first 1.5 km and then Rs 7 per km. Radio Taxis and cabs by private players have provided an easy travel in the city.^[39]

Hyderabad is connected to the rest of the country by National Highways—NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202.Hyderabad is well connected to remaining parts of the state. Like other cities, Hyderabad suffers from traffic congestion. Completion of the Inner Ring Road and construction of the Outer Ring Road encircling Hyderabad city is also underway and is touted to make travel in the city easier. Many flyovers and undepasses are also being constructed to ease traffic congestion in the city.^[39]

Rail

Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system cum suburban railway system known as the MultiModal Transport System (MMTS) which offer connectivity between rail and road transport for the facility of the commuters. MMTS provides connectivity to all major parts of the city, and is a suitable alternative for those who want to avoid road traffic.^[40]

The South Central Railway headquarters are located at Secunderabad. Secunderabad is one of the biggest railway junctions in the Indian Railway map. The three main railway stations are Secunderabad Railway Station, Hyderabad Railway Station (Nampally) and Kachiguda Railway Station, providing connectivity not only within the city but also to the rest of the state and country. A modern railway terminal is being planned to be constructed near HITEC City railway station to facilitate passengers in the western parts of the city.^[41]

Now, Metro Rail is coming in Hyderabad.
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Air

There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of passengers leading to increased air traffic. The Airport at Begumpet was unable to cope up with the situation and was shut down on 22 March 2008. The new state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi International Airport opened on March 2008 by Sonia Gandhi at Shamshabad, southwest of the city. The airport has the second longest runway in India next to Delhi and caters to the high passenger and cargo transits. The airport runs flights to all important destinations, both domestically and internationally.

The PV Narasimha Rao Expressway, named after P. V. Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India, is being constructed at an elevated level from Mehdipatnam to Rajendranagar along with an underpass and trumpet interchange for providing dedicated high speed travel to the airport. Once completed it will be the longest flyover in India. A proposal for extending the MMTS to the new airport is under consideration. There are three wide roads leading to the new airport from the city and modern taxis and buses can shuttle passengers between the city and the airport. The Nehru Outer Ring Road between Gachibowli and Shamsabad will also serve as an expressway to the airport. The city hosted The Routes Regional Asia 2009 from 29 to 31 March 2009. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport bagged first place in the Routes Airport Marketing Awards in the Indian Sub-Continent category.

Localities and Neighborhoods

Central Hyderabad – Musheerabad – Begumpet – Punjagutta – ameerpet – Abids – Nampally

North Hyderabad – Begumpet – Bolarum – Kompally – Jeedimetla – Sanathnagar – Trimulgherry

South Hyderabad – Afzalganj – Dilsukhnagar – Keshavagiri – Lal Darwaza – NTR Nagar – Umda Bazar

East Hyderabad – Amberpet – Habsiguda – Jamia Osmania – Tarnaka – Marredpally – Uppal – Ramanthapur

West Hyderabad – Banjara Hills – Hitech City – Kukatpally – Jubilee Hills – Madhapur – Kondapur – Langar Houz – Mehdipatnam – Attapur – Rajendranagar – Shamshabad

Culture

The City has evolved into a cosmopolitan society due to the heavy presence of the Information technology Industry while maintaining ancient culture and traditions. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. Hyderabadis, as residents of the city are known, have developed a distinctive culture which is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim traditions.

Women of all cultures and faiths in Hyderabad typically wear either the traditional Indian dress, the sari, or, increasingly, the Salwar kameez especially among the younger population. The traditional Hyderabadi garb for females are the Khara Dupatta and the Shalwar Qamis, and for the males, it is the Sherwani. This is one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad. One of Hyderabad’s public carnivals is the annual immersion of Lord Ganesh idols after the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on Ananta Chaturdashi (locally known as the Ganesh Nimajjanam). It is a spectacular event and attracts many foreigners every year. Bonalu is a vernacular festival that is celebrated with great fervour.The Hyderabadi Muslims favourite holy month is Ramdhan in which every Muslim keep fasting for a month and after Eid-Ul-Fitr which is celebrated with full of joy by everyone and this day a traditional sweet is made known as Sheer Qorma. Another is the procession of Muharram which takes place every year 10th Muharram (1st month of Islamic calendar). While this event is mourned throughout the Shia Muslim world , the old city of Hyderabad, known as Charminar is famed for its grand procession in which participants sacrifice their own blood by hitting on their heads, chest and back with sharp edge weapons (knives, swords and knives attached to chains).^[42]

