Hyderabad celebrated its first Independence along with the rest of the country only on August 15, 1949. So, as India celebrates 70 years of freedom, Hyderabad marks 68 years of celebrations. Here are 68 reasons to love Hyderabad:

1. Golconda: It looks like a house on a hillock but the wind can sweep you off your feet. The fabled diamond traders are long gone but if a visitor comes to the city, we have to take him/her here.

2. Charminar: The first stop for visitors to the city that leaves many of them disappointed with the claustrophobia created by the vendors and vehicles that leave no viewing angle.

3. Rickshaw ride: Smaller than many in other cities. You have to sit cooped up with folded legs. But the conversation is amazing. They are fast disappearing, so do it before the last rickshaw puller hangs up his boots.

4. Maqdoom Mohiuddin: Hyderabad’s Deccani poet who rhapsodied over chameli, Bhagmati and azaadi.

5. Laad Bazaar: The bangle street. Shopping is never complete without a trip to this lane of colourful encrusted bangles that play with the light delight.

6. Bhutta: Eating roasted corn on cob while walking or stopping by on the Tank Bund on a rainy day can shoo the blues away. And if it is a summer evening, kaccha mango with salt and chilli powder will do. Drool.

7. Gandipet ka pani is the fabled secret of health for many. The lake is no longer the source of water supply to the city but a visit to the lake and picnicking in the garden can do wonders for your mental wellbeing.

8. Hathiyan ka Jhaad is the African baobab tree that is fabled to be an adda of thieves. Even 40 theives can hide in the trunk of the tree that spans some 25 metres. Visiting lovers prefer to carve their names on the soft wood of the tree.

9. ANR’s House: Once upon a time, not so long ago, this was the house to visit in Banjara Hills when the lover boy Akkineni Nageswara Rao would come out and wave to his fans; many of them with shaved heads after a visit to Tirupati.

10. Radio Akkayya/Annayya: Every child of the ‘70s spent Sunday afternoons listening to Balanandam on radio hosted by Turaga Janaki Rani and Nyayapati Raghava Rao.

11. Haleem: Now, who doesn’t know about haleem and the weird craze of eating at dozens of places to find out which is the best one. But many people prefer the one made by ammi or the neighbourhood khala with a sharp tongue.

12. Biryani: Meat, rice and spice. Eat with Mirchi ka Salan and Raita and talk about it for a few hours.

13. Irani chai: You can have cups of it, drinking from the saucer and still stay sane and talk sensibly.

14. Sindhi colony chaat: The once sedate residential street now thrums with the sights and sounds of chaat, juices, ice cream and other vegetarian stuff.

15. Yousufguda mirchi bajji: Cut mirchi bajji. Fill it with finely chopped onions, chillies and squeeze a bit of lime. Magic.

16. Mecca Masjid seat: If you sit here as a tourist, you are going to come back to the city is the folklore. Many people swear by its validity.

17. Visa temple: On the banks of the lake, the temple to Lord Balaji has devotees with an agenda. Go there and do a certain number of perambulations and you will get your US Visa. Guaranteed by God!

18. Sangeet cinema: When Pierce Brosnan was James Bond, this was the cinema hall to watch English movies. First love, first kiss, first English movie, there are lot of firsts for a lot of people here.

19. Anand cinema: The latest Hindi movie had to be caught here.

20. Abids book market: This Sunday market is the adda for bibliophiles. Anyone who can read will not come back empty-handed. The book purchases have to be topped with a steaming coffee at Taj Mahal Hotel.

21. Chor Bazaar: The once notorious market for stolen goods is now a pale self but you can buy spare parts which are not available elsewhere.

22. Patthar ka Gosht: Fragrant juicy meat cooked over stone that has the flavour of the Deccan plateau.

Grand spectacle: Work going on at brisk pace on the parapet wall of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb inside the Qutb Shahi tombs complex. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

23. Qutb Shahi Tombs: Dozens of rooms, nooks and fat walls, this was the perfect cul de sac for generations of lovers. Alas, a big conservation effort now makes it difficult to write names.

24. Bonalu: Four Sundays of fun, dance to teen maar drum, family outings and a picnic with spiritual flavour.

25. Independence Day: Watching the march-past at the massive Parade Grounds and then standing up for the National Anthem.

26. Famous ice cream: Eating handmade ice cream in the shadow of the beautiful stone building of Mozamjahi Market has its own charm. And there will be no hole in the pocket by the end of it.

27. Night walk during Ramzan: The streets near Charminar are lit in the night like day and it is the season to stay awake. Walk, eat, jostle, push, shove, breathe and talk about it for the next few months.

28. Sevain: Vermicelli that lasts longer than Ramzan and continues to give joy and happiness.

29. Hyderabad Blues: Dil pe mat le yaar, says the actor with a laugh and only a Hyderabadi would understand what it meant. Pure nostalgia.

30. The Angrez: Three jobless men with the proverbial tall tale teller Saleem Pheku. Every dialogue is etched in the minds of those who watch it — in India, Canada, Pakistan and Amreeka.

