VidYouth

It is amazing that Hyderabad has a number of scenic places to boast of and has a number of destinations where one can experience a breathtaking sunrise or a beautiful sunset over a waterfront. These places are by far the most popular avenues in the city and every day we see a number of youngsters swarming at these places.

The Hussain Sagar almost being the heart of the city is the most obvious choice for some relaxation to most people. Also a number of people enjoy their morning walks around the sagar, on ‘necklace road’. Says Mani Vedantam from MJCET, “I love to come for morning walks here every day. The air is fresh and the sunrise is simply superb, no traffic on the road and peace all around.” Nature has its way in painting itself around the Hussain Sagar and many a number of budding photographers try to capture the canvas. Krishna Chaitanya, also from MJCET says, “I love photography, and my very first tryst with photography was taking snaps of the Hussain Sagar with the Buddha statue and the Birla mandir in the background”. Easy availability of various types of eats from palli batana to Chinese food makes it convenient to hang around and take in the beauty.

In one corner of Hyderabad is the Osman Sagar also known as Gandipet lake. It is Hyderabad’s drinking water reservoir and it is bigger than the Hussain Sagar. This Sagar has a park next to it which makes it a very nice place to go to. Says Rahul Choudhary from CBIT, “The Gandipet Lake is just up the road so in case any of us want a breather from college the obvious choice would be the lake. It is a like a sanctuary for us.” . It is a stones throw from other beautiful and elegant locations like the Nehru Zoological Park an the Golden Mile ‘Manikonda’ and ‘Sardar Vallabhai Patel Police Academy‘. The traffic over here is low as this is relatively far location for many.

Another attractive locale is the Durgam Cheruvu located near Hi-Tech city. It is a very well maintained park and a number of people throng this place during the morning and evening times. It is also quite well known to host a number of rock concerts and parties here. Says Bharath Bhushan from MVSREC, “I am a rock addict and I attend any concert in the city. I attended the rock concert at Durgam Cheruvu and loved the audience and the ambience there. It rocks.” It is a very private place, quiet and tranquil, and surrounded by all the trees in the place it has a very soothing effect. Rekha from VNR VJIT says, “Durgam Cheruvu has such beautiful landscape and a calming effect on me.”

The least known among such places but slowly gaining eminence is the Shamirpet lake located along the Karimnagar highway. It has the added bonus of having a very beautiful road alongside it which makes for a great view. It also acts as a rest area for many traveling along the road. Archana Bellamkonda from RV college says, “Once while me and my cousins were cruising along the highway, we happened to come across this lake. We got down and spent some time over there. I then resolved to come back with my friends and I did. We had a whale of a time along that long drive and chatting by the lake.” It is a very huge lake and there are also a few fishermen fishing here so it is not completely devoid of human habitation!

While these innocent pleasurable moments of life are unforgettable, there is a darker, lesser known side to these places. These places are also the converging point for illegal and indecent activities. A lot of shady activities do take place here, most of which go un-noticed. Around the Hussain Sagar there are people eve teasing girls where as at Durgam Cheruvu people come for anonymity about who they are because they arrive with their lovers. At Osman Sagar young boys jump in to have fun swimming but sadly end up as statistics instead. At the other end, around Shamirpet lake the open wide road seems like an invitation to many young bikers who try wheelies and dare devil stunts, unfazed with the danger they might be facing.

While just a drive might be harmless. A lot of activities go un-noticed or simply ignored most of the times. But these place have their moments of glory and shame alike. While all this places provide as get-away for most people , it is also true that day by day there are a lot of illegal and dangerous activities going on in these places. The fact that there are a number of underage kids with out licenses driving on our roads and getting away with it and the increase in the number of accidents along these routes is reason enough to be careful next time while choosing any location to zoom off to.