Queen Elizabeth II's tryst with Hyderabad; she was bowled over Hyderabadis' warmth

On the night of November 18, 1983, she along with her husband Prince Philip, arrived in Hyderabad on a special flight. The then Chief Minister NTR and Governor Ramlal welcomed the queen. The Begumpet airport area was crowded with people, who had come to have a glimpse of the Queen. The accommodation was arranged for the couple at the President's house in Bollaram of Secunderabad.

Hyderabad: Britain's longest reigning queen Elizabeth II had a special bond with Hyderabad though she had visited it only once during her India tour 40 years ago. In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II visited India for the opening ceremony of the 48th Commonwealth Conference held in Delhi. She stayed in Hyderabad for three days during her 10-day visit.

On the night of November 18, 1983, she along with her husband Prince Philip, arrived in Hyderabad on a special flight. The then Chief Minister NTR and Governor Ramlal accorded the royal couple a warm welcome. The Begumpet airport area was crowded with people, who had come to have a glimpse of the Queen. The accommodation was arranged for the couple at the President's house in Bollaram of Secunderabad.

The next day Queen inaugurated the Turbomachinery Lab at BHEL where villagers welcomed her with 'Bathukammas' at Icrisat in Patancheru. In the evening, the Queen visited the tombs of Qutb Shahi near the Golconda Fort. Seeing the people standing along the road, she waved and greeted them from the convoy. The queen was very impressed by the hospitality of the government and the kindness shown by the people.

She said that she liked Hyderabad a lot and will remember this trip forever. On November 20, 1983, on the occasion of the wedding anniversary of the Queen couple, prayers were offered at the highly regarded Holy Trinity Church near Bollaram. Later, development works were launched at Devrayanjal village near Medchal. Besides paying obeisance at Sitaram temple, the queen had inspected a biogas plant.

On November 21, the then Governor Ramlal couple, Chief Minister NTR, Leader of the Opposition in the Council Roshaiah, and former Chief Minister Kasu Brahmananda Reddy bid farewell to the couple at the Begumpet airport. A total of 37 British journalists and 50 other national and international journalists had come to Hyderabad to cover the Queen's visit. A special media centre had been set up for them at the Ridge Hotel. Four international trunk lines and typewriters had been arranged to enable sharing of the news with the rest of the world.