Not Charminar! Hyderabad man chooses fish building for his tattoo

When the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) inaugurated the National Fisheries Development Board, aka the fish building, in 2012, no one would have predicted that it would go on to become a major point of discussion in Hyderabad.

Clad in stainless steel panels, it rests on pale blue pillars, making the giant fish appear as if it is swimming in mid-air. Its glowing blue eyes and scale-shaped windows are rather amusing to look at and do not really evoke the reaction the architect might have hoped.

Ideally, it was meant to be a prime example of novel/memetic architecture inspired by Frank Gehry’s iconic ‘Fish’ sculpture in Barcelona. However, for the city’s residents, it has been reduced to meme material and laughs.

Nevertheless, it is the first huge landmark that you see upon entering the city. And now, this landmark is again going viral for becoming a tattoo on someone’s arm.

Hyderabad’s fish building is going places

A Hyderabad-based tattoo studio called Koru Ink recently took to Instagram to share an interesting request they got from one of their clients. The studio is known for doing custom designs, but this one was rooted in Hyderabadi humour.

The carousel post showed an up-close shot of the ‘fish building’ tattoo with a caption about how Koru Ink’s client “wanted to carry a piece of the city with him and looked beyond the obvious.” So instead of choosing the iconic Charminar, he chose to celebrate a landmark everyone passes by but rarely thinks twice about.

Many users in the comment section reacted to this choice. One social media user said, “This tattoo looks better than the building!! (sic).” Some also appreciated the building, saying, “This fish means happiness, cause i know i am back home (sic)” and “Yes this building is so fascinating (sic)”.

Fodder for memes

This is not the first time that the fish building has hit the headlines. The bizarre design frequently features on global “ugliest buildings” or “strangest architecture” lists, making it a frequent subject of mockery and lighthearted trolling.

In fact, during the last monsoon, a Hyderabad-based artist, Dr Sameena Shaik also went viral for her unique take on the heavy rainfall. She created an animated video of the fish building swimming around the city, crossing Charminar, Nimrah Cafe, Hotel Nayaab, Moazzam Jahi Market, and Durgam Cheruvu

What is your take on this unique landmark of Hyderabad?