Hyderabad - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
I made several local friends within my gated community and through my daughter’s preschool. Hyderabad is one of the most liberal cities in India and many of the locals have worked abroad for tech companies. One of the black members in our community was harassed in my gated community when he was swimming at our pool. I did not witness it firsthand, but heard what happened. Being a woman can be hard here. I took a girl's trip with my daughter and was constantly asked where my husband or "sir" was, if I needed an escort, or if my husband knew where I was. - Jun 2024
Yes, you can make local friends, but it will mean an effort. The pandemic definitely made this harder. Regrettably, there is heavy anti-black racism (colleagues were refused entry or told “there’s no room” or asked to use the service entrance to restaurants or treated badly), women are ignored (if you get a local bank account, it may be hard for a woman to have equal permissions on the account). There’s casual anti-semitism around, too. The Hindu-Muslim tensions are also very alarming to see, particularly in Hyderabad, traditionally a place of co-existence. - Jan 2023
My spouse made real friends at the consulate. Working remotely I did not make friends, but I always found locals to be incredibly warm and friendly, especially when I had the kids in tow (for example walking in a park). I never felt that I was lacking interaction with locals and I found it easy to attend local events (religious celebrations, weddings, etc.). - Dec 2020
Language will be a real issue here. Locals are generally friendly, but there are not many social options. - Jul 2020
It's not easy, but working at the consulate makes it a lot easier. Westerners - white, black, and I imagine non-Indian Asian, though I'm not sure - in general are treated respectfully in Hyderabad, and mostly ignored when walking on the street. That said, in any other city or at any tourist attraction (even in Hyderabad), I'm taking at least a dozen selfies with strangers and answering lots of questions. Westerners are celebrities here, which is fun at first, but gets exhausting after a while (poor celebrities!), particularly if you have kids, who are often subjected to the same kind of civilian paparazzi. - Jul 2019
Yes, the people here are very welcoming and friendly - Jan 2019
