Rocking!

Hyderabad's rocks have been crying out for rescue for a while. Hyderabad Times speaks to those who've decided not to cut these sentinels of time.
The granite rock stands tall, both literally and figuratively, in the living room of Dr PR Sarma's home in Jubilee Hills. It exudes beauty, mystery and power. While most of Hyderabad's urban landscape is being stripped off the natural formations, a growing number of people are choosing to save the city's rocks, by incorporating them into their homes.
Sarma, a retired biologist and rock-lover, is among them. "It's like letting nature grow in your home," he reckons. Sarma's house is built around a massive rock that measures more than 1100 cubic feet. It separates the living room from the dining. A small staircase runs around the rock, to its top.
Ismat Mehdi, a resident of Banjara Hills reminisces, "My father-in-law, Mehdi Nawaz Jung, was so taken in by the landscape in this part of the city that he established Banjara Hills and built the first house, here. It has become a family tradition to not destroy rocks, but to build houses with them inside." Ismat's lovely home has two huge rocks that go through the living room, washroom and finally spill into the garden. "It's like living with nature."
Narendra Luther, author, former bureaucrat and president of Society to Save Rocks has a huge one in his home, too. "People appoint interior designers and buy expensive articles to decorate their homes, but I found this," he says pointing to the gigantic piece that runs up to his son's house. It occupies 200 square feet, which in real estate terms, would convert to about Rs 20 lakh.
Taking a cue from homes, a few corporates have started adopting rocks as part of their campus. A software company, which recently bought land near Moosapet, is planning to develop almost 70 per cent of its rock-studded site as an adventure park. But the city needs more such initiatives.
What's where the beauty lies." He advises, "Instead of breaking the rock, one can always tweak the design of the house to fit it in." For Ismat, "there is no compromise. They fit into my home perfectly."