Took the MMTS from Secunderabad to Hi-Tech amidst the downpour. For the first time ever, the train was really slow  and doubled the travel time – almost as if they were searching for something on the track! I was standing near the door for a while ‘coz there was no place to sit and then found a place to sit. Among the usual crowd and baggages, there was this scene that caught my eye.

Three college kids (I presume) – two boys and one girl were seated at the end (the long seat that stretches along the entire width). One was wearing a bright yellow tshirt (with a Harry Potter-ish look), the other had a red bag – and I thought, that would be a lovely picture – the bright colors, etc. They were chatting among themselves and next to the girl sat this lady in a burkha – fully covered with only her eyes exposed.

I don’t know what the three were talking about – but this lady was staring at the guy, wide-eyed!

PS: I had written this on June 9 – but wasn’t sure if I should post and left it as a draft. But, even as I read it today, I can picture the scene Can you?

I think the rains over the weekend brought this memory up again. It was one of those mid-summer trips I made this year. It was April – the time when temperature begins to get to the higher side, the sleeper coach begins to feel like a hot oven, and we hope for a surprise drizzle or shower.

The train was in the middle of nowhere – rocketing through the vast, parched land (i.e., as fast as it can go – 60kmph? All of a sudden, I could see dark clouds in the distance, soon it became a drizzle. Funnily, though, it was raining on one side of the train. Even as we watched either side – we could see the train get under the rain clouds and soon…. it was showers on both sides.

I cross a river each day…Yup! There’s gushing waters on the way to work!

It takes an hour to get to the other side of the HiTech(!) Railway Station underpass – no, there’s nothing hitech about the underpass – it’s just the name!

Thankfully, I don’t drive to work – watching the cab make it’s way through is like a thriller movie -will that guy sneaking up on you get ahead of you…. without bumping into you, the car ahead of you, or the one on the right…

The earth seems to move so much – there are gaping holes all over the place! And, I used to think Hyd has fantastic roads… duh!

A long weekend and I was raring to go someplace. I managed to convince my friend to get out on Saturday. When we found that the Bhongir Fort is just about 50 kms from Hyderabad, we decided to take our cameras out and go for a ride. We set out around 10am and after Uppal, it was a drive along the Warangal road – quite a pleasant ride with the rail lines along the road. It was quite a sunny day – though there were a few clouds.

We reached Bhongir and tried to find the entrance to the fort. If you reach a spot that doesn’t have the tell-tale fort walls, you’ve reached the entrance! We crossed the road, and started climbing this huge, single rock in front of us. After a distance, you’d find the steps! My friend was already cursing me for suggesting this place. Here and there, we’d find a shady spot – a welcome relief from the sun – and we’d sit down for a while to rest there. Once you’re up there, you can see the entire town – the bus stand, the railway station, the surrounding fields, and hills to the distance. It was quite a beautiful day – I’ve always loved watching the shadows of the moving clouds and that day was a treat for me.

While we rested half way up, we began to wonder if we should even go further. There was nothing up there – at least, nothing to indicate the presence of a huge fort – and, in front of us, was this huge hill (rock?) to climb! Yes, set your expectations right – this is no big fort. Especially, if you’re an outsider (like me) and you’ve been to Golconda, don’t imagine a similar fort. This one is more like a little outpost! We finally decided to climb the hill.

A few feet away, the rock had flattened out and there were these little structures here and there. We also found a cannon – and took a few pictures there. Further up, you’d find steps carved into the rock – makes walking a li’l bit easier. However, there are places where there are no steps and you are on your own. Finally, we reached the top – and, well, there wasn’t anything impressive. Other than a tower, a few remaining walls, and a newly built building, there isn’t much out there. So, after walking around for a while, we decided to get back.

On our way down, we stopped for a while near those walls – one of those walls was high enough to block out the sun – seated there shaded from the sun, watching the clouds go by, and watching a few other people who had come to visit this place…I got all those pretty blue sky pictures.

There is “Danger” written in quite small letters (in my opinion, not at all attention grabbing). If you are not careful, you could walk over a patch of grass to find yourself standing at the edge of the rock – with nothing to stop your fall. Though, you’d have to go out of your way to stand at the edge

After relaxing there for a while, we got back. An hour later, we were back in Hyd

Finally… Be prepared to climb this huge rock – without steps at places
Carry enough food and water
And you’ll find nothing but a view from up above.
A great place to get away and relax – nothing more, nothing less.

