The Sunday Haul (on 23-11-2025)

 Last Sunday at Abids I picked up a title a copy of which I had bought long back and that I had bought for just ten rupees or so I think. I do not remember buying it so I picked up the second copy. Only after I got home and checked my notebook did I realized that I had bought the copy of ‘Out of Africa’ by Isak Denisen/Karen Blixen in July 2007 for only five rupees! I do not know where that copy is now and also do not remember if I had read it or not.

Another find was a title I had seen a couple of months ago but had not felt like buying it. But when I saw it again last Sunday I picked up the copy of ‘Storylines; Conversations with Women Writers’ and got it for a hundred rupees. It is edited by Ammu Joseph, Vasanth Kannabiran, Ritu Menon, Gouri Salvi, and Volga. 

There are lengthy interviews with seventeen well-known writers of various languages and I could recognize only a few of them like Nayantara Sahgal, Bama, Volga, Vasireddy Seeta Devi, Mridula Garg though I haven’t read books by few of them, and some like Pradnya Lokhande, Sarup Dhruv and so on I had no idea about their books. The book sounds very interesting and I plan to read one interview a day so that I can better understand these writers and their work. 

The Sunday Haul (on 16-11-2025)

 It is now full winter weather here in Hyderabad with a chill in the early hours and bright sun in the day, weather that everyone in Hyderabad loves. Last Sunday too it was bright and sunny as I started for Abids by bus. I had breakfast outside somewhere near RTC X Roads and then walked down to Chikkadpally where I had seen an interesting title the previous Sunday. I wanted to pick it up if it was still there on the pavement. Luckily the copy of ‘The Creators: A History of Heroes of the Imagination’ by Daniel J. Boorstin was at the same place and I picked it up for two hundred rupees. It is another bulky book of more than eight hundred pages. I do not know when I will find the time to read it. 

Some of the titles in my non-fiction collection are books about countries like Russia, China, South Africa, Japan because I love to read about countries that are interesting. I do not have many books about Pakistan except for a couple I found recently. Last Sunday I found another title- ‘Can Pakistan Survive?’ by Tariq Ali that I spotted in a heap selling for Rs.50. I remember Tariq Ali’s name that I had read long back and since it seemed well written I picked up this title. 

The Sunday Haul (on 09-11-2025)

 It was once again a beautiful day last Sunday in Hyderabad. It was bright and sunny in the morning when I set out for Abids a bit apprehensive about how many books I would be bringing home from Abids. Luckily, I managed to find only one title and that too a book I already have a copy of and that I have read a long time back. 

I had found nothing interesting in the couple of hours I was at Abids and was about to leave when I spotted the copy of ‘Wild Mind’ by Natalie Goldberg with a seller. It was the bright red cover that caught my eye and I picked it up. The cover was a bit loose but otherwise it was in good shape. I bought it just for the cover as the copy I had found earlier had a different cover. I got this copy with the red cover for only fifty rupees. 

The Sunday Haul (on 02-11-2025)

It was a beautiful morning last Sunday in Hyderabad with a clear sky and bright sunlight. En route to Abids I stopped at Chikkadpally to look at the books that a couple of sellers at Chikkadpally had laid out. I saw a copy of ‘Tales of Old and New Madras’ by S. Muthaiah. I had read somewhere that S. Muthaiah was a much respected historian of Madras/Chennai, and I had also read a few essays by him on Madras somewhere. I picked it up for hundred rupees. 

The second title I found was a copy of ‘The Stone of Heaven’ by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark with an interesting cover that caught my eye. It was a travel book and about jade in China. I got this title too for a hundred rupees. I want to begin reading this book soon. 

Just before I left Chikkadpally I spotted a nice copy of ‘Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography’ by Karl Popper. I had read about Karl Popper earlier, and since it was an autobiography, an interesting genre,  I decided to buy it. I got this book too for hundred rupees. 

The next find was with another seller and it was a copy of a title I already have. I picked up the copy of ‘On Literature’ by Umberto Eco that I did not want to leave behind so in it went into my haul of Sunday.

Then at Abids I met two people who follow me on Twitter/X and wanted to meet me. We talked for a long time in Star of India café about books and later went around looking at the books laid out on the pavement. Near the GPO with one of the sellers I spotted a book with an irresistible cover. It was a copy of ‘Plutarch’s Lives- Vol I The Dryden Translation’ that I thought the seller would ask me for four hundred rupees or more. I was a bit shocked when he gave it to me for a hundred and fifty rupees. It appeared similar to Herodotus’s ‘Histories’ that I have but haven’t yet read. I have already begun reading ‘Plutarch’s Lives’ and found it interesting enough to continue reading it until the end. 

Today read in the news that the long-awaited event, the Hyderabad Book Fair will be held from 19-29 December, a little over a month away. But my countdown has already started. 

The Sunday Haul (on 26.10.2025)

It was another bright and sunny morning on Sunday morning in Hyderabad as I started for Abids and stopped at Chikkadpally enroute. There are four sellers at X Roads and also Chikkadpally with limited stock but sometimes they have wonderful titles. Every Sunday I find something or the other that interests me. Last Sunday I found a wonderful set of books on history. I found two volumes of ‘The History of Europe Vol I’ by H.A.L. Fischer & ‘The History of Europe Vol II’ by H.A.L. Fisher that were quite voluminous but looked very interesting. I got t hem for a hundred rupees each.

