Rocks That Rock

Rocks which tower above you.

Rocks which teach you balance.

Rocks which have stood for 2.5 billion years, dating back to the Archean age.

Rocks where you feel miniscule.

Rocks which you would love to climb.

Rocks which leave you speechless.

Rocks which truly rock!

Where are such rocks? 

Just 25 kms south west of RSI Secunderabad.

We, a group of about 20 armed forces veterans and families hiked around the hill top at Khajaguda Hills. Each rock formation left us speechless.

Sharing below few pictures and videos of the hike on 27th Sep 2026.

The Dawn

We crossed the iconic cable stay bridge well before dawn. See the 15-sec video below.

We were a bit late to catch the sunrise. But the silhouettes of the hikers convey the magic of dawn.

Towering Rocks

There are multiple rocks which tower above the hikers. The rocks look formidable. But with bright morning sun and a blue sky at the rear, it makes a perfect frame!

Climbing a small boulder using your hands and feet. See the short video below when a 75-yo does it!

Sharing below a panoramic video of the rocks at Khajaguda.

The Burger Rock

A set of huge granite rocks which have horizontal chams in multiple layers. The rock looks like a huge burger or a sandwich. You need to crawl between the layers to climb the burger rock. Few pictures and a video below.

First to climb up and crawl in to the Burger Rock. See a short video courtesy Ansh.

Chimneys and Caves

There are multiple chimneys on the hill. A chimney is a narrow vertical chasm between two rocks. Some chimneys are so narrow that a pot-bellied person can not go through. Pictures below.

Get a feel of being inside a narrow cave in the video below.

Hiking through Thorny Shrubs

There are stretches on the hill with thorny vegetation. Hiking through it needs adequate clothing and caution. Sharing few pictures below.

National Malaise

Visitors deface the walls of our monuments with graffiti. They don't spare granite rocks also! Littering is another irresponsible behaviour. See the pictures below.

Sanjeevani Shrub

Our guide Rabet had shown us the wildly growing Sanjeevani plants. He told us that the leaves will spring back to life when immersed in water for few hours. Our hiker Shyamala shared the picture below with her comment, 'What Rabet said about Sanjeevani is correct. I put it into water and few hours it's opened up and dark green like he said it'. Readers familiar with Indian Epic Ramayana, would recall that Lord Ram's brother Lakshman had been brought to life by Sanjeevani leaves. 

The Tortoise Rock - shaped like a tortoise. A similar rock in Mt Abu in Rajasthan is called the Toad Rock.

Destructive Quarrying

Over the decades, Khajaguda Hill has been quarried indiscriminately on all sides. Tell-tale marks of the holes for blasting the rocks are still visible. Rock surface has developed man-made cracks all over. Pictures below show the destructive tale.

Lakeview Point

On the western edge of Khajaguda hill, a flat space has been created by using the soil excavated during the construction of the parking lot. One can get a clear view of Khajaguda Lake or rather the remains of the lake. Most of the lake has been encroached upon for construction of high rise buildings over decades.

Society to Save Rocks

Society to Save Rocks aims to preserve and protect the spectacular ancient granite formations of the Deccan Plateau, India - a natural wonder of stony ridges and hillocks shaped into picturesque balancing forms. Volunteers of the Society accompanied and guided us on our hike. Readers may browse the Society's website for more details. We thank Dr Sudheer Bhan, Mr S Rabet, Mr Dinayat and Mr Sreecharan for giving us such a wonderful experience. 

Special thanks are also due to Rama Thoopal, Pranav, Dr Maneesh, Ansh and other members of the PBC for sharing their pictures.

We had done this hike five years ago during Covid in March 2021. A picture of that hike was the subject of an online Caption Contest titled Kaun Banega Ghumakkad. You may browse the picture story and the winning entries of the Contest by clicking the link below.

Hiking to Rediscover Yourself - Hiking in Khajaguda Hill area.

Palmette Bicycling Club (PBC)

Palmette Bicycling Club was formed in RSI Secunderabad in Apr 2019. Since then, it has conducted 172 events (including 10 treks). There was a long hiatus during the Covid period. 

PBC regularly organises bicycling and hiking outings on weekends. Credit for PBC's sustained activities goes to Gen Naozar B Patel. This 75-year-old Veteran is a fitness enthusiast and a great organiser. Thanks Naozar for yet another great outing and an excellent YouTube video linked below which summarises the hike.

Other Hikes by PBC

Am sharing below the links to two other hikes by PBC. Just click the link to browse the picture story.

Devarakonda Fort - Built across multiple hills, it stands firm even though partly in ruins. It is maintained largely by volunteers from the community. 

Bhongir Fort 1000-year-old - A picture story with videos of a fort built atop a 1000-feet high monolith.

Like the dessert which is taken after a meal, our two best shots of the hike follow. Both were shot inside  a cave. Enjoy.

Thanks for browsing. 

Did the Rocks of Khajaguda rock you? Will the rocks remain intact for the future generations?

Do leave a comment. It encourages us.

Stay connected.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ansh Bhargava/ Secunderabad/29th Sep 2026

#khajagudahill #khajagudalake #savetherocks #fakruddingutta #hyderabad #hydraa #destructivequarrying #hiking #bouldering #caving #sandwitchrock #monkeyrock #chimney #chasm #blastingcracks #sunrise #rocksthatrock #palmettebicyclingclub #rsisecunderabad #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #tortoiserock #SocietyToSaveRocks

Swayamkrushi A Beacon of Hope

The morning sun cast a warm, golden glow over the five-acre campus of Swayamkrushi in Secunderabad. Inside the gates, the air filled with the familiar, comforting sounds of a brand-new day.

