Sunday-Funday back in the city, events abuzz with patriotic zeal

Hyderabad: After a gap of eight months, the Sunday-Funday events are back in the city. Hundreds of citizens throng the two-events to enjoy the weekend with their dear ones as a part of Sunday-Funday at Tank Bund and 'Ek shaam Charminar ke naam' at historic Charminar.

The Sunday-Funday programmes which was started in 2021 turned out to be a hit with people enjoying band performances, cultural activities and games. With the entire Tank Bund stretch made traffic-free during the programme hours and Deccani culture Mazhiya Mushaira and other cultural programmes at Charminar in Old city, people in large numbers came for a leisurely stroll and enjoyed the snacks at both the carnival-like events on Sunday.

As a part of Swatantra Bharat Vajrostavalu, the State government is celebrating 75 years of Independence for 15 days with a slew of events and adding the Sunday-Funday events in the city has doubled the celebrations. People of all walks of life ages were seen with the feel of patriotism.

The scenic road with traffic-free on Sunday, the Hussain Sagar lake was abuzz with patriotic zeal, as it was illuminated and Tri-colour flags were hoisted at the entire stretch. Most of the people were seen with national flags and were seen releasing balloons in the air and enjoying the event.

Tank Bund was converted into a centre of art and cultural activity with food stalls, entertainment activities for children, and various other events. The Hussain Sagar lakefront has been developed and proved to be a space for citizens to unwind and spend their leisure time, especially in the evenings. The Urban Forestry wing of the HMDA also set-up stalls for free distribution of saplings. SHE teams was also deployed to spread awareness among the public on various issues.

Meanwhile, the same zeal was witnessed at Charminar. Families especially thronged the event to see the illumination of the historic monument with Tri-colour. A number of activities and performances were organised to mesmerise the public and give them a unique and memorable experience in both events. The events had the band performance, fireworks and cultural activities, apart from stalls set up for shopping, games and eateries. Vendors also thronged the events with their collection of bangles, artificial jewellery, live bangles, pearl sets and attars. "Cloudy sky and drizzling were no deterrent. Until 6 pm the arrival of visitors to Tank Bund was less. But the numbers surged at around 8 pm," said a police official deployed at Tank Bund.