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Stairway rendezvous
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They are bindaas, boisterous and bubbly, get poetic occasionally, and swear by the staircase they frequent everyday. Odd it may sound, but the entrance to the Amrutha Mall in Somajiguda is the coolest place to hang out for many a city youngster.
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COOL HAVEN: Many a friendship made here. - Photos: P.V. Sivakumar
FOR THE PJ-sporting young crowd, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the current rage when they meet on the stairway of Amrutha Mall. The winds of change has blown away the customary Coke, Coffee Day Mozzarella burgers and Gold Flake Kings which once ruled the unpainted, dreary flight of stairs. Seizing away the erstwhile domain from them, almost unpretentiously, the APJ odyssey seems to have finally bowled over the brazen Hyderabadi bubblegum populace, in its capsule though.
For the dozen-odd teenyboppers who are found perennially hanging out, or rather chilling out in the precincts of the up-scale shopping Mall almost any time of the day, it was a near-unanimous decision to be different. The hi-fashioned youngsters have now switched from their habitual swig of the Cola pint, occasional nibble of a CCD delicacy and an almost incessant swirl of cigarette smoke over buxom beauties to more serious debates of the political aftermath of Kalam's presidential candidature and the like.
With the Wings of Fire as an invariable accompaniment, the autobiography of the missile man has been reduced to a virtual fashion statement. "We don't want to remain outdated and be sneered at," answers HPS student Tarun Darr when asked about his reasons for buying the book. A mobile wielding Tarun along with his friends can be spotted quite often at the Shopping Complex.
"These upwardly mobile, suavely modish debonairs just hang around the stairs most evenings and go on chatting endlessly. Occasionally, they do stare at girls although they don't disturb anybody. In weekends they swell up in their numbers," observes Pavan Reddy, owner of Blues - - a men's ensemble showroom in the Mall.
For what might appear to others as mere chit-chat and time-pass, could possibly turn out to be very educative and extremely edifying as is evident from Bhavan's student Chitambar Sana, who explains, "Apart from the boy's trivia on good-looking girls, we do discuss a lot of sport, politics and music here." Chitambar frequents the shopping arcade only on weekends.
ENTRY FREE: These youngsters make the stairway their destination.
Then, there are also the likes of HPS student S. Nagashwin who feels that the colours and vibrancy of the place are ideal to compose songs or poetry. "I have done that on several occasions and have come out with splendid numbers and melodies," the 16-year old, who plays small-time in neighbourhood gigs, says.
And for most of them, who meet only occasionally on weekends at their favourite rendezvous - - the stairs - - there is so much to tell, the week's happenings, the number of bashes attended, the new girlfriends and of course, almost inevitably, Indo-Pak peace parleys along with the latest fashion trends et al.
"Coming from different schools or colleges, sometimes these hangout pals become your best bum chums," remarks Jerry Thomas, a second year degree student of Nizam's. "Indeed, they become inseparable companions," quips in ICFAI student Stanley Balsingh as he pats Jerry swearing by their stairway friendship.With coffee pubs and eat outs hiking their charges on cappuccinos, burgers or shakes and cops, on the other hand, taking fancy in raiding shady places with the intent of earning a fast buck, the stairs will continue to be a safe haven, or rather a favourite haunt, of these young lads.
SOUVIK CHOWDHURY
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