Here come the Suave Geeks

Next time you crash into a bunch of 20 to 30 techies at the Anand or Sangeet on a mass movie-watching exercise, or having a beer at The Escape in Green Park Hotel, don’t be surprised. Not even if they are dancing away at the Treasure Island, or trying their hands at snooker at The Alley in Somajiguda.

The hip-hop techie has finally arrived!

From enjoying music blared by headphones into their ears, chatting on the Net, or tugging at a computer game between long sessions of vigorous coding, the concept of entertainment and socializing has come a long way for the IT professionals here. Hyderabad-based techies are rapidly becoming active, suave socialites.

The techies into active socializing are all young, in early and mid 20s. The older ones prefer a quieter life, spending whatever little free time available, with families and close friends.

As S.V.L. Narayanan, Satyam Computer Services Ltd., says, “old techies come back home.”

Something that D.V.S.Raju, CMD of VisualSoft Technologies Ltd., admits: “I do not go to any such places. Evenings are usually our peak working hours. Probably, I need to see and find out ways to get some free time for myself.”

Even if they go out, says Himanshu Gupta, Project Manager, Business Technology Solutions Pvt. Ltd., the older techies frequent quiet private joints like Jubilee Hills Club or Secunderabad Club.

G. Rajashekhar, MD of Indian subsidiary of U.S.-based Erunway.com, who describes himself as “a bit on the higher end of age,” prefers 5-Star hotels and coffee pubs. “In Hyderabad, there’s not much happening. During weekends, I drive out to the suburbs – Shameerpet and Gandipet. Or I work out or play tennis at the Country Club.”

Divakar Tantravahi, MD (India Operations) Everypath.com, who frequents the Grand Kakatiya and the Country Club, says he often takes his family to the Pizza Corner, or Prime Time in Somajiguda.

The younger lot, mostly bachelors, like Satyam’s Kiran Ragireddy, chill out with their friends and peer groups at pubs – Spanish Fly, The Escape, Passport, discotheques at Treasure Island and Country Club, pool parlors – Alleygator in Secunderabad and The Alley, cinema halls, and go out on long drives on the highways, with or without a destination.

This kind of active socializing is conducted either privately, or by the companies.

Raj B. Tadla, MD of Beyond Basiks Infotech Ltd., for example, meets up friends privately. “All the kiddishness of, say, hanging out at Tank Bund, is gone. But, I meet up with friends, swim and work out at the Country Club every alternate day.”

Sometimes, IT companies facilitate socializing among employees. Hari T., Assistant Vice President (Human Resources) at Satyam, says that thanks to the company’s efforts, “a fairly large number of them have got into socializing.” This is because of exposure to such opportunities enabled by the organization, the money they make, and the changes in the society.

Satyam, in its efforts to provide socializing opportunities, has set up a staff welfare fund – given to project managers to socialize with the team members. These quarterly meetings are a huge success. So are the Project Retros (where the team involved in a project meets after its completion) after they were tagged along with social events.

It is not difficult to find Satyamites driving down the Necklace Road, or Vijaywada and Bombay highways, or picking up a bus to Medchel, Pocharam Lake and Nagarjuna Sagar, or taking out visitors from abroad to the Golconda Fort Sound and Light Show. Recently, about 200 Satyamites attempted the Bungee Jump at Necklace Road, Hari says.

Besides, there is the recreation club at Satyam Technology Center in Bahadurpally, which offers ghazals, light music and disco programs, 9-hole golf course, children’s park, health club, spa, gym, tennis courts, billiards and pool room and more.

The club may have brought about a tremendous bonding among Satyam techies, but this trend is seen across techies here. Hyderabad has become more “socially enabled” than what it was 5-6 years ago. But, the techies want more.

Satyam’s Kavneet Dhall feels Hyderabad offers very limited opportunities to go out and have fun. “Recently we drove to Ahmednagar in Aurangabad. We spend long weekends out of city. There are really no places here to go to. It’s a dry place with no night life,” he adds.

But, though socialising has not yet come of age, as Hari says, it’s a beginning, and a healthy trend at that.