31. Barkas figs: The real deal with fist-sized fruits that had nectar in the middle. Are they still available?

Durgam Cheruvu G. Ramakrishna G_RAMAKRISHNA

32. Fishing in Durgam Cheruvu: Sitting on the edge of the lake, waiting for a bite, staring at the rock formations and their silhouettes was Nirvana.

33. Osmania biscuits: A little sweet, a load of salt and crumbly all through. Dip it in the chai and eat it before it dissolves!

34. Hero Hiralal: The Autowallah to love. Yes. Autowallahs in Hyderabad used to ply by the meter.

35. Lamba cinema: Bunking college, sneaking in without being seen in the neighbourhood was an art. The posters were more tantalising than the movies.

36. Naan: Sour dough and fluffy, dip it in the sherwa and you can have your meal for ₹40.

37. June 2: Telangana State was born and it is the day to turn it pink. A cultural celebration for the newest State that is trying to carve a niche for itself.

38. Riding triples: Zipping out of Koti Women’s College, Pragati College or Aurora College. Colourful clothes and the laughter.

39. MMTS: For nearly 15 years, these blue and white trains that are replicas of the Bombay locals have made the city a smaller place. Ride from Lingampally to Falaknuma and the whole city zips in front of you.

40. Chicha, khala: Older neighbours get this title. And then, we add a rhyming word before it to show love.

41. Ganja: Before the darkweb and anonymity, the locations were known to every pothead. During Holi, the destination changes to Begum Bazaar.

42. Midnight omelette at Secunderabad station: One of the locations that never sleep, thanks to the railway station. A chat, chai and omelette while standing up.

43. Falooda in the Old City during summer. Cool, colourful and the thrill of issues of hygiene.

Standing tall Osmania University Arts College illumined ahead of the centenary celebrations in the city on Sunday. Nagara Gopal Nagara Gopal

44. Osmania University: The sense of pride when you drive past it or see the students lounging on the lawns. And to think that the battle for Telangana was fought here by students.

45. Power Cut: The loud cheer in the neighbourhood and the children tumbling out of houses as areas were plunged into darkness. Now, we have backup generators.

46. Ganesh utsav: Visiting the neighbourhood Ganesh pandals to check out the height and decor and, if possible, to eat the tamarind rice or seasoned chana (horsegram).

47. Jagran: Invoking the name of goddesses and gods, the prayer and chant goes on in the night in many parts of the city.

48. Indira Chowk: Hyderabad’s own Hyde Park. Walk, roam and, then, if there is a cause, there is a speaker and there are listeners.

49. KBR Park: Finding parking space, walking, celebrity spotting and running across peacocks.

50. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s poetry: Nobody has read it but it is considered the final word in Deccani. But who can forget the spirit of the prayer of populating the city like fish in the ocean?

51. Kalyani biryani: The whole nation can be up in arms over it but this beef biryani is a favourite of students irrespective of religion or caste.

52. Crazy rock formations: Everyone had a secret rock formation that others didn’t know. Cycling, sitting on the rocks and watching the sunset was weekend routine.

53. Patang pilana: Before we buried our heads in cellphones, we used to crane necks. Flying kites, getting the thread, buying kites and then hunting for the right place to fly ’em was just part of the fun.

54. EAMCET results: Every family has someone who wants to crack this tough exam. After all, what is life if you are not an engineer or a doctor?

Ramzan shopping in full swing at Charminar on Sunday.

55. Moz sellers near Charminar: They move on to the road as the night progresses. You don’t buy without bargaining and then ask for the cheetey-wala moz (banana).

56. Songs at Numaish: Mukesh, Lata, Rafi, Kishore, Hemant and Asha — their songs interspersed with announcements of “Ek char saal ka bachcha blue pant mein…”

57. Bone setting centres: The images are gory, but the men have the softest of hands and can find the spot of pain in a trice. But the remedy can sometimes be painful.

58. Salar Jung Museum: Listening to the clock in the foyer. Walking while chatting through the endless halls gives a hint of life that the royalty led in Hyderabad and Golconda.

59. Zoo: On a hot summer day, sitting under a tree and opening a picnic basket loaded with food.

60. Chaines noodles: Spelt that way, the clanging on the pan, the sizzle of the sauce, burning eyes and finally the taste.

61. Foot-board travel on RTC bus: As risky as standing on the doorway of Bombay local; but everyone has had one experience with this.

62. Chigar ka gosht: Tender tamarind leaves and meat for the dish with tang. North meets south.

63. Nimmajanam trip to Tank Bund: It is noisy, loud, there are cat calls but when you are with family, this is the experience to have and remember.

64: Lamakaan: Irani chai, endless discussions, samosas, movies and free Wi-Fi.

65. Ravindra Bharathi from street plays on its forecourt to award ceremonies to MetroPlus Theatre Fest. What’s not to love?

66. Bathukamma: A celebration of flowers to welcome the Goddess. Women dressed in festive finery with flowers walking on the roads.

67. Shamshabad Airport: Our newest pride seeing off and welcoming people to the city. Cybertowers and Cyberabad come a close second.

68: M F Husain when he used to walk barefoot. Vaikuntam, Surya Prakash, Laxma Goud, Rajaiah, Aekka Yadagiri have taken the city to the world.