I remember reading about John Ruskin somewhere recently and so when I saw a copy of ‘Unto This Last and Other Writings’ by John Ruskin I picked it up to check out what it was all about. It was a ‘Penguin Classics’ a sign that it is a good book so I did not read further and bought it. I got this book too for a hundred rupees.

Then at Abids I sat in Star of India café with two friends and we talked about a lot of things including, of course, books. I told them about ‘The Summing Up’ by Somerset Maugham and also about ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King, two of my favorite books. Then we set out to look around and I spotted a copy of ‘The Writing Life’ by Annie Dillard that made my pulse race as I took it out. I had read about this book a long time back and I wanted to read it since I have a copy of her ‘Living with Fiction’ that I had found years ago. I was thrilled when the seller asked for only fifty rupees for it.

The Sunday Haul (on 19-10-2025)

 It turned out to be a bright and sunny day in Hyderabad last Sunday. I was in a good mood when I set out for Abids and returned in an even better mood because I made a fantastic haul of four second-hand titles from the pavements. Once again last Sunday’s haul proved that I am very lucky when it comes to finding good titles.

As usual my first stop was at Chikkadpally where four people sell second-hand titles on the pavements of the road leading towards RTC X roads where there is another seller at a corner. I’ve found many good titles with these sellers so I always make it a point to check out these places before I head for Abids.

My first find was a book that had a cover that stood out. It was a copy of ‘In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story’ by Ghada Karmi with the photograph of a young girl standing before someone, her father perhaps. Only his hand on the girls shoulder is visible. The yellow background is striking and it was this that caught my eye. It appeared brand new and I knew I had to buy it not because it was about Palestine but also because of the blurb by Karen Armstrong right on the cover. I want to read it along with all the books on Palestine I have collected so far.

Just as I got to Abids I got a call from a friend that he was waiting along with three other friends in Star of India so I hurried towards it. On the way my eyes fell on a cover with the title ‘Poovan Banana and Other Stories’ by Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer that I picked up. A long time back I had found the same title though an older edition, and recently had found another collection of Basheer’s stories. I could not resist buying since finding such titles is next to impossible. I got this almost new book for just fifty rupees. The sixteen stories in it are translated from the Malayalam into English by V. Abdulla.

Somehow last Sunday’s talk with my newly made friends, all of them book lovers, was most stimulating as we discussed the books we had bought till then. I showed them Basheer’s book and then Anil, a small indie publisher of classic novels translated into Telugu told me he loved Basheer and asked me to give him the next copy of ‘Poovan Banana’ if I happened to find one. Almost an hour later we dispersed feeling that we could have continued the discussion for hours if we did not have to go home to our families.

Sometime back I had come across a book by Athol Fugard and it turned out to be a book of his plays. I was not aware that he had written a novel so when I saw a copy of ‘Tsotsi’ by Athol Fugard with a seller I almost did not buy it. Out of curiosity I checked it out and saw that it was a novel. I bought it for a hundred and fifty rupees which is on a higher side but I think it is worth it.

Again a long time back I had read in a book on writing about ‘The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing’ by Norman Mailer but did not expect to find it anywhere. So I was surprised when I spotted a copy on a wooden shelf of a seller and grabbed it the instant I saw it. This book too came at a steep price of a hundred and fifty rupees but I guess it is totally worth it.

The Sunday Haul (on 12-10-2025)

 Coming back to Hyderabad after a two-day outstation trip felt different as if seeing the city anew. It was a bright and sunny morning last Sunday at Hyderabad when I left home to go to the Abids second-hand book market. I saw a nice copy of ‘If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller’ by Italo Calvino but I did not buy it as I had bought one only a couple of Sundays back. Also the title I had seen the previous Sunday about hunting tigers and wildlife was gone! I regretted not buying it then.

I got a call from a friend that other friends were waiting for me at Star of Indian café. So I hurried there first and had a long talk with them about books and publishing. One of the friends I made recently was a publisher of books in Telugu who showed me the two titles he would be going for printing in a couple of days. Another new friend was a scriptwriter in the Telugu film industry and was quite enthusiastic about reading. He showed me the more than half a dozen titles of Telugu novels he had picked up. Another new friend I met last Sunday was a young Telugu writer who had already published a book. It made me a bit envious of all the things they were doing whereas I was struggling with my second book since more than four years. I wonder when I will be able to finish it, and also hope that this book won’t take two decades to finish like my first book.

After nearly an hour’s talk I set out to look for titles to buy. I saw a copy of ‘The Prabhakaran Saga: The Rise and Fall of an Eelam Warrior’ by S. Murari with a beautiful cover that I immediately bought. I have been following the civil war in Sri Lanka since a long time and I thought this book would fill some gaps in my knowledge and understanding of the issue. S. Murari, the author, is a journalist who has covered the conflict in Sri Lanka.

