There are only a few occasions when people of Hyderabad wait for the sun to be out, and when it does, it is an occasion to celebrate. As MET department announced cold wave in Telangana in the first week of January, Hyderabadis are enjoying the nip in the air, the mist in the morning and cool breeze at night. Making the best of the weather like this, they are making the most of the weekends. And on weekdays they are making the best use of their sunbathed balconies and terraces. As the air quality on weather apps remain at ‘satisfactory’, being outdoors seem to be the obvious choice.
To avoid crowding, a residential complex in Sainikpuri has timed the terrace access for each floor. While the elders are loving the clutter-free terrace for walks, young couples are setting their breakfast tables on it. And when breakfasts are not possible, its the tea-coffee break on the terrace.
Mujtaba Aksari, who runs the NGO Helping hand foundation and had shifted to the outskirts to practice farming and live in relatively pollution-free air, organised a picnic for his friends and volunteers in his backyard. The menu consisted of jonna rotte (jowar roti) and an assortment of curries. Mujtaba says, “I am doing morning cycle rides with my nephews and feel blessed to have this time.”
As morning temperatures remain at 17° to 19°, the slightly adventurous ones are out on mini treks within the city so that they can be back home for work. 55-year-old Srinath N, a private bank employee says, “I trekked up the Moula Ali hill this week. It felt like a walk in the clouds. The air was crisp and clean and a few degrees cooler than the rest of the city. I spent quite some time admiring the mist and witnessing the sun, weakly trying to force its way out. From top, I could see the city wake up and get on with their daily chores. I chose to go while it is still cold because this is not something one experiences every winter in Hyderabad.”
The other favourite spots being revisited by Hyderabadis are Qutub Shabi tombs and Golconda.
This is also the time hotels in Hyderabad would organise bbq nights and grilled food fests. With events of those sort missing, Hyderababids are creating their own. And catering to the needs are pre-marinated meat options by freshly packaged meat sellers.
Evenings however, are for home barbeque. Those who love barbequeare not letting this cold weather go off without buying a grill. Some are following bbq hacks from YouTube and foodies groups and others turning online to look for portable sets. Sarla Ramesh, a techie says, “The posts of food groups made us try some bbq hacks but they didn’t work well. So my husband purchased a locally-made grill. I cannot think of doing anything like this had we been going to work. The weather now is really something in Hyderabad especially towards the outskirts. I am not letting go off any opportunity to be out. We also went on an impromptu picnic and ended at Katta Maisama dam near Shamirpet. This is the best time to be outdoors in Hyderabad.”
Thanks to work from home options, no one is really finding the need to look for ‘believable reasons’ to call in sick at work.