I am in Hyderabad for a fashion gala organised by Rohit Reddy, scion of one of 'the' Reddy clan of construction honchos. Waking up at 6.30 a.m. to catch a flight to this southern city in the middle of the week has not helped my mood any. I enter the Taj Banjara hotel, look longingly at the cushy queen-size bed, quickly touch up my tired eyes and head resignedly to the Taj Krishna for the designer bazaar put together by this young, style savvy businessman. And there, I am charmed by the sibling duo of Rohit and Nitya, whose effusive warmth helps me get into the spirit of things, as I browse through the packed stalls of Tarun Tahiliani, Cue, Ashish Soni and Kothari Jewels.

No self-respecting Mumbai store-stalker can permit herself even an iota of excitement at this profusion of household names, so I walk past nonchalantly towards the jewellery section. And there, a jumble of antique multi-hued beads strung into a classic necklace by ICE Accessories, New Delhi, has my fashion antennae spring to life. But what really has me itching towards the forbidden AMEX card is a pair of supremely gorgeous jadau jhumkas from Hyderabad's famed Krsala-by TBZ. I unwisely resist from splurging a couple of lakhs on a future heirloom and move to business talk with Rohit, whose earnest aim of bringing buyer and designer in personal contact through this interactive fair, has gotten the likes of Aki Narula, Arjun Khanna, Nikhil of Shantanu & Nikhil and Suneet Varma down South for the day. Most of these fashion czars will join the motley mix that includes collections by Manish Malhotra, Rocky S, Surily Goel and Ranna Gill at Rohit's high-end couture store, Strip, located at Hyderabad's posh Banjara Hills.

April 2007 will see a 20,000 square feet avatar of the same name, replete with art gallery, exhibition areas, designer previews and launches, trendy titbits from global style capitals like London, Paris and Milan. Maybe plans for a Hyderabad fashion week are afoot as well; God forbid, we are being snowballed with four extravaganzas a year already!

The city's natty nymphets would disagree with me; I catch them sashaying through the bazaar, laden with goodie bags that hold an assortment of sequinned tunics by Kavita Chougule coupled with woven and colourfully embroidered saris by Abha Dalmiya and Agnimitra Paul respectively. The latter is an attractive face from Kolkata, whose gigantic rose border georgettes and her very own striking ensemble of stark red and black with a strappy choli, has the ladies lining up for their demos by the mirror. The women here know what works for them and unlike their brand-conscious but often style-ignorant counterparts of the North, they put themselves together like any truly trendy Westbourne Grove/Notting Hill Londoner would. I sit back to watch this parade of striped wrap-around dresses, frilled baby-doll tops and skinny jeans, Bvlgari diamonds and Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, Louis Vuitton limited edition totes and Gucci kitten heels. Cousin and co-host Pinky Reddy's heart shaped earrings clustered with solitaires and baguettes make a quiet statement as does her subtle pale pink Chanel bowling bag. Quite a show....

One lot of us heads to lunch at the nouveau Reddy home, where matriarch Mrs Reddy has kept beers cooling on ice - Arjun Khanna and Aki Narula have made themselves comfortable and we join in to sample the mouth melting stuffed mushrooms, chicken kebabs and paneer tikkas. Our greed for the famed Hyderabadi biryani keeps us from gorging unnecessarily; we each consume enough for at least two people and then wait impatiently for the model brigade to arrive so that we can begin with the main course.

Nitya has quickly changed from her denim capris, black blouson and screaming red Dior Detective bag to a more demure peach kurta and trousers - she is rushing back to Chennai to meet her husband and sign some important papers. The doting sister will catch a flight back to Hyderabad later in the evening to make her presence felt at Rohit's fashion show and after-party. This then is the lifestyle of the incredibly rich, successful and potentially famous!

Appams, fish curry, prawns in a fiery red masala, butter dosas, tangy coconut chutney, succulent Shikampuri kebabs (a lamb mince, yoghurt and onion delight from Hyderabad, a must-try for any visitor) and the delicately spiced biryani. Mrs Reddy's genuine hospitality has us feeling right at home as we help ourselves to a third helping of her divine chocolate biscuit concoction.

Bursting at the seams, I decide it's time to go shopping. The city is a cornucopia of malls, there's one around every corner. Our bunch of four avoid these imposing structures and brave the city's horrendous traffic jams with an overly talkative driver (a generic personality trait of the curious Hyderabadi) and a frantic guide sent by Rohit to ensure we reach our choice of destination.

We check out Strip, and another multi-designer store, Also, where the stunning antique jewels catch my eye again; this city should definitely make its way to any trousseau list. I find more clingy Rina Dhaka outfits in this one shop than all over Mumbai; one beige lace, Lycra and metallic-studded ensemble later, we head to Old Hyderabad's Charminar. Strictly for the brave and adventurous, this sister of Delhi's Chandni Chowk offers lanes of bangle sellers and pearl counters, amidst a cacophony of tooting horns, hordes of paan-spitting and shoving crowds and a general atmosphere of utter chaos. After half an hour of bargaining with the vendors, we gratefully rush back into our car with gleaming sets of Swarovski, diamanté choodis and a smile on our faces.

Time to squeeze into my 'Little Black Dress' (the overeating is showing its effects) and head to the Taj Krishna's nightclub, Ahala, for all the evening action. First stop, though, is the hotel's English pub, Seasons, where Hyderabad's star designer, Anand Kabra and his PR agent, Aparna Roddam are waiting for me with a glass of chilled white wine. Anand happily talks of his very conducive and positive experience at Lakme Fashion Week, while I beg him to open out one of his gorgeous buttercup and tomato dresses that I have unsuccessfully tried to cram into at the hotel's Maiah boutique, where he retails. The delicious dress is on its way to me as you are reading this....

Exchanging Hyderabad and Mumbai gossip has taken a fair share of time, we realise, as we walk into Ahala and find that Aki and Nikhil Mehra's show has just gotten over. No matter, Rohit's guests are more than ready to burn up every inch of the club's floor; this city has its dance moves pat down! Anand tries some complicated spins with Shalini Bhupal of the Taj group; this bald lady, draped in a one-shouldered white knit poncho is natural model material. I get her to promise to be Verve's muse if we do plan a shoot at one of the city's exotically rustic locations that Aparna has me enthused about.

Ahala shuts at 2 a.m. but the party is far from over. We troop into our respective cars and cruise towards Touch, Hyderabad's much-touted nightspot. Model Rajneesh entertains us with his renditions of timeless Hemant Kumar tunes even as we continue from the now closed club to designer Asmita Marwah's Greek style basement and pool house for yet another round of Bacardis and biryanis.

Aki finally catches up with us; he and model Pia Trivedi have just visited a friend's Sohoesque loft apartment, complete with Jacuzzi holding centre stage in the bedroom, and they urge every one to head back there for a pre-dawn sojourn. This round of non-stop party hopping is too much for a jaded Mumbaiite like me; I choose blissful sleep on soft, white sheets instead.

The next day has us racing to the airport, with a biryani binge thrown in again. CDs of the event need to be picked up from Rohit's house, a quick dash has to be made to fulfill a sudden need for pearl balis and cashew cookies and I even try to manage an unsuccessful roundabout stop to Anand's studio before I am unwillingly dragged back to catch my flight home. I know I'll be experiencing the Hyderabad blues soon....