Kichdi Post

Entry Through Nose Only

I know what it is to be an addict. I have my own addictions. I’m seriously addicted to books, to Irani chai, fountain pens, music and such stuff that need not be taken through the nose. I do not understand how anyone can get addicted to something one has to take in through the nose however good it might be to one’s moods. I fail to understand why anyone would want to take the nasal route when there are perfectly normal (and more agreeable, not to mention hygienic) channels like one’s mouth to put in stuff into.

When there are certain intoxicants (if I can call them so) that one can take in- like good food through the mouth, music through the ears, poetry through the eyes- it beats me why anyone would want to use the nose to get high on something like cocaine. I also fail to understand why anyone would want to sniff something like cocaine when there’s plenty of Irani Chai, beer, and biryani to get high on in Hyderabad. As if the pricey alcohol they are consuming is not enough youngsters in Hyderabad have now started doing drugs like cocaine and marijuana. I guess such things happen when people have more cash than commