During my childhood being very close to the water tank, I fell in love with the life in and around the water bodies. Liked to observe fishes, insects in water, water birds, and water-snakes. During Sundays and other holidays, it was very common to see many people fishing with a fishing rod around the water body.

There were two tanks (water bodies) near our house. Because of that many fishermen settled around the area. They would collectively work as a society named ‘Gangaputra Sangam.’ When those tanks were full of water after monsoons, they would leave fish seedlings and would harvest grown fish during summers, using huge fishnets. However, they would not mind much when other people catch fish using fishing rods.

Somehow, I was fascinated with fishing. One day, taking some money from my mother, I bought a fishing hook and wire from a shop nearby.

Earthworms were good baits for fishing. It was easy to find them in open spaces around our houses where sewerage water pooled. The only thing we were to do was to dig the wet earth around those pools to find them. After finding them, we would carefully put them in a waste paper filled with wet soil to keep them alive.

I hated to pin the live earthworm to the hook. I always took the help of someone to do the job for me. After slipping the earthworm over the hook, I would spit on the hooked earthworm and throw the fishing line into the water. Probably the fish also liked the saliva of humans. I tried fishing with wheat flour as bait, but it was not so effective.

Finding the right place to sit and fish was another considerable thing. ‘Follow the crowd’ was usual set principle, fish love to wade throw grassy areas near the shores… taller the grass more was the fish. Sooner I started fishing then, I learnt some art of finding their hideouts. Depths of water was also a considerable point. Different species have had different locations of living and moving as well. A float made of soppa-bendu (a piece of sorghum stalk pith) was tied strategically in order to leave the hook at the desired depth. By tying a piece of lead wire near the hook, the hook was made stable and easy to throw the hook at the right spot with added weight.

For the fishing rod, mostly used to select the long stick of Lottapeesu Chetlu (Ipomoea plant) which grew abundantly in the water. Attracting fish to the bait is something very important.

The float danced when fish touched the baits - but waiting to watch such dances was nothing less than meditation. It is being present and nothing else. However, it was fascinating to wait, watch and catch. Sometimes, I would contemplate upon the strategies that particular fish could follow. Some clever fish would cleanly eat the bait and escape without swallowing the hook. I felt that such fish were smart enough to sense that it was the bait not the food. People with all the intellect and education many times get duped.

After a long wait, finally, the chance comes when the fish swallows the bait and starts running away from the spot. The float moving away from the spot or drowning is an indication that a fish has swallowed the hook. Lifting the rod with a jerk is also an art, the hook needs to be held in its mouth. Otherwise, the fish would slip. The fishing rod with the fish at the end is the final moment of happiness.

Catching two to three big fishes at the end of the day is a great achievement. I remember one Sunday; I could catch three big Murrel fish of about 1.5 kg in total. It was one of the costly freshwater fishes. On that day our relatives have come home. My mother was happy seeing my catch. One of the aunties in our compound processed them, then my mother cooked the fish. To remember my catch, I have stored the skin of one of the fishes. During childhood, myself, two sisters and my mother never ate non-vegetarian food.

Once, the tank was full in the season. Water was touching the compound wall of our house. There were lots of small fish. Since I didn’t have a fishing rod with me at that time, I took a pin, which is used to fasten paper, and bent it to make a hook. I found a small stick and some thread for the fishing rod and started fishing using earthworms as bait. I had a bounty of small fish… maybe they are not so smart as the big ones. I fed them to our pet hens at home. The hens seemed to enjoy them gulping and fighting with others.

On another field day, there were no buses to go home from school because of heavy rain. I had to walk home along with some other kids like me. On our way home, we say some people catching fish in the overflowing waters of Ramanthapur tank. Fish were being flushed away along with the water under the culvert. Leaving our school bags with smaller kids, one of my friends, Srinivas and I joined the gang of people who were catching fish with bare hands. Someone taught us where to look for fish. Soon, we were able to find some in the niches and holes. The water was turbid and reddish, yet by groping all around, sensing the tinglings of fish movements we had our share of fish. We safely tucked them in our socks. Swaying them all the way, I went home and our hens had a hearty meal once again.

I went to Charminar for shopping in the recent past about three years back. I saw a shop selling all kinds of fishing gear. They were selling the ready-made kits. I thought of teaching my two sons how to fish. I bought three fishing rods, hooks, floats and the wire. I asked the shop guy, about the place for fishing around Hyderabad and which is close to my residence. He said that the Edulabad Cheruvu (Tank) is a good option. Following Sunday, I took my family with me for fishing. On the way, we bought some wheat flour and the powder of dry fish for bait. I made a paste of it by mixing with water for using as bait. Reached the tank, it was winter so fish surface less as compared to summer period. This tank receives water from a canal which channels the drainage water in the upper reaches of Musi River. The domestic sewage also gets mixed in it. The water was not so clear and clean, but the tank was full. There were very few people found fishing. We got on to the tank bund and our whole family - myself, two sons and wife, were engaged in fishing. The whole family enjoyed it, a moment to cherish.

During a field visit, my team and I were returning to Miryalaguda town. Nagarjuna Sagar water is used for irrigation through a canal network. The water is relatively clean. At one place along the roadside, I saw some people fishing with simple fishing rods. It was about ten kilometres away from Miryalaguda town, and it was evening, I asked my driver to stop the vehicle. I requested the fishing people to give me one of their fishing rods. The puddle of water adjoining the road and paddy fields had lots of fish. Within a few minutes, I could catch three fishes. It made my day, and I was happy. My colleagues also tried their luck.

The water tank next to our house in Ramanthapur has deteriorated over the years. The residential houses have come up and contaminated with the sewage water. The quality of the water is now completely deteriorated and turned into a cesspool of dark water. The encroachment of the foreshore area and the solid waste dumping in it has shrunk it further. It is disheartening to see the death of a lake which has given me so much space to get connected with nature and the environment.