Cuisine

Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of Mughlai cuisine|Mughal and Persian cuisine. Hyderabadi Biryani is an iconic dish of the region. Other native preparations include Qubani ka meetha, Double ka meetha, Phirni (a sweet vermicelli porridge eaten during the festival of Deepawali), Nahari Kulche also known as paya and Haleem (a meat dish traditionally eaten during the holy month of Ramazan), Kaddu Ki Kheer (a sweet porridge made with sweet gourd), Sheer Qorma (a sweet liquid dish cooked with vermicelli and milk), Mirchi ka saalan, Bagaare baigan, Khatti dal, Khichdi and Khatta, Til ki chutney, baigan ki chutney, Til ka khatta, Aam ka achaar, Gosht ka achaar, Peosi (a sweet prepared with egg whites and milk), Shahi tukde, Kheema aaloo etc.^[43]

Indian sweets are known for their ghee-based items. Famous sweet shops include the traditionally made. Widely found on street-corners are Irani café’s that offer Irani chai, Irani samosa and Osmania biscuit.

Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Continental cuisine are all popular in the city along with typical Andhra and other South Indian cuisine. The city also has some of the best pubs in South Asia and a growing popularity for Trance Music.^[44]

Hospitality

Hyderabad has seen an increase in the hospitality sector. Some of the Five star hotels in the city are ITC Kakatiya Sheraton at Greenlands, Taj Krishna at Banjara Hills, Taj Deccan at Banjara Hills, Hotel Novotel at Madhapur, The Marriott at Tank Bund, Ramada Hotel Manohar at Begumpet and Hotel Ista at Gachibowli. Four star hotels like Hotel Greenpark, Hotel Peppermint, Hotel Kasani GR etc.. Hotel Novotel present at Hyderabad Airport, Shamshabad is a newly built hotel for passengers coming from various countries to the city. Westin Hotels owned by Starwoods Hotels and Resorts(Owners of Shereton, Le Meridien and more) are soon to launch their luxury hotel this year. Many more hotels are in the pipeline in view of the increasing demand in this sector.^[45]

Education and research

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in India. It is surrounded by hundreds of engineering colleges.The city is home to three central universities, two deemed universities, and six state universities. Among them is the Osmania University, established in 1917, which is the seventh oldest university in India and the third oldest in South India.^[47] Important institutions for technical education such as BITS Pilani, Indian Institute of Technology,International Institute of Information Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University are located in this city. Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, a well known educational institution in the field of Agriculture is located on the outskirts of the city. Important medical institutions such as the Gandhi Medical College, Osmania Medical College and several other private medical colleges such as Deccan College of Medical Sciences are located in Hyderabad.Birla Institute of Technology and Science-(BITS Pilani) has established its branch campus at Shamirpet. IIT has started off its temporary campus at Hyderabad. Fly-Tech Aviation Academy and Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy are those amongst the best institutes in the aviation field.

The Indian School of Business, a top ranking business school which attracts students from all over the world is present at Gachibowli, Hyderabad. Hyderabad Central University, National Academy of Legal Studies & Research, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University and English and Foreign Languages University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University are other famous universities which are present in the city.^[48]

Hyderabad has various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), National Geophysical Research Institute(NGRI)(NGRI), IRISET for railway signal engineering and ICRISAT. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with DRDL and DERL has research centres in Hyderabad to develop communication and radar systems and for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Nuclear energy sector has a strong presence with three organisations under Department of Atomic Energy (India) including the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).^[39]

Media

Film Industry

Hyderabad is home to the largest film industry in India by sheer number of films it produces, Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood which produces approximately three hundred movies every year. Saradhi Studios, Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios, Ramakrishna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramoji Film City (the largest Film Studio in India) are some of the notable film studios in the city. The first Hyderabad International Film Festival (HIFF) was organised in 2007 by the Hyderabad Film Club and Andhra Pradesh Film Directors Association.The largest IMAX 3D Theatre in the state is Prasads IMAX along with 4D Simulator at Hyderabad, India. Inox, PVR Cinemas, Cine Planet, Cinemax, BIG Cinemas and Talkie Town are some other multiplexes in Hyderabad. In the near future 17 more multiplexes are coming up in the areas like Kukatpally, Kacheguda etc.^[50]

