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Swimming and brimming
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The man-made saviours are one of those very few escape routes for the people of the city to break away from the harsh sun, says Mubin Sultan.
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NO MATTER how tough the situation might get, the mind of the man has always been innovative enough to find an escape out of it. With arrangements to tackle the pathetic weather conditions in the city, fitness buffs in Vijayawada are fortunate enough to have at least four major swimming pools to cool themselves. An outcome of outrageous growing pollution levels and deforestation, the summer temperatures in the country are getting only too unbearable with each passing year.
`Blazewada' may not have been blessed with the luxury of Bondi beach or the surfing glory of San Francisco, but this doesn't matter much when you have got cute little pools, quite safe and too far from the danger of sharks and engulfing waves, which can offer their unruffled effects in a warm comportment.
Come evening and the cool, tranquil waters at the Municipal Corporation swimming pools at Gymkhana grounds and Gurunanak Colony, and the pools at Vijayawada Club and Executive Club, assume the role of comforters with many people, young and old, splashing in the waters with a high rush of adrenaline.
People throng the pools in great numbers like swarms of bees relishing over the sweet nectar of a flower, after a huge spell of thirst. Swimming is probably the most convenient way to chill out with friends and family, an engrossing pastime recently discovered by the deadbeat and dog-tired citizens.
"I love to swim, the cool waters refresh me for a smooth evening with my family," says Bharghav, who doesn't miss his daily visits to the Executive Club swimming pool. "Swimming is the best sport for summer at a place where you cannot go river-rafting or snorkeling," says Sidharth, an IT professional who is back home on a holiday from his professional haven in Seattle in the US of America.
Kids at the VMC swimming pool with expressions of gleam, chill out with their friends, in the most-desired playground of water, while their mothers take pleasure in watching their young ones sinking and floating. Practicing their graceful strokes, under the care of coach, Kusuma, the bubbly tots make the most of their summer in a colourful attire of swimsuits and shower caps. "Our coach is a very interesting lady, she teaches us the graceful strokes involved in swimming and also helps us derive the maximum pleasure of cutting through the water," says Sirisha, a teacher's pet.
"My mom introduced me to this wonderful activity last year and I am sure of coming here every summer to escape the scorching heat of the sun," says Srinija, daughter of an enthusiastic mother, Suryaprabha. Nikhilesh, a student of class IX, is probably the youngest guy to be extremely health conscious. " It's a good exercise that tones the muscles and gives the body a shape as we grow up," says this Hrithik fan. Older people are also aware of the rewards of this pleasure activity for physical fitness, a group of youngsters, regular visitors of the well-known gym in the city, Body Maxx, spend extra time of their workout at the pool.
Professionals too find swimming to be the best way to unwind themselves after a day of tiring job. "The ozone in the water is refreshing and squeezes stress out of the bodies, giving it a lighter feel which gives a domino effect that keeps you on the move the next morning," says Mina, an aesthetician. Celina, a housewife, feels that an hour in the soothing, cool, blue waters invigorates the senses for a healthy disposition.
"It is not quite easy to maintain these swimming pools, pumping the water in and out is almost a hassle and requires a lot of patience. Cleaning the pools demand a great deal of attention and hard-work, but the pain just evaporates when we see the people having fun, flashing smiles and splashing the waters with delight, forgetting their tensions at least for that point of time," says the caretaker at the VMC swimming pool in Gurunanak Colony.
"The very sight of the clear and soft waters and the swashing sounds replenish the mood," says Rahul who visits the pool regularly, but has never dared to step into it. "People think that it is a kind of weird entertainment watching the swimming pools and derive pleasure, but there is nothing much a hydrophobic can do," says he, and goes back to the time he spent in the city of Florida, home of the famous Palm-beach.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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