‘The Hindu’ — perhaps the two most vivid words I remember from my childhood. Every morning, an English newspaper arrived at our doorstep, along with an Urdu paper that my father read. That English newspaper was The Hindu.

As a young cricket enthusiast, I would turn straight to the back page. While my father read the front page, I would carefully cut out pictures of Gundappa Viswanath whenever they appeared, using a shaving blade. My father never objected. He simply allowed me to indulge in my passion.

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During my preparation for the civil services examination, before joining the IPS in 1991, I found The Hindu to be the most useful, analytical and informative newspaper for understanding events in India and around the world. I was particularly drawn to its incisive editorials, which helped me develop informed opinions. Needless to say, when I cleared the civil services examination in my first attempt at the age of 22, securing high marks in general studies, I gave much of the credit to The Hindu.

I have always enjoyed the centre-page articles by eminent personalities, as well as the ‘This Day, That Year’ column that recalls events from 50 or 100 years ago. It brings back incidents from the freedom struggle and other important moments in history. The Hindu has a unique legacy and depth of archival knowledge that enable it to publish such pieces; no other newspaper or magazine can quite match it.

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During my years in the police service, I became accustomed to reading nearly 10 newspapers a day to keep abreast of current affairs, monitor articles concerning the department and remain aware of public discourse. Even today, I read The Hindu in considerable detail. Its in-depth analysis, comprehensive coverage and full-page articles on contemporary issues continue to appeal to me. Perhaps, psychologically, I also feel a sense of comfort because of our long association.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of The Hindu’s Hyderabad edition, I commend the newspaper for being an integral part of the region’s growth and transformation. I hope it continues to play that role in the years ahead.

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I also extend my greetings to all the reporters with whom I have been associated, particularly since joining the police service. Many of them have risen through the ranks over the past 35 years, just as I have — from an ASP to the Director General of Police.

C. V. Anand

(The writer is Director General of Police, Telangana)

The role played by the media, whether print, electronic or social, has long been regarded as integral to the polity of a civilised country, particularly in India, where democracy is the form of governance. So much so that the media has, quite rightly, been accorded the status of the Fourth Estate, with the executive, judiciary and legislature being the other three.

In fact, French philosopher Voltaire went to the extent of saying that a democracy is safe only when the people are literate and the media is free.

Many governments, at the national and State levels, have from time to time made somewhat unseemly attempts to undermine the media’s autonomy, make inroads into their independence, and erode their ability to remain free, fearless and impartial. Fortunately, however, as in the case of the other three wings of the State, the media has managed to retain its prime place in the apparatus of the polity.

It was this esteemed publication, for instance, which in the 1980s played a historic role in exposing the massive defence corruption scam, the Bofors scandal.

Many interesting events in the history of independent India highlight the status enjoyed by the Fourth Estate. The famous political cartoonist Shankar often embarrassed senior political leaders and others with his frank and satirical depictions of their deeds. Such was the importance attached to the media by those in high places at the time that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to the extent of requesting Shankar not to spare even him in his cartoons.

When the National Emergency was imposed in 1975, The Indian Express carried a cartoon showing the President signing a file while still in his bathtub. At the same time, the day after the Emergency was declared, The Statesman carried a blank editorial column to express its anguish and concern at being subjected to unwarranted censorship. And who from my generation can forget G.K. Reddy of The Hindu, known for his authority in covering parliamentary affairs and national politics?

The role of media in highlighting issues has been crucial and often acted as a mirror to the government. I was the Collector of Krishna district in 1979. Under a government scheme, bus routes operated by private operators in Vijayawada city and the surrounding areas were to be taken back and allotted to unemployed youth. The youth would then operate buses owned by them as drivers and conductors, with assistance from the State government and bank loans.

However, it was through a newspaper report that I learnt that the scheme was yet to be operationalised because of political pressure exerted by the powerful lobby of private bus operators. I swiftly moved into action and ensured that the routes were taken back and new buses distributed to the youth in accordance with the objectives of the programme.

I recall with pleasure that my late nephew, Sitaram Yechury, and N. Ram, doyen of The Hindu family, were close friends. I also had a childhood friend, Bhujanga Rao, who refused to believe anything was true until he saw it in black and white — and only in The Hindu!

