Hyderabad Trip : Fun at Ramoji Film City

On the last day of our visit to Hyderabad, we planned to go to Ramoji film city and leave for Bangalore after that. Ramoji film city is an hour drive from the city and is around 30 kms away. We reached the place at around 10 in the morning.

Guided Tour : After entry into the film city, a bus took us to the actual destination(the film city!), from where the tour began. Huge fountains, beautiful sculptures greeted us along the way. The bus dropped us to the point called Eureka, from where we had to catch one more bus painted red and which looked like it was from a fairy tale. A guided tour began from the time we boarded this bus. A guide explained the various sets made of plaster of Paris and its significance like which movie was shot there etc. It was a great feeling when we came to know that our favorite movies were shot in those locations.

Set of Mahabharatha, Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad

Sets : First set we saw was that of Mahabharatha. Then we went to see the railway station shooting location. To our surprise, the station name was Mangalore Central in Kannada!

Hyderabad Trip : Char Minar, Mecca Masjid, Birla Mandir, Chilkur Balaji Temple

We visited some of the iconic places in Hyderabad during our second day in the city.

Char Minar : Built at the center of the city in 1591 AD, to commemorate the eradication of plague, Char Minar is a global icon of Hyderabad. It is located in old city of Hyderabad known for chaotic traffic. So, the best way to visit the place is take an auto from MGBS(Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station), after parking your vehicle. Arriving at the place, through one of the minarets, visitors are allowed to have a glimpse of the interiors of the historical monument. The stairway through the minaret is narrow and cramped. So, one needs to be cautious while climbing. Once inside, you can have a look at the Indo-Islamic architecture drawing elements from Persian architecture. One of the delighting views here is the sunset which can be seen in backdrop of Mecca Masjid, which is close to Char Minar.

Char Minar, Hyderabad

Bhagya Lakshmi Temple : One of the minarets at Char Minar houses the Bhagya Lakshmi temple. Carved in white marble and decorated with jewels, idol of Goddess Bhaya Lakshmi catches the attention of devotees.

Hyderabad Trip : Kurnool, Golconda Fort, Shilparamam

It was a last minute trip to Hyderabad. Eight of us left Bangalore early in the morning at 5 30 on new year day, quickly cruising along the butter smooth National Highway 7. After crossing the first toll plaza near airport, we were nearing Chikballapur. That's when we faced first hurdle in our 600 km long journey, foggy roads. Switching on the parking lights, we continued our journey to stop briefly at strategic locations to witness the refreshing sunrise. Needless to say, it was an opportunity to take those album/profile photos for the social media :)

Foggy Roads en route Hyderabad

Kurnool : At around 10 30 we reached Kurnool with a craving for breakfast. Getting up early in the morning and a five hour journey till then had taken its toll. Surprisingly till Kurnool, you don't find good restaurants along the way.

Lepakshi : An Ideal Weekend Getaway from Bangalore

Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh makes an ideal weekend getaway from Bangalore. It is just over a two hour drive from Bangalore. An architectural wonder, it makes a perfect destination for photography enthusiasts too.

Nandi Statue : First thing you notice entering Lepakshi is the huge monolithic Nandi statue. The sculpture is 10 meter in length and 6 meter in height. Nandi is decorated with a necklace, muvvahara and a garland of bells and has short horns. You can also find the emblem of Karnataka Government, Gandaberunda, a two-headed mythological bird on the necklace of Nandi.

Nandi Statue, Lepakshi

Veerabhadra Temple : Moving ahead you will find Veerabhadra temple. 16th century Veerabhadra temple embodies the famed Vijayanagara architecture. As you enter, you find that the gopuram of the temple is not completed. 

Why I cancelled my Airtel 4G connection?

It was two years ago in 2013, I bought Airtel 4G connection with wifi router. That was much before the pretty girl from Airtel challenged all other internet service providers in India claiming Airtel 4G is the fastest internet network in India.

Initial Postpaid Plan : My initial post paid plan was 4G LTE 2000 - 40 GB of 4G LTE data(after 40gb,100% free with lesser bandwidth). I used to get a bill of Rs.2000 + Taxes.

Enter CPE Lock Plan : In December 2014, Airtel quietly withdrew the above plan and replaced it with CPE Lock Plan 1999 30GB. In this plan, rental amount is 1999 and one would get 30GB data at 4G speed. Post completion of 30GB the data will be charged 0.2Ps/10KB till the limit of 3995. That is user would be paying Rs.1995 for 10 GB between 30 to 40 GB. So, according to this plan, if you happen to cross the data limit of 30 GB and reach 40 GB, you will be paying nearly double the rent. I smelt a rat but did not worry much as my usual usage was around 25 GB.

Indian Passport Renewal Procedure and Tips

You might have heard from your friends about the quick and easier renewal of passports these days in India. I got my passport renewed recently. What my friends told about the renewal process was right. But even then one needs to take care of few points during renewal. Here are those.

Passport Renewal Appointment : Online appointment is mandatory for renewal of passports. To schedule the appointment, you need to create an id for yourself at Indian Passport website. System will automatically book a slot for you. If you want to cancel/reschedule, you can do so. But this can be done only twice within a year of first appointment date.

Proofs : Once you have scheduled the appointment, it is time to gather proofs for submission. Though the passport website document adviser will give you a list of indicative proofs, they may not be complete. So, it is better you go through the list of documents listed in the online appointment receipt as per your case. Definitely, you do not want to make a trip to passport office in case some proof is missing. Some tips here.