A long time ago I had found a copy of ‘Republican Party Reptile’ by P.J. O’ Rourke that I enjoyed reading because he is a writer of some good humour. So when I saw a copy of ‘Holidays in Hell’ by P.J. O’ Rourke I decided to buy it though I had seen copies of it earlier too but somehow did not feel like buying. I got it for fifty rupees.

The Sunday Haul (on 05-10-2025)

 

Somewhere I have jotted down a list of authors whose books I have not been able to find anywhere. It included Clarice Lispector, Jon Fosse, and also Halldor Laxness. Last Sunday at Abids I spotted a title that filled me with the kind of joy that I had not felt since a long time. I found a copy of Halldor Laxness’ ‘Independent People’ on the pavement amidst a few books strewn around. I couldn’t believe it at first but when I took out the book I realized it was indeed a Halldor Laxness title. It was a brand new copy and I wondered how it got there. I paid only a hundred rupees for it.

Actually I thought the Abids trip wouldn’t come out as it started to rain very heavily early in the morning and continued. I had almost given up the idea of going to Abids but miraculously the rain stopped around ten in the morning. I then set out after breakfast and took the bus to Chikkadpally where I couldn’t find anything though I had seen a title I thought I would buy the following Sunday.

But before I found the Halldor Laxness title I found another wonderful title, a travel title, a genre I love to read. This title was like a buffet meal with thirty-five essays by well-known travel writers, and the book I found was a hardcover copy of ‘The Penguin Book of Indian Journeys’ edited by Dom Moraes. Most of the essays in this collection are by travel writers whose books I have already found and also read. Some of them include Anita Nair, Alexander Frater (Chasing the Monsoon), James Cameron (Indian Summer), P. Sainath (Everybody Loves a Good Drought), Paul Theroux, V.S. Naipaul, Anees Jung and a few writers I did not know before I found this collection. I have no idea about Joe Roberts, Dawood Ali McCalum, and also Jonah Blank. Somehow there were notable omissions like Pankaj Mishra (Butter Chicken in Ludhiana), Pico Iyer, Dervla Murphy, and also Elizabeth Bumillier (May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons). I don’t know if these writers had published their books after 2001 when ‘The Penguin Book of Indian Journeys’ was published.

The book had looked familiar when I first spotted it and though I had a feeling that I have a copy of this book I bought it. Later when I sorted through my books at another place where I keep my books, I saw a copy of ‘The Penguin Book of Indian Journeys’ that I do not remember when and where I had bought it. But this copy was in a better condition than the one I bought last Sunday.

The Sunday Haul (on 28-09-2025)

 

It had been raining incessantly in Hyderabad all of last week and it looked like it would rain on Sunday also. But miraculously it did not rain though the sky was cloudy almost all day. As usual I started out after breakfast and first stop was at Chikkadpally. I saw a nice copy of ‘If On a Winter’s Night A Traveller’ by Italo Calvino but I did not buy it as I had a copy at home. Disappointed with the fare at Chikkadpally I went to Abids. 

It is the festival season with Dasara only a few days away when the regular shops are open on Sunday also which meant that some of the second-hand booksellers were not at their usual spots. That and the fact that there was the possibility of rain also kept some more sellers away from Abids. However, there were a few sellers like those in front of GPO and those in the lanes. With one of the sellers before GPO I found a copy of ‘Difficult Loves and Other Stories’ by Italo Calvino that I had seen the previous Sunday but had not bought. I got this collection of four stories for a hundred rupees. I read on the back cover that the collection includes three of his best-known stories- ‘Smog’, ‘A Plunge into Real Estate’, and ‘The Argentine Ant’ that is described as ‘most terrifying and memorable of all’. I have to read these stories one by one soon.

The next find also happened to be a collection of short stories. I spotted a copy of ‘Short Stories by New Zealanders’ edited by Phoebe C. Meikle, that looked like a text book because it had notes and questions. There were stories by Frank Sargeson, Dan Davin, A.P. Gaskell, and Maurice Duggan, all writers of the past. I got it for fifty rupees only. 

The Sunday Haul (on 21-09-2025)

Just recovering from a severe sinus infection and feeling rather weak I had decided to skip Abids and rest at home but I changed my plans after Hari called to say he was coming to Abids. It was a bright and sunny morning last Sunday in Hyderabad, and the forecast for the next week was that it would rain during the weekend from 25^th due to a Deep Depression since it looked likely that it would rain the coming Sunday also. So I decided to make hay while the sun shines and started off by skipping the sellers at Chikkadpally and heading straight to Abids where my friend was waiting. 

On the way to meet him I saw a copy of a book with such an attractive cover that I instantly picked it up. It was a beautiful copy of ‘Ancient Tales & Folklore of China’ by Edward T.C. Werner, a subject that I am very interested in so I bought it right away. I got it for a hundred rupees. 

The next find was a copy of ‘When We Were Orphans’ by Kazuo Ishiguro with a small portion of the cover and the pages below torn off but that did not deter me from buying it. It was a faber & faber first edition, and I had also not read this Ishiguro novel so in it went into the haul. 

Later I sat with Hari in the Bench café in one of the side lanes and talked over omelette, bun maska, and ginger chai for a long time.