On foot - in Hyderabad

In the last few months, I have grown passionate about “Long walks” by the Hyderabad roads. Not all the roads are spacious enough to pursue this, but some (the one featured here) are awesome. The following stretches are on my favourite list:

1) From film nagar to Jubilee check post
2) From KBR park to Madhapur (via check post)

3) Necklace road

The first two stretches run parallel to KBR Park, which is an excellent central park that helps the city breathe and houses some amazing walkways inside it. Needless to mention it is a humble abode to thousands of flora and fauna in midst of expanding urban activity. The third stretch "Necklace road" is the periphery to the lake.

The lighting and wind on these routes are perfect and walkways comfortable. I have walked kilometers, sometimes with friends and at times alone. The perfect time to walk is early morning (6 to 7 am) or just around sunset (6 to 7 pm). For music lovers, it is best to have your ipod on the walk, and for others the sound of the passing vehicles provides the musical backdrop. With hardly any walkers on this road, the path is obstacle free to walk through.

Besides you can get yourself a few moments of solace and fesh air! On the path are a couple of low lighted restaurants/coffee shops, where you can take a shot break to rejuvenate. A good change from occasional beach walks or forest treks!

I was searching for my Italian restaurant with a couple of friends on a Saturday night when we lost our way and bumped in to this store. What attracted us is the letter “Organic” on its sign board. From outside, the lighting was perfect with neat racks and quiet ambience. (Ok let me admit, for singles like us, there is enough time in life for hunting new stores, products and trying out new restaurants!)

The store houses organic food stuff like a number of organically grown cereals, pulses, vegetables and snacks (yes you read it right!!). For a foodie, nothing is more rejuvenating that an evening spent hunting right kinds of food stuff and healthy recipes. But to be a little more candid, I am bored with the American corn and corn flakes dominating the Indian market as only notions of “healthy food”. I was a little surprised when I recently picked up a pack of soybean granules manufactured in South Africa at a local food shop!

I guess Indian foods and products have sufficient variety and nutrition that suit well to the Indian climate and taste good. So what makes it difficult to brand Indian food as healthy recipes and sell it to the people? Marketing – Yes you read it right, we need the right kind of food to be packed well and sold with details on its nutritional value.

So when you blend traditional Indian food items in an organic backdrop, the demand definitely overgrows. Organic food has a bright future to elimination nutritional problems and creating a healthy food market nationally & internationally. Besides it also gets our farmers rid from chemicals that have been overused to get high and fast yields.

But what I fear is that organic food market should not become a sector for elite class. In fact the correct strategy would be perpetuating it to the grassroots and train our farmers to mass produce and ensure proper subsidies for organic food. This is how we can ensure health food market and self sufficiency for all in the country.