Arts & Theater

Ravindra Bharati located at Saifabad, is an important and well known center for theatre and performing arts in the city. Many artists from around the world perform here regularly. Lalithakala Thoranam, Shilpakala Vedika are also similar centers for arts and theatre. State-of-the-art Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) or simply HITEX is the first of its kind in South Asia and is comparable to the world’s best convention centers.^[51]

Electronic Media

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government owned FM channels being introduced. The FM radio channels that broadcast in the city include AIR Vividh Bharathi FM (102.8 MHz), AIR Rainbow FM (101.9 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Radio City FM (91.1 MHz), Big FM (92.7 MHz), S FM (93.5 MHz) and AIR Gyan Vani FM (107.6 MHz). State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels and one satellite television channel from Hyderabad. Some prominent private regional television channels broadcasting from Hyderabad are ETV, Gemini, Teja, Maa TV, Zee Telugu, ETV Urdu, ETV2, TV9, Sakshi TV, NTV, TV5, RTV, Bhakthi TV, i news|i News, Local TV.^[52]

Print Media

Hyderabad has three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in Telugu, Urdu, Hindi and English. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Saakshi, Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Bhoomi, Praja Shakthi[Isalmic Voice](Telugu). The major English dailies are The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Times of India, The New Indian Express and The Economic Times. Hyderabad publishes more number of Urdu dailies than any other Indian city. The major Urdu dailies are The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily, The Etemaad, Rehnuma-e-Deccan, Rozanama Rashtriya Sahara and The Daily Milap

Communication Services

Hyderabad is covered by a large network of optical fibre cables. There are four fixed telephone line operators in the city: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance and Airtel. There are eight mobile phone companies in which GSM players include BSNL, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel, Aircel; CDMA services offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata Indicom and Reliance currently, with Spice Telecom soon to launch its services.

Sports

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium

G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium

Cricket and hockey are the most popular sports in the city. Hyderabad Sultans won the inaugural Premier Hockey League championship in 2005. The city took pride in hosting National Games and Afro-Asian Games. Hyderabad 10k Run is a marathon event conducted every year.^[30]

The earliest stadium built in the city is the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. Formerly known as Fateh Maidan, it was, till recently, the city’s only stadium that could conduct International cricket matches. The first cricket match played here was on November 19, 1955. The stadium is currently being used to conduct ICL matches. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal has a capacity of approximately 55,000 spectators and is being enhanced to have world class facilities. It houses an ultra-modern gymnasium along with a swimming pool.^[53]

Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers franchise in the Indian Premier League was bought by Deccan Chronicle for USD 107 million. Deccan Chargers won the title for the year 2009. Notable players include Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, VVS Laxman, Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris, RP Singh, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Chaminda Vaas and Chamara Silva. For the 2009 season, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith were included in the squad and Shahid Afridi was shown the door. The city also has an ICL team named Hyderabad Heroes.^[26]

The city houses the Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex, the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium at Gachibowli for hockey and football and a sophisticated Velodrome for cycling at Osmania University. The city has state-of-the-art venues for gymnastics, archery and sepak takraw, shooting at Saroornagar Indoor Arena and University of Hyderabad respectively. The Aquatics Complex Stadium at Gachibowli, with a capacity of 3000 spectators hosts swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized events. Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 2500 spectators and wooden flooring with temperature control. SAAP Tennis Complex has a central court that holds 5000 spectators and has seven courts with synthetic surface. Water games like rowing, yachting, kayaking and canoeing are conducted at Hussain Sagar lake. The city also has five Go-Karting tracks and a Paint Ball Field. There are venues for table-tennis, basketball, equestrianism, boxing, weight-lifting with world class facilities.

The city is well known for Horse racing. The Hyderabad Race Club formerly known as the Nizam Race Club is located at Malakpet. The Hyderabad race club attracts jockeys from all over the country by conducting various derbys/events here. Deccan derby, a popular annual event is a regular feature here. The winter races also were conducted here recently. Badminton events take place at the Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Stadium and also at Gachibowli stadiums, and also played by youth and veterans in locality parks.

Some of the well known sports stars with global recognition and hailing from this city are Mohammed Azharuddin, VVS Laxman(Cricket), Pullela Gopichand (Badminton), Sania Mirza (Tennis), Saina Nehwal (Badminton), Gagan Narang (Shooting) among others.