Sanjay Rai, Montgomery College’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, took the lead in identifying Montgomery County’s fourth Sister City. Working closely with Maryland Delegate Aruna Miller and Ram Konda, chair of the Capital Area Telugu Society, Rai led a several month long process that included a survey of Indian community leaders. When the consensus pick was Hyderabad, Konda volunteered to travel there in December of 2013 to discuss the possibility with city leaders. Eleven months later, County Executive Ike Leggett led a joint Sister City and economic development mission trip to India where he signed a Sister City agreement with the City of Hyderabad on November 14, 2014.

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Hyderabad, India’s fourth largest city, is the core of a metropolitan region of nearly eight million people. This South Indian city serves as the joint capital of two of India’s 29 states – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In terms of religion, it is one of India’s most diverse cities. Nearly 65% of the population is Hindu. Hyderabad’s 30% Muslim population is double the country’s average.

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Founded in 1591, the city has a rich history dominated in the seventeenth century by the Qutb Shahi dynasty and before and during British rule by the Nizams, one of the world’s richest families. We visited the historic sites of Charminar, the tombs of Qutb Shahi, Golconda Fort, and Mecca Masjid, one of India’s largest mosques. Historically known as the City of Pearls, today’s Hyderabad is now often referred to as Cyberabad. It has also become an important center of India’s film industry. The cityscape is dominated by Hussain Sagar, one of Asia’s largest artificial lakes.