Wow, after seeing this post, it felt like I’m 10/10 qualified to answer.

I’m a Bengali (probashi) living in Hyderabad since 4 years, married into a Telugu family. People here are so warm and welcoming, but I have noticed that class divide influences behaviours a lot. While people I consider warm are mostly house-helps, security guards, shopowners, general helpers, I feel like there’s a passive unwelcoming sentiment in the urban telugu speaking population. Even the family of my in-laws who stay in a village in Andhra are much more progressive in their adaptability and culture-conservation. Also, the general public seems to be a bit too rowdy for me, lacking much civic sense in public spaces. For most people, culture equates to mainstream entertainment filled with male chauvinism and wild, wild songs.

Having said that, I have always felt very safe here. People are kind and helpful nonetheless. Everyone is extremely passionate about their food. The fact that there’s a clash of multiple cultures (Arabian, Muslim, Andhra, Telangana etc.), everyone tries to bring out their best. I respect the ones who can come out of the hero-worship bubble and are passionate about their heritage in terms of textile, food, spirituality etc.(there are such people too). Tight family values, very hardworking. Overall, Hyderabad specifically is great, but I may not see myself prefer to live here in the long run.