Brisbane always been a sister city to Hyderabad

Prime Minister said that with Brisbane having emerged as a centre of advanced technology and Hyderabad renowned across the world as Cyberabad, it is natural for the two cities to have a sister-city relationship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday welcomed the sister city engagement between Hyderabad and Brisbane and said relations between countries can prosper fully “only if we bring our states and cities together.” Attending a civic reception hosted by Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the Prime Minister said that both cities can learn and gain a lot from each other in tourism.

Modi said that with Brisbane having emerged as a centre of advanced technology and Hyderabad known as Cyberabad, “It is natural that the two cities have a sister-city relationship.”He added that he was keen to involve states in India in international engagements.

Signing of the agreement

Sister city agreements are made for mutual understanding in various sectors. The cities share information and work together to promote culture, tourism and eco-conservation.

Mayors of Brisbane, Ipswich and Hyderabad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in October 2010 for a three-way ‘Sister City Relationship' to further trade and education between the three cities.

The then Mayor B Karthika Reddy stressed on the benefits of long-term partnership and cultural understanding with the cities.

“By this agreement we will learn more about each other, develop long-term partnership and cultural understanding which will have an impact on the local economy of the city through economic and community development partnership,” she said.

She pointed out that the agreement will be mutually beneficial for establishing business, exploring new markets and product linkages, technological development, joint research and technology, knowledge sharing, professional and technical exchanges.

Under the agreement, vocational training centres were planned to be opened with trained faculty from Australia to fill the shortage of skilled workers.

As part of the agreement, Karthika Reddy visited Brisbane in July 2011 on the invitation of her counterpart Graham Quirk. Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale too visited Hyderabad to learn about the city.

Apart from Brisbane and Ipswich, Hyderabad has seven sister cities. This includes Montgomery, Dubai, Miyoshi, Riverside, Indianapolis and San Diego.

The similarities

It's not surprising that many people in Brisbane are originally from Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The elections in India are the most talked-about topic in the social circles over Gongura Pacchadi or Hyderabadi Biryani, especially after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the creation of Telangana. Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, the president of Federation of Indian Communities Queensland, recalls political movements in Andhra Pradesh in his growing up days.

"Hyderabad and the two States will continue to maintain their charm, prosperity, potential for business and investment," he says.

Yarlagadda, like most Indians living in Brisbane, appealed for a stable and investor-friendly government and better luck with the ties. "I am sure governments in India and Australia will continue to work together for the benefits of people," he hopes.

Revanth, a student from Hyderabad who is pursuing Masters in Advanced Information Technology in Brisbane, says, "There are much in common between Hyderabad and Brisbane. Might be the reason why I feel like I am at home here."

Dr Srikant Vure says, "Hyderabad should continue to take advantage of its software and pharma sectors. Many of us have migrated to Australia a long time back, but we are still well-informed about developments in India."

When the sister pact agreement was signed in 2010, the then chief minister K Rosaiah pointed out the similarities between Andhra Pradesh and Australia.

“Both countries are dependent on agriculture but the process of mechanisation in agriculture in Andhra Pradesh is slow. Earlier, we used to import wheat from Australia but now India is self sufficient in wheat production and is often exporting it to other countries in order to control the prices,” he said.

Talking about Hyderabad, the former chief minister had said, “Hyderabad is a historical city which is developing fast in infrastructure as well as in population. With this type of agreements, we can learn more about one another and have friendly and meaningful exchanges, with mutual benefits I hope that the relationship between Australian cities and Hyderabad would continue further.”