Schaumburg, Hyderabad, India may be Sister Cities

Nearly a year after Schaumburg was visited by the mayor of Hyderabad, India, the village is pursuing a Sister Cities relationship with the metropolis of 8.9 million people.

Thursday's recommendation by Schaumburg's Health & Human Services Committee was a reflection of the village's own increased diversity, with 19.8 percent of its population now of South Asian descent.

The village and Schaumburg Business Association received a Chicago Community Trust grant a few years ago to seek out ways to promote greater civic involvement among this growing sector of the population.

If the relationship between Schaumburg and Hyderabad is formalized, it will be the village's third such Sister City. There are already long-running associations with Schaumburg, Germany, and Namerikawa, Japan.

Following her visit to Schaumburg in November 2010, Hyderabad Mayor Banda Karthika Chandra Reddy wrote to Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson suggesting such a relationship between the two municipalities.

“The relations between Hyderabad and the village of Schaumburg will go a long way to have sound relations and work in various fields for the welfare of people belonging to both sides,” she wrote. “In order to strengthen our relation it would be appropriate that we may find out ways and means to work jointly in the field of Science, Education, Information Technology, Health and Business etc.”

Hyderabad is located near the center of India's southern half in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Founded in 1591, it is now best known for its food, architecture, art and growing technology industry.

Though the cultural aspects of the city sounded intriguing to Schaumburg's Health and Human Services Committee, Trustee Marge Connelly expressed concern that the distance and expense of exchanges with Hyderabad not doom a potential Sister Cities relationship to failure.

“I don't think we should enter this kind of relationship and not be successful,” Connelly said. “I don't think it's right to do this if we're not.”

Because Hyderabad already has relationships with two other American cities — Riverside, Calif. and Indianapolis — Schaumburg also must receive permission from them.