Even after one is at a hobby for as long as twenty years, there is no guarantee that one will not make a mistake, a costly one at that. Yesterday at Abids I made a fundamental mistake, the sort newbies make. It cost me nearly hundred bucks, this simple mistake.
I had spotted the November 2007 issue of ‘Conde Naste Traveler’ which was a special issue. It had the list of the best hotels, resorts, places etc of 2007, and was brand new. I immediately fell for it and grabbed it for a hundred rupees which, as a voice inside my head was telling me, was a bit over the top. But two weeks of book deprivation seemed to have dulled my senses and I picked it up unmindful of the protesting voice. A few minutes later I saw the same magazine, four copies of them with a different guy available for only twenty rupees. Yikes, that was a costly mistake! I normally ask the bookseller to keep aside the book while I take a look around. If I don't find a copy of the book at a lesser price I pick it up but today I forgot this lesson.
I found two other books, both hardcover books in a heap selling for only ten rupees each. The first book was Russell Baker’s “Growing Up’, a memoir of his childhood. The book was in good condition and amazingly the 278 pages book was mine for only ten rupees. I have a paperback copy of the same book that I had got earlier for twenty rupees.
The second book I found was something unusual for my taste. It was a book on running- ‘The Running Life’ by Dr. George Sheehan. This book too had 268 pages and was in good condition. A couple of weeks back I had picked up a magazine on running. Though I don't run I have a strange attraction to this activity. Maybe I will take up running someday soon. As I said earlier I got this book too for only ten rupees.
Amazing what one can get for a mere ten rupees in Hyderabad!
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