Much like the idli-sambar of Tamil Nadu, the avakaya of the Telugus, the Kashmiri navratan pulao, the mishti doi of West Bengal, the poha of Maharashtra and the dahi of Punjab, The Hindu has come to stay as an integral part of the culture of our country, particularly in the southern States.

On one occasion, I recall P.S. Rammohan Rao, former Governor of Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, who, while speaking at a meeting, fondly recalled that, as a student in the then Madras, his staple breakfast comprised idli-sambar and The Hindu.

In the olden days, when reading newspapers was not very common, my grandmother used to ask my grandfather whether he did not get bored reading the same newspaper every day!

Mohan Kanda

(The writer retired as Chief Secretary of united Andhra Pradesh)

The turning point in the development of the city came in the late 1990s, when N. Chandrababu Naidu took over as Chief Minister and visualised HITEC City — a third city to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad — with its iconic Cyber Towers in Madhapur, on the western side of Hyderabad, beyond Jubilee Hills. Cyber Towers was completed in a remarkable 14 months and soon became a favourite destination for IT companies. HITEC City expanded into Cyberabad, encompassing Gachibowli and beyond, and there was no looking back.

A number of private engineering colleges also came up. Stretching his aggressive marketing skills to a level only he knows best, Mr. Naidu managed to convince Bill Gates to set up Microsoft in Hyderabad, its first offshore centre outside the United States of America. Another coup of sorts was bringing the Indian School of Business (ISB) to the city. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was another feather in his cap, though it was inaugurated during the Congress regime.

For all his focus on Hyderabad, which came at the expense of rural areas at a time when the State was reeling under severe drought, Mr. Naidu paid a political price, giving way to Congress Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

By this time, Hyderabad had emerged as a magnet for IT and services, second only to Bengaluru.

The city was rather fortunate to experience political continuity during its rapid progress over the last two-and-a-half decades. Political leaders, irrespective of party affiliations, continued to contribute to the development and expansion of the city. YSR’s significant contributions included the Nehru Outer Ring Road, PVNR Expressway and Hyderabad Metro Rail, all of which gave a major boost to connectivity.

Yes, Hyderabad has developed considerably, but it still suffers from poor road infrastructure and an unreliable storm-water drainage system. This is partly because most Chief Ministers viewed tall towers as symbols of development. and never delved deeper into the reasons why Hyderabad faces perennial flooding.

Building permissions were granted right, left and centre, with little regard for the city’s natural, undulating landscape and hundreds of lakes. To top it all, Building Regularisation Schemes were pushed through with scant regard for the carrying capacity of roads and drainage systems. This development has come at a huge cost, including the loss of greenery, lakes, listed heritage buildings and rock formations.

After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the creation of Telangana, there were fears of a slowdown in investments in Hyderabad. Those fears proved misplaced. The new Telangana Rashtra Samithi, later renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi, under Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, took the city’s development forward. His pet project of building a majestic Telangana Secretariat overlooking Hussain Sagar and enhancing the lake’s environs brought about a much-needed makeover of the city. The then Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao showed particular interest in improving the city’s infrastructure, adding landmarks such as the Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge, laying new roads and redesigning and widening existing ones.

With young Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy taking over the reins from the BRS, the city is expected to have a fourth city towards the south of Hyderabad, its most neglected region. His push for the Musi River rejuvenation plan and the removal of encroachments from lakes could, hopefully, usher in a better Hyderabad.

K.Venkateshwarlu, former Resident Editor, The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh

Long before digital sensors and instant cloud uploads revolutionized the Press, capturing history for The Hindu across undivided Andhra Pradesh was an endurance sport.

It was defined by the pungent smell of darkroom chemicals in dimly lit hotel rooms, tight deadlines, and an unyielding commitment to truth, recalls former Chief News Photographer H. Satish.

From the quiet beginnings of the Hyderabad edition in 1976 — when senior journalists relied on State public relations photos and freelance shots — the newspaper’s visual narrative shifted radically in 1990.

The department was started by photo editor S. Kodandaraman who came from then Madras with two cameras and handed them over to Mr. H. Satish. The number of photographers gradually increased over the years as the city edition got prominence with more pages. It was an opportunity for the staff photojournalists to transform the city and regional reportage capturing the pivotal political moments, changes in the city landscapes, the quiet rhythm of daily life and human tragedies, among others.

Whether in documenting the aftermath of the Latur earthquake, exposing raw human realities like child labour, or filing breaking images amidst citywide curfews, naxalite shoot-outs, the visual team anchored the newsroom.

