HYDERABAD ,TELANGANA, 31/05/2017: ( FOR THE HINDU METRO PLUS ) : View of the The YMCAs of Greater Hyderabad and Secunderabad on Wednesday. --Photo: Nagara Gopal
Long before the fancy summer holiday camps became trendy in the city, there was one one-stop after-school activity centre that was a holiday camp, debating spot, basketball ground all rolled into one —Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), Secunderabad. YMCA isn’t just a landmark, it is a place where basketball coaching has been happening for ages; it’s also the default destination for karate coaching.
Irrespective of the time of the day, the YMCA premises is always bustling with people. Everyone is busy all the time, except for those who visit to watch the basketball sessions in progress. The entire compound is one of the oldest structures in the area and the YMCA soon began to be looked upon as place to learn basketball and karate. Old timers say, karate classes in YMCA were the most popular, after basketball. Actually the YMCA basketball ground is a quaint place despite being in the middle of the road and those who know it love to sit there by themselves for some quiet time.
The best thing about YMCA is that once the gate is opened, there is no query on where one is headed provided you are not a first-timer.
YMCA is popular with a lot of people who go to debate and gather knowledge. “The Young Orator’s Club (YOC) at the premises was started in 1969 when Telangana agitation was at its peak. Schools and colleges were shut and the one person who was thrilled about it was M A Waheed. Waheed was a student of Secunderabad College was happy because he knew this was the best time to gather students for academic meets which was out of the periphery of schools and colleges. He sent half-a-dozen letters to various people and with a small group of young students YOC was started in 1969.
“After that in 1972 I started the K-circle (Knowledge circle) with the aim of preparing aspiring students for competitive exams,” says Srivats Iyengar.
The other reason why YMCA is popular is its gym. The there is the YMCA hall where a lot of handlooms and handicraft exhibitions by various self-help groups from across the country are held. The book exhibition at YMCA is very popular too. With ample parking space and clean surroundings, the YMCA complex is free of mischief makers.
The best time to hang out or watch the various activities in the complex is the evening. Towards the night, the gates are closed for non-YMCA hostlers.
