Yet, they were on a high. This time, their plan is fool proof. The summer heat was scorching, and the fort was on a granite hillock. The defenders would at some point of time, be forced to come out for water. And when they come out, they would be sitting ducks for the attacking army. This time their war strategy had cannons deployed in an arrangement to pound anything that comes out of the strong walls.
They waited patiently. Weeks passed, and the happiness on their faces had vanished. The doors were not opening up. A month passed. The happiness started turning into pain. Three months passed and the army was growing agonizingly impatient. The water resources, they were banking on, were going dry. They were getting disorganized. The summer was breaking their discipline. The generals started showing worry on their brows. The defender did not seem worried. They were in no rush to open the doors to the fort, and come down in search of water. The attackers were worried. How did the defenders manage the elixir of life? Have they mastered the art of living without it?
Little did they know that the defenders had built an underground Aaqueduct to a lake that was surrounded by rocky hills. The defenders were silently pumping water for their needs using these aqueducts. Nobody would ever dream that there would be a lake in the midst of these rocks, and a big one at that. A lake that would not dry up even during the onslaught of the Indian Summers.
This is the story of the Majestic Golkonda Fort and the picturesque Durgam Cheruvu or the 'Secret Lake'. This wonderful historic lake, I am sure, has many more stories to tell. I have spent a considerable part of the summers of my childhood exploring the perimeter of this lake, spending many hours looking at the flying fish this lake had. I remember the times when we had camped here from dawn to dusk, to enjoy the view, and the cool breeze that would make you long to come back. I remember the days I spent cooking 'Maggie' using the dry wood I found around this lake. It was a Past Perfect picture.
The governments in the past wanted people to listen to the tales this lake had to tell. However, the present government and public machinery have grown greedy, and are slowly covering up this lake. The plan for covering up this lake is meticulous. I wish they were meticulous in performing good deeds. They first permitted colonies to come up. These colonies were allotted to the affluent sections of the society. The domestic effluents were slowly let into this lake. As these colonies grew, they covered the catchment area of this lake. As the inflow reduced, and as the lake started drying up, they started travelling inwards. Houses were built, gated communities were erected, and apartments sprang up, and the lake right now is only one fourth of what it was a decade back. The onslaught continues. Water Hyacinth is introduced by the 'plant conversationalists' to find extra place for their activities. Name it, and the type of onslaught is clearly visible.
What can I do? Protest. Well, the Gandhian practice, was severely crushed by the party that is carrying on his legacy. The side taken by the British was taken by the Police to rain Lathis on people who wanted to restore the sanctity of the boundaries of the lake.
Do I stop? Certainly not. I will continue my efforts to awaken the conscience of people, who in their greed are destroying the potential memories their kids had to experience. Blogging is one of the means I have chosen to spread the news of encroachment.
Conserve Lakes. Conserve Water. Conserve Life.
Poramboku Kaburlu - Modati Edition
