Chalo! My "Telangana Epiphany": Navigating Innovation, Culture, and the Vibrant Soul of Hyderabad

While the WSA Congress provided the professional framework for my trip to India, my true "Telangana Epiphany" happened on the streets, conversations with new friends, strangers, and over plates of spicy biryani. I discovered a Hyderabad that thrives on a unique blend of ancient hospitality and futuristic energy. I had a few ideas of how India would be, some were confirmed and I learnt a few things as well. 

"Chalo!"—Navigating the Streets

My journey began at the International Airport in Accra, where a contact in security helped me pull up my visa details. As a newbie traveling to India with a visa, I thought I had everything figured out. This guy came through in the knick of time. After a long haul through Addis Ababa and Delhi, I finally landed in the City of Pearls on April 6. My driver, Mr. Majhar Khan, immediately made me feel at home with his conversational style, driving at the left (not the right) side of the road. He told me a lot about Hyderabad and Telangana as I admired the first class road from the to central parts of the city, looking at the various skyscrapers. Once we got to town proper, I saw several 2 and 3-wheelers, all stopped at the traffic light. However, all these vehicles were not arranged in order, or in lanes.  If some people from the US are afraid of driving in major Ghanaian cities, then they would be extra fearful of driving in Indian metropolises.

Throughout my time in Hyderabad, I fully embraced the Uber Auto— hailing rides with Uber and using the nimble three-wheeled tricycles we have seen in Bollywood movies, which have become mainstays in Tamale, other towns and some parts of Kumasi, etc. There was the 10-minute dash with Mahendhr to Knowledge City and then the traffic triumph with Tayab to Kondapur. We had to dodge the traffic more seriously. I quickly learned the verbal keys to the city: "Chalthe" in Hindi, "Veldham" in Telugu, and my personal favorite, the Urdu "Chalo!" (Let's go!).

The Search for the Legendary Biryani & Food

Everywhere I travel to, I like to try out the local food. Because my stomach is strong. Ahead of the trip, many people told me Hyderabad has the best Biryani in the world. It took me getting there to realise they really were talking about rice. The biryani there was awesome indeed. I did not just have the ones cooked for us at the Congress, which would have considered international taste buds. During one of my long walks exploring Hyderabad night life, I had some street Biryani too.

The most touching moment around food occurred at Niloufer Cafe., as suggested by Aishwarya. I went there with Stephen Moore of Khaya AI, and we had some chai and sweets. The manager was so struck by our enthusiasm for the business and the city that he gave us free cookies to take home to our families in Ghana.

Networking Over Lunch and Coffee and Tea!

Ahead of my India trip, I spoke to some of my Ghanaian friends who had spent time in India like Sheila, Yaw, Eyram, Prince, etc. They connected me to a few Indians who I posed questions to, in preparing for my trip. None of these Indian connections from my Ghana people lived in Telangana. Which was surprising for a city which is like the 6th or 7th biggest or well-known, etc. I asked some Indian friends from my time in the US and they also could not get me anyone in Hyderabad. That felt a bit odd.

Thankfully, I befriended an Indian who was part of an Imperial College squad that visited Ghana and did some work for Kosmos Innovation Center. Nakul Maheshwari referred me to multiple tech folks in Hyderabad. On the evening of April 8, I met Kiran Koppula (finance sector) at Red Rhino, trying out some local Indian alcoholic drinks and snacks. On April 10, I also met Mohit Tiwari at the Google Office over lunch, enjoying a wide variety of Indian delicacies.

At the T-Hub, I also sat down with Aishwarya, the curator of the Hyderabad Hub of the Global Shapers. She was introduced to me by some fellow Indian based Global Shapers that I had met at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2015. We talked about the shared challenges of youth in Hyderabad and Accra. I was particularly interested in the makeup of the hub’s membership, and the kinds of activities they run. They seemed to have a lot of support from the local government (hold that thought) and they leveraged various organizations that their members run. There are more than #GlobalShaper hubs in India, with their own summits, etc.

Further Networking

During my time there, I did not run into a lot of Africans. At the Atrium Mall, I met one Algerian called Chaker while making use of a massage chair from Relax-n-go. No, it was not free, but it was quite affordable. Chaker is a Computer Science lecturer based in France. I did not meet a single African who was not in Hyderabad for the WSA Global Congress, until my last evening there. I met 2 Nigerian students who are studying in Hyderabad, through a Ugandan delegate (Janechris Mafuta of Safe Bangle). Before then, the only Nigerian I had properly met in Hyderabad was Emeka Farrier who’s actually from Trinidad & Tobago. #InsideJoke.

#PartyCrew

The search for nightlife was its own adventure.

I know I was there during the week and not really the weekend but I was disappointed with how early the bars, etc, closed. On my second night, I hit a club called Berlin at the Atrium Mall for a quick Red Bull and some local vibes. It was quite empty. The screens were showing some major cricket games. The next night, I went to Sarath City Mall where we found out the hard way that shops close earlier than expected).

The finale of my trip was at Red Rhino, right across from T-Hub. It was great vibe with Kiran Koppula over some cocktails. After the WSA Global Congress 2025 gala night, we went back to party at Red Rhino. We had been asked to submit some songs that could be played at our party. The DJ spun Afrobeats hits from Wizkid and Burna Boy.

Boughtings

Stephen and I went to a shop to buy some stuff, because we needed an adapter to connect our GH devices in IN. I was impressed by the D-Mart, it reminded me of Melcom. No, there are no Melcoms in India, which is why I am a bigger fan of it in Ghana than most. I was doing the currency translations accordingly and I was surprised by the prices of several things. This is what a huge market of people does for the people, and for the economy. I was surprised by the cost of pairs of jeans, so I bought 2.

I also went to Shilpa Kala Vedika on April 10. This is not just a great place for shopping, but it is also a premier cultural and performing arts venue. They sell a wide variety of local handicrafts, textiles, and souvenirs. When I got there, I knew what I wanted, I am not a window shopper. At all. I bought some souvenirs (key rings) and a couple of dresses for Wifey. 

Sports

I knew from my time at MIT that Indians are very much into cricket. I could see references to major cricket teams during my time in Hyderabad. From PL Fan Zone shows, etc, I know several Indians follow the beautiful game and are passionate about it too. Well, that is not the reality on the ground. You cannot watch top football matches in Hyderabad as easily, on TV, in bars, etc. At the Berlin club, all the screens were showing a huge cricket game that was ongoing.

The Return

As I boarded my flight on April 10, flying back through Mumbai and Addis, I reflected on the hospitality and how much of a good time I had. At the Mumbai airport, a good Samaritan helped me out too, which was crazy. I enjoyed the Air India flight to Mumbai and the Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa and Accra.