Hyderabadis miss summer evenings at Tank Bund due to the coronavirus lockdown

Every summer, fast boats would vroom around on Hussain Sagar lake, the public would queue up at NTR gardens, couples would have ice-cream and stare at the Buddha statue as the sun set, the elderly would take long walks even as families relaxed on the grass watching children play cricket.

The Lumbini Park would be bustling with tourists this time of the year, with them walking around, feeling the breeze and soul of the city.Playing games at People’s Plaza and clicking selfies at the Love Hyd statue was almost a mandatory ritual. This was how a usual summer at Tank Bund would look like every year.
While Hyderabad remains in lockdown and with most residents confined to their homes due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Tank Bund has gone silent and deserted. There are relaxations now, but the 6 PM curfew doesn’t give anyone time to spend much time outdoors, as it should be. While Hyderabadis understand the need for the lockdown and strict measures being taken to contain the pandemic, fact remains that they still miss the usual summer spent there. With Tank Bund getting a makeover during the lockdown, they can’t wait to experience its beauty again.

Ashfaq resides at Maqta, just a lane away from Tank Bund. “Summer evenings would mean playing cricket near the open ground at People’s Plaza for us. Now, for the first time, things are different. I really miss the good old days and hope we return to normalcy soon,” he says. While Tank Bund is where most tourists congregate most, NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park, Imax also remain key attractions during the summer. Street hawkers usually have a field day some summer, despite the soaring heat. However, this year, they claim to have lost a major source of income, as the cane juice, lemon soda and watermelon bandis can no longer be set up.
Nitin Reddy, a software employee from Himayatnagar says that visiting Tank Bund with his wife was a weekend ritual for him. “Both of us work during the week and the weekends were usually ours to spend time together. We used to even take along some food grains for the pigeons. A sunset view from Hussain Sagar is truly mesmerising, especially during summers with clear skies,” he says, adding, “But now that we’re confined to home, I do miss all that. But in a way it’s also good seeing as how nature has time to reclaim its space. I bet the Tank Bund looks really beautiful now with seasonal trees in full-blossom.”

For Priyadarshini, a student from Warangal, summers would mean a trip to Hyderabad, “I would come to visit family and of course visiting Tank Bund would be on our list. I miss the refreshing ice gola and Hyderabad in general. But I guess that doesn’t matter as the need of the hour is to stay home till we fight this pandemic.”