DECHAA

When an ancient set of wheels trundles ahead of you in traffic, do you honk irritably or drool all over your steering-wheel? If you picked option one, congrats, you should feel right at home on Hyderabad's streets. If you've picked option two, however, you need help. And DECHAA is just the place for you.

Vintage vehicles are so loved by their dotty owners that you'll rarely find them out on the street, exposed to the elements (the option one folks, for instance). These cars and bikes have been acquired at great expense of time and money, assembled with tender affection, and restored painstakingly to their original grace. Then, after all that hard work, they're put to rest in a garage, only to be taken out once in a while, to be aired and gazed at longingly. Well, there's hope for them yet.

The Deccan Heritage Automobiles Association (DECHAA, promounced deck-ah) was started by a group of just such aficionados, who are looking for a chance to show off their wheels as well as gang up with other lovers of historical machines. A Baby Austin, a Packard, a 47 Morris and a Bentley, among others, give off their 24-carat gleam when DECHAA conducts its occasional rallies at Necklace Road. These beauties belong to dyed-in-the-wool Hyderabadis who know their intricate engines as thoroughly as they know the city's bylanes. And this is what makes DECHAA such a special club.

The club is great for anyone smitten with vintage automobiles, and is especially useful for those who are having trouble finding rare spare-parts or good mechanics in the city. The club was started off with just forty members, and continues to grow every time there's a new rally.

If you want to find out more about the club, please contact one of the founder-members, Shyam Sundar Kapoor of Universal Scooter House, Ramkote, at 2475-0718.