5 Things Roger Federer Should Do While In India

The International Tennis Premier League (IPTL) which is the brain-child of Mahesh Bhupati and is stepping into it’s third year of inception this year, starting tomorrow. The League is usually played out in the major Asian cities.

Modeled after the Indian Premier League (IPL), the IPTL too has been successful in gathering a mass following especially with the turn out of top-seed players in the tournaments. Contested this year by four teams namely- Indian Aces, Japan Warriors, Singapore Slammers and UAE Royals which unfailingly have a stellar team composition. This year, IPTL is going to be a lot more special – World No. 1s Roger Federer and Serena Williams will return!

Absence does make the heart fonder and the Swiss great’s absence from the year-ending Slam and other tournaments has left many a FedEx fan miserable. Having taken an early retirement from the tour this season owing to a knee-surgery, the man with the brown curls and the inarguably best forehand is going to be back in the Court this December!Indian fans have all the more reason to celebrate as Hyderabad will deck up to host the Indian leg of the tournament from the 9^th to the 12^th of December. The other places where the tournament will be played are Singapore and Tokyo, Japan. So it is well expected of Roger Federer to be back in the country and here are a list of things we suggest he must do during his short stay in Hyderabad.

1. Try The Biriyani

Alright, alright, it’s no secret that Hyderabad has long been known for it’s Hyderabadi Biriyani.

In fact, the Biriyani ( a rice dish with goat or chicken meat ) traces it’s very orginis to the Nizams of Hyderabad. Hyderabadi biryani originated as a blend of Mughlai and Iranian cuisine in the kitchens of the Nizam, rulers of the historic Hyderabad State.

Hyderabadi Biryani is also a staple part of Pakistani Cuisine due to its exotic flavor and aromatic taste. Might not to be go-to thing for a player on a strict health regimen, but oh well, it does not harm to try out a delicacy so intricately carved with the place where he will be playing.

The other sought after dish in Hyderabad that he should try out is the haleem. Haleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It is originally an Arabic dish and was introduced to the city of Hyderabad by the Chaush people during the rule of the Nizams (the former rulers of Hyderabad State). Local traditional spices helped in evolving a unique Hyderabadi haleem that became popular among the native Hyderabadi Muslims by the 19th-century.

And it’s delicious.

2. Visit Ramoji Film City

Singapore may have it's Universal Studios but in India we do things a little differently, and so we have the much coveted and much relied upon Ramoji Film City, in the outskirts of Hyderabad. With 1500 acre of land, it is the largest integrated film city in the world.

Now that surely makes it worth a visit, doesn't it? Replete with ready sets and forever surrounded by a flurry of activities with cameras everywhere and tourists piling on the other side. There is sure to be a shooting going on in it’s premises and it forms the heart of the Telegu and Bollywood film industries.

There are tour buses which take you around the Film City and there is also an amusement park with the most daring of rides. Knowing the sport Federer is, he might even want to try some of the rides especially the one where they sway you like a pendulum before letting you hang in mid-air, upside-down for a few seconds on quick succession. Definitely not something to be tried by the faint-hearted.

3. Visit the Salar Jung Museum

To get a quick know-how about this rich and cultural city that is Hyderabad, one needs to make a trip to the Salar Jung Museum.

It has a collection of sculptures, paintings, carvings, textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, metallic artefacts, carpets, clocks, and furniture from Japan, China, Burma, Nepal, India, Persia, Egypt, Europe, and North America. The museum's collection was sourced from the property of the Salar Jung family. It is one of the largest museums in the world.

The Salar Jung Museum houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. It is well known throughout India for its prized collections belonging to different civilizations dating back to the 1st century. It famously houses the sculpture of ‘Veiled Rebecca’, after taking a bath.

The legendary paintings of Ravi Verma, Aurangzeb’s sword, the wardrobe of Tipu Sultan, et al are present in this magnificent museum. The most interesting attraction although is the bewildering variety and array of clocks that greet the visitor in the clock room.

There are ancient sundials in the form of obelisks to huge and modern clocks of the twentieth century. Others in the range vary from miniature clocks which need a magnifying glass to imbibe their beauty and complexity to stately grandfather clocks from as far away as France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Britain.

A visual delight is the musical clock Salar Jung bought from Cook and Kelvey of England. Every hour, a timekeeper emerges from the upper deck of the clock to strike a gong as many times as it is the hours of the day. Having been the brand ambassador for Rolex, I am sure Roger would take an avide interest in these antiques.

4. Visit the Charminar

The Charminar is one of India’s most popular monuments to visit

There are a lot of things to see in Hyderabad as it's one of most historically important cities of India. To pin point and select a certain location is very difficiult but the Charminar definitely features on the list of places to visit whilst his stay in this city.

The landmark has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognized structures of India.The English name is a translation and combination of the Urdu words Char and Minar or meenar, translating to "Four Towers"; the eponymous towers are ornate minarets attached and supported by four grand arches. It's an architectural wonder of sorts and is something that makes Hyderabad what it is.

5. Visit Rafael Nadal's Tennis Academy In Anantapur

During Rafa Nadal's visit in 2015 in New Delhi as a part of the IPTL, he had mentioned joining hands with Mahesh Bhupati's tennis academy and had kept his word.

This project came into being through collaboration between the Rafa Nadal Foundation and the Vicente Ferrer Foundation and arranged for tennis facilities for . The number of courts that have been equipped with floodlights, allowing them to be used outside the sunniest, and therefore the hottest, hours of the day.

Perhaps this is the place Federer can connect to the most and maybe he can come here and surprise the budding talents here with his awe-inspiring tennis. As a part of the Indian Aces, this year, we are highly excited to watch his play after so many months again and to be able to host him is such an honour for our conutry. Here's hoping that he will be coming back to India more often and show us his experimental and fun side by experiencing this country in the true Indian Way.