Anand (names changed for reasons of privacy) stood by the activity table, his fingers gently tracing the smooth edge of a brightly coloured wooden puzzle piece. Anand had Down syndrome, and the world outside often felt too fast, too loud, and entirely too impatient. But here, time moved differently. Here, every small victory was celebrated like a monumental achievement.

Across another room, Priya was carefully arranging a set of hand-made paper bags into a neat pile. Priya lived with autism. In her early days at Swayamkrushi, the sensory overload of everyday life would often cause her to retreat into silence. Today, however, her focus was absolute. Her repetitive movements, once a mechanism to cope with anxiety, had been channeled into a beautiful, productive skill. She looked at her finished pile of paper bags, a rare, radiant smile lighting up her face.

Swayamkrushi is more than just a care centre. It is a sanctuary of self-reliance. Founded by Dr Manjula Kalyan on the profound belief that every individual deserves dignity, the centre provides vocational training and life skills to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

In the corner of a workshop, a dedicated trainer named Radha guided the hands of a young man named Rahul, who had cerebral palsy. Rahul’s movements were often restricted by muscle spasticity, making tasks that others took for granted an immense physical challenge. Yet, with Radha’s gentle encouragement and specialized adaptive tools, Rahul was learning to print patterns onto cloth bags.

"Slow and steady, Rahul," Radha murmured, her voice steady and warm. "You've got this."

Rahul took a deep breath, focusing every ounce of his energy. With a triumphant grin, he pressed the stamp down. A perfect, crisp leaf pattern appeared on the cloth. Anand clapped his hands in delight from across the room, and even Priya nodded in quiet approval.

As the afternoon sun began to dip, the buses arrived to take the trainees back to their families. Anand packed his bag, proud of the puzzle he had completed. Priya neatly stacked her paper bags, ready for the upcoming craft bazaar. Rahul looked at his row of beautifully stamped cloth bags, his hands tired but his spirit soaring.

They walked out of the gates not as passive recipients of charity, but as empowered individuals stepping confidently into the world, carrying the light of self-reliance that Swayamkrushi had ignited within them.

The above picture story is based on our visit to Swayamkrushi recently. We were a group of Veterans and spouses from Army, Navy and Air Force. It was such an inspirational visit. Special thanks are due to Gp Capt Suresh Veteran who has been volunteering at Swayamkrushi for the last 11 years! Kudos Suresh. 

We are sharing some more pictures and video clips below.

Recognising the parts of our body- see the video below:

See the video clip below, how patient the teacher is.

Adult classes continue... see the video clips below.

Memory recall is easy for us, but so tough for the challenged. See the picture and corresponding video below.

Enhancing the cognitive abilities through activities. See the short video clip below.

Holding a pencil and writing their name is a challenge for such children. See one attempt in the picture below.

Dedicated Teachers
Another thing which stood out was the dedication of the teachers. Coming from different walks of life (one teacher is a former DRDO scientist), they travel long distances to be with the special children everyday. One teacher attends to a maximum of five children. Each child has an IEP- Individual Education Program. See the pictures and video below.

Stars

The time table showed an hour marked 'Stars' at the end of the day. On querying, we came to know that the stars meant assessing their daily progress and awarding stars to the children as a means of encouragement. Very innovative idea indeed.

Group Homes

Swayamkrushi pioneered India's first-of-its-kind Group Homes model to transition individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities into dignified, independent community living.

* Family Structure: Small, close-knit groups of around six to eight trainees live together like a family inside standard residential neighbourhoods.

* Blended Inclusion: The homes intentionally match the surrounding community architecture to break social taboos and bridge societal gaps.

* Independent Living: Residents actively manage their own household, sharing chores like cooking, cleaning, and laundry to build self-reliance.

* Supervised Freedom: A full-time resident staff member provides essential supervision and emotional support while allowing trainees autonomy.

* Real-World Integration: Trainees mirror standard societal rhythms by living in one space and taking public transit to work or vocational training elsewhere.

Such homes are located in the gated communities. These children have shown self confidence and have been accepted very well by the residents of the gated communities. Although we could not visit a Group Home, yet the concept deserved a special place in our story.

Kitchen

The kitchen and the dining area impressed us with the cleanliness. 

Location

Those interested, may access Swayamkrushi's website here. The map below shows their location with reference to RSI Secunderabad.

Swayamkrushi is indeed a beacon of hope for 180-odd children and adults who were orphaned or abandoned by their families. The Centre has around 80 resident girls and women. The rest are day-scholars. Special buses transport the children with special needs.

At Swayamkrushi, there are no labels ('Oh, she has a handicapped child!'), no judgments, and no limitations based on medical diagnoses. The children are not defined by their conditions. They are artists, creators, friends, and peers.

The tailoring workshop also showcased their creativity. See the short clip below.

We thank Ramani Chitta for sharing the pictures and videos shot by her.

We end with a quote on disability by Jordan Christian.

Thanks for browsing. Do leave a comment, even a word will suffice to encourage the children, their educators and us..

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 10th July 2026/ Secunderabad

Postscript 18th Aug 2026: 

During our visit in July, I had asked the kitchen team what would they like to receive as a donation on Independence Day. They unanimously pointed to a large cooking vessel. I felt blessed to present it to the Chefs on 13th August. Sharing below few pictures. Special thanks to Gp Capt Suresh for the coordination and the pictures.

The spirit of volunteering and team work is visible everywhere on Swayamkrushi campus.

It was good to meet Dr Manjula again who was supervising some field work sitting under a tree.

End of Postscript ----------- 

#Specialeducation #mentallychallenged #Intellectuallychallenged #autism #spastics #downsyndrome #cerebralpalsy #swayamkrushi #Beaconofhope #Manjulakalyan #intellectualdisability #dignity #selfesteem #selfconfidence #inclusion #grouphomes #mainstream #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #selfreliance