Custard Apples, Sunday papers and Bike problems

Who comes first for a newspaper- advertiser or the reader?

Yesterday there was no issue of the paper I read everyday- The Hindu. There was a note on Saturday itself in the paper that due to the Dassera festival the office would be closed and there would be no paper on Sunday. It is usually the Sunday supplements I am eager to read but this Sunday I was disappointed. Even though there were other newspapers to read I felt something was missing.

All through the week I had been seeing a notice in the paper saying that the classifieds supplement of Sunday would be carried on Saturday because of the holiday on Sunday. It seemed unfair to me. The advertiser is being looked after by carrying the Sunday classified supplements on Saturday itself but the reader is not being given anything to read.

The Hindu would have gained my admiration if it had issued the Sunday magazine supplement also along with the Classified Advertisements supplement with the Saturday paper. I wouldn’t have minded the holiday for the paper on Sunday. But the priorities of the papers are different since the advertiser pays more but the reader pays nothing. But then there would be no advertisers without the readers.


A New Way to eat Custard Apples-Roast Them

It is the custard apples season in Hyderabad and the city is flooded with them. I am seeing them everywhere heaped in baskets and on push carts. The custard apples flood the markets around this time just before winter begins. I guess it is the only fruit that is free of pesticides and fertilizers because the fruit is plucked from the wild and farmers have not yet taken up commercial cultivation of custard apple.

One normally eats the ripe fruit but years ago I came across a new way to taste the fruit. I was traveling in a village and spotted a few custard apple trees with the fruits dangling. I was disappointed that they were hard which meant they had not yet ripened. It is not possible to eat the unripe fruits. But the farmer I had met in his field plucked the unripe fruits and told me they could be eaten even though they were not ripe.

The fruits were hard and the skin was unyielding. He put a few such fruits on the ground, covered them with hay and lit a fire. I watched the flames leap up and after some time the fire died out. The farmer gingerly pulled out the custard apples from the ashes. The skin had become dark black but inside the flesh was white and soft. He split the fruit and ate the white flesh. I too followed suit and it tasted wonderful. It was something that always come to mind whenever I see the custard apples at this time.

Good Service at Castrol Bike Zone

About a year ago a Castrol Bike Zone was opened near home and I got my bike serviced here in February. I was happy with their service which was efficient and fast not to mention quite economical. There were none of the hidden expenses that get added when you take the bike to a company service center. So this time too I decided to get the service done here again.

I had to get some new parts fixed- the lock set and also the light switch box had to be replaced along with the brake lining. The guys there did a good job of it though the bike was delivered late but I am not complaining. The bike now rides smoothly and it didn’t cost me much too. Once I had given the bike at a company service center at Secunderabad and after I got to office there was a call from the mechanic who said they’ve noticed smoke coming out from the engine and asked if I wanted to get it fixed. I said no when the guy told me it would take six thousand bucks. This is a common ploy with such service centers I noticed in the eleven years of owning the bike.

But I am happy about Castrol Bike Zone and their efficient service. It was money well spent.