Enjoying the rocks while preserving them

The fifth edition of The Hyderabad Rockathon which was jointly organised by the GHAC, The Society to Save Rocks and was generously supported by Telangana Tourism at the scenic Fakruddingutta Hillock near, Khajaguda in Gachibowli. Away from the surrounding concrete jungle, this Sunday witnessed people of all ages partaking in the variety of events that were showcased before them.

While the adventurous indulged in events like rock climbing, rappelling and zip-lining, the surefooted tried their skill in Bouldering and Slack lining. The participants also had a rendezvous with a few limbless reptiles thanks to the Friends of Snakes. Added to the mix were competitions like the Rock Quiz, Doodling and Rock Selfie which were enjoyed thoroughly by the participants.

The rock tattoos out of water colors found lot of takers, each sporting different rock formations. Many of them used the opportunity to explore the rocks that date back to 250 crore years. Dr Christina Z.Chongthu, IAS, Managing Director, Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Hyderabad graced the event.

Dr Chongthu deeply appreciated the rock formations at Fakhruddingutta and the efforts of the Society to Save Rocks and GHAC for organising the event wherein the entire family could participate in natural environment. Dr Christina invited the Society to Save Rocks and GHAC to draw up a proposal for consideration by the Tourism Department for preserving these beautiful natural precincts and formulating programmes for more such activities in the entire State of Telangana.

She lauded the participants and their families lending support for the cause of preserving the State's natural heritage. Thereafter, Dr Christina flagged off the event which started off with a rock walk, trail biking and tried her hard at rock balancing.

The event was attended by around 700 people and children from six years and above. The organisers while thanking the participants for making the event a great success, requested each of them to spread the awareness on the need to preserve nature's beautiful gift.

Eric from France, working with Keolis, attending the Rockathon for the first time, said, "This event provides a nice opportunity to go out with my family including my dog. We like being in the country side and this event has given us that opportunity.

We are hopeful that the authorities and the citizens would seriously consider preserving these beautiful rock formations." 10 year old Tanvir, a student of Oakridge School who enjoyed climbing a lot of rocks said, "Please ask the Government to save these beautiful rocks so that children like me can climb and continue to enjoy these rocks."

Diyanat Ali, Founder and Director, Great Hyderabad Adventure Club said, the event witnessed many families along with kids coming for the first time in the rocky outdoors and enjoyed it fully.

He further elaborated, “As a kid I spent lot of time in rock climbing, hiking and even sleeping in the rock caves. There is a need for the current young generation to take a special interest in these natural rock heritage and preserve it for future generations for recreation and adventure activities.”