On a different track

What if you could experience the lush green fields of Switzerland and ride up the wide roads of the Scandinavian countries right here, in Hyderabad? Don’t rubbish the idea with a chuckle of disbelief just yet, for this is exactly what Mujtaba Hasan Askari, a cycling enthusiast and President of the Helping Hand Foundation describes an unexplored cycling route to be. Only 20 kms away from the city, the route that Mujtaba talks about lies between the Himayatsagar Lake and Osmansagar Lake. It is spread across five hamlets that include Bakaram, whose literacy rate stands at 100 per cent, and Murtuzaguda, where the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy is located.

“Cycling through these tiny, rustic and sleepy villages, stretched across 15 kms takes you back in the good old era of the 1970s and 80s,” says Mujtaba, adding, “Most cycling enthusiasts from the city usually start their route from Gachibowli, tread across the Vikarabad highway via Aziz Nagar and reach Chevella. This route is now very commercialised. Instead, if you continue on the Vikarabad highway for a few more kilometers and take a left turn at the Chilkur Balaji Temple junction and head towards Murtuzaguda, there is hardly any traffic, and the foliage is beautiful. The route will continue through Amdapur, Bakaram, Yenkepally and it will circle back to Aziz Nagar and Himayathsagar Lake”

Not only is this an ideal route for cycling, but is also great to buy some freshly caught fish. “Some of the villagers are fishermen. With a very good monsoon this year, freshwater fish are abundantly available here. If you reach before 8 am, you can buy a fresh catch. At Bakaram, everyone is literate and the villagers are very interested in what you have to say,” he says. With average cycling speed, it takes about 45 minutes to complete the stretch. The glimpses that one can catch of the scenic Himayatsagar Lake towards the end of the route is quite rewarding.