Field reporting in the pre-digital era demanded raw physical grit. Photojournalists navigated assignments carrying darkroom kits into makeshift hotel setups. They processed negatives manually, rushing against time to transmit images via standalone fax machines over single telephone lines – often sending the solitary photograph that would inform the nation the next morning.

During moments of extreme crisis, like the catastrophic 2005 Valigonda train collision, photojournalists rode two-wheelers through flooded terrain, joining rescue operations while securing historic visual evidence under torrential rains. The team had noted news photographers like P.V. Sivakumar, S. Gajendran, Mohd. Yousuf, K. Ramesh Babu and others who served the organisation for years with aplomb.

Even as the cameras got transformed into SLRs followed by the digital cameras, the photojournalists got an additional job of shooting videos and within no time, our team has been straddling both still photos and videography for the print/digital editions. We are now a three-member strong team, including G. Ramakrishna, a relatively younger Siddhanth Thakur and stringer photographer Mohd. Arif shooting from Sangareddy.

(nagara.gopal@thehindu.co.in)

Hyderabad has long been welcoming of new investments and over the decades come to boast of a diversified industrial landscape.

From pharmaceuticals, chemicals and engineering to cutting-edge work in Life Sciences, defence and aerospace, space technology, electric mobility, electronics manufacturing and data centres, the city is home to a blend of old-economy industries and new-age enterprises.

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In recent years, it has emerged as a preferred destination for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) of multinational corporations. The sector has added a new dimension to the city’s technology ecosystem, complementing the software products and services industry that helped Hyderabad earn comparisons with Bengaluru. Unlike back office operations of MNCs, often operated in India by third parties, the GCCs function as integral parts of their parent organisations, creating value across information technology, research and development (R&D), customer support operations and even intellectual property-related functions. By leveraging the city’s deep talent pool, they also help achieve significant cost efficiencies though labour arbitrage is no longer the main reason driving firms set up GCCs in India.

Real estate consultancy JLL, on the occasion of the opening 1.20 lakh sq. ft. GCC of JLL Business Services (JBS) in the city in early August, said Hyderabad is on course to be a powerhouse for GCCs in India driven by a strong talent base, world-class infrastructure and a business-friendly ecosystem. The city commanded 16% of the country’s total GCC leasing activity during the 2024 to mid-2026 period. GCCs accounted for an impressive 42% of all office leasing activity within Hyderabad itself. Speaking at the event, Telangana IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu said Hyderabad had attracted nearly 150 GCCs in a span of 20 months, generating more than 1.5 lakh high-value technology jobs.

In recent years the city has also consolidated its position as a major defence and aerospace solutions hub and emerged as a leading drone manufacturer. Spacetech is another area where the city is making significant strides. While companies such as Ananth Technologies and MTAR Technologies have long contributed to ISRO missions as critical component suppliers, the defining moment came recently when Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, founded by two former ISRO scientists, became the first private Indian company to launch an orbital-class rocket from Indian soil.

Data centres, backed by investment commitments worth billions of dollars, and electric mobility are among the other new-age sectors drawing attention to Hyderabad. At the heart of these developments is a robust ecosystem comprising deep technology and engineering talent, premier research and strategic institutions, and enabling platforms such as the T-Hub incubator.

Hyderabad is home to major organisations including the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and the Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRI), an ISRO facility focused on satellite data processing, remote sensing and geospatial intelligence. Together, these institutions have built deep expertise across propulsion, advanced electronics, aerospace systems, remote sensing, satellite data and space technologies. Hyderabad is also home to a strong network of aerospace and defence SMEs, emerging technology companies, engineering firms and fabrication facilities. Global players such as Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, Collins Aerospace and Boeing that add further depth to the ecosystem.

This is supported by experienced industry talent and a strong pipeline of young engineers from institutions such as the IITs, IIITs and BITS. Together, these strengths give Hyderabad a strong foundation to build complex frontier technologies and advanced hardware, and a natural advantage in shaping the next phase of India’s space-tech growth, the Minister had said after an interaction with leadership of about 14 spacetech firms.

What comes next? As the city looks to scale up its presence across emerging technologies, much would depend on how quickly the proposed Future City and with it the AI City, the Space City and Data Centre hub take shape.

(ravikumar.n@thehindu.co.in)