A campus to explore

Students at University of Hyderabad do not feel they are losing out much on life despite their campus being far away from the city and its happenings. Though the university campus is synonymous with intellectual space for debate and agitation, the students here are fun-loving. “We get everything within the campus, and since the city is far away, it is not imminent for us to go out for immediate needs,” says Suresh G, a second-year integrated MS student.

“We love the atmosphere, forests, hillocks and lakes within the campus,” says Aditi Chandra, a first-year MA Sociology student. The university is housed on over 2,000 acres, with three major lakes and a large green cover. “We hang out in the open spaces of the university, be it a meeting, celebration, prayer or protest,” says Arun Kumar, a PG student of economics. But students like Omkar and Upender prefer going to the shopping complex in the evenings where they meet up for a cup of Mazar bhai’s Irani chai. “It’s such a huge campus. If we do not plan ahead, it is possible not to meet a friend for a couple of weeks,” says Omkar.

The Chinese fast-food shop, chaat shop, south Indian canteen, stationery shop, bakery and paan shop at the shopping complex popularly known as Shopcom, and quite a few canteens located near each school and department, makes students stick to the campus. According to Vikas Kumar, a student of fourth-year integrated MS (chemistry), the best canteen on campus is near the chemistry block. He says, “We get yummy hot plates of idli, punugulu, vada etc for breakfast and variety rice like jeera, sambar and lemon for lunch. Everything is so economical”.

Living in the lap of nature, students have multiple hangout options like the peacock lake, buffalo lake, check dam, mushroom rock, high rocks, VC rocks, among others for parties within the campus. “We sometimes go to the check dam for a swim in the evenings,” says Satheesh, a research scholar. For years, birthdays have been celebrated at a point here called the birthday circle. The campus at UoH has a reason to celebrate all seasons

Rahul.v@newindianexpress.com