How to reach (Google Map): It is about an hour from Uppal X Road, Hyderabad. As you ride along the Warangal High Road, you can’t miss the fort. Of course, the town is named Bhongir (also known as Bhuvanagiri)

From Bhongir

It started in a conversation that was going anywhere and nowhere…yes, I was chatting with Llewellyn ….and then, he asked what’s up for the weekend and I said …nothing…

In the next few minutes, we had zeroed on Srisailam – pending our ‘illustrious’ Imtiaz Bhai’s confirmation… After that, I scourged through the net for all that I can find on Srisailam and ran home…. I had plans …but dozed off…. until I heard ‘your 20 minutes start now’ ….well, it was Llewellyn’s call….all I could manage was ‘make it 30 minutes’ and rushed to get ready…

Half an hour later, at 11:15pm, we were on our way and reached Mannanur at 2.40 am….. we had to wait till 6am – coz vehicles aren’t allowed in the night…. So, we parked and went to sleep….

I got up around 5:40….the place was filled with vehicles of all sizes….small carriers, lorries and trucks, cars and so on…not the quiet place we had reached earlier that night. And people were pretty casual….only until they heard the vehicle at the beginning of the line start – a lorry –…. At the sound of that engine everyone hurried to their own vehicle and started…and soon that place was like a starting line of a race…. Everyone testing their engine ….and raring to go….

The moment the gate was opened, it was a free for all…blaring horns, noisy engines, and flying dust replaced the quiet and serene environ…wish I had a video of that few mins…the change from the calm and quiet morning to the blaring horns….

We let everyone go by,….and started off at the end of the line….as we went by, we found peacocks grazing…we stopped by the road to watch the sun rise below the sizzling power lines….after a few more stops, we reached the first view point…went through the bridge and then up to Srisailam….

After breakfast at the Punnani restaurant, we were hoping to get on the ropeway and the go to the dam…unfortunately, ropeway wasn’t working ….quite a disappointment…so we walked down to the dam – the 650 steps, at least that is what they said – went boating and by the time we got back, we were quite tired…. And since Imtiaz Bhai had refused to come with us…we told him there were a max of 350 steps….to which he asked ‘one way or both together’!!!!!
I got to say it was quite a sunny day….not a day where you can stand out in the sun for long…in spite of all the water around, the place was dry and hot….so, we started on our way back…. A lot slower because of the umpteen stops….
At one place, we went beyond a gate at the viewpoint…and got some wonderful pics of rocks and the dam…all the close-up shots of those rocks and trees growing from them are from this place…
Then we stopped along the bridge….and again it was a good place for some pictures…and ya, some of these pictures show you vast land – the kind of vastness you don’t expect to find all that often…
Another great place was this dam on our way back…it was post-lunch…after a lunch where I couldn’t help laugh at some of Imtiaz Bhai’s gyan to that hotelier….and the way he did it…
After we got out, we came across this kinda dam we had crossed in the middle of the night when we were going to Srisailam…while the two of us wanted to go up and check the dam on the other side, Imtiaz Bhai wasn’t all that enthusiastic…. I don’t knw why….but he refused to do any climbing or walking that day….
So, he stopped and asked an old man who said there is no water at all….but then, we found steps leading to the top,….insisted he stop and went up….and was it beautiful…it was wonderful…and I wont forget the way this guy got on a plank and went all the way, paddling with his hands….it was amazing…time and again, makes me wonder, how big is man? Often, we tend to forget that man is like a small speck on the face of earth…. So let me end that gyan now….
From there it was a series of stops and we reached Hyd after 6….by the time we came to the other end to our homes, it was close to 9…. And that was the end of yet another traveling weekend…

Let me state it for the benefit of those who don’t know it – I am on my own now. Ya, after living for more than 2 decades with my parents am out in the wild for the past few months. Not a great thing, but then it is something I am really enjoying. I started off by living in an apartment with 2 of my collegues. From the beginning of this month, I am on my own. It is a dream come true. I have always wanted to live on my own – to have my own space (not just a room!!), to own that space and do all that I want to do.
There are a few things that are incomprehensible for some people. Quite often I get questions like What do you do all day over the weekend?, do you stay quiet all day?, don’t you get bored? Don’t you want company? and so on…
For me, staying on my own is a great thing to do. I would rather have my own space and live on my own than live with someone else and share my space. I love to go to a silent home – a place where I can do anything I wanna do, anytime, and anyway
You might even think I am a loner – at times I do think so myself. I know that not many people can tolerate silence – or rather they can’t be by themselves. They need the company of others irrespective of whether those around them are likeminded, and so on. But then, they would be likeminded coz ll of these people would not want to be left alone. I would say it is quite important to be comfortable with yourself and do things on your own. For me, that is how I think I grow – by doing things on my own and not depending on others. Does that shout Individualistic? Ya, I think that is something good.
So, when someone finds it odd that I can stay on my own, I find it odd that someone can’t be comfortable being on their on their own. How can you be always dependent on another’s presence? How can you not be happy with yourself?
As for me, I am enjoying my newfound freedom – enjoying to the limits…:)