Here’s a peek at how Danny Thiemann, fellow of the American-India Foundation and documentary journalist from Cincinnati sees Hyderabad.
What brings you to Hyderabad?
I love traveling and when the American- India Foundation and The Modern Story offered to sponsor me, through a fellowship programme, to come to Hyderabad to work on their Digital Equalizer project, I jumped at the chance. AIF and The Modern Story are working towards bridging the digital and educational divide on a global scale. I’ve been teaching filmmaking, creative writing and photography at two government schools -- The Railway Girls School at Lalaguda and the A.P.R.S.Boy’s school at Nalgonda.
Which is your favourite place in Hyderabad?
If I had to pick one place it would have to be Charminar. The bustling streets and noisy bazaars of Charminar remind me of Cairo, where I’d worked as a documentary journalist for a while. If you’re willing to lend an ear, then you get to hear a lot of very interesting stories. I also enjoy going to Hyderabad’s cultural centers and there are many. The Goethe-Zentrum, the Hyderabad Poetry Society, to name a few. They’re always an interesting event that’s going on -- a poetry reading, a play or a book launch; I try to attend as many as I can.
What do you think of Hyderabadi culture?
It’s very easy to make friends with people here. Hyderabadis are very forthcoming. For instance, at this one restaurant I frequent, the owner insisted I dine with his family for a taste of home-cooked Indian food. I bumped into a few local musicians and when they heard of my interest in music, they invited me to join their jam sessions.
Full interview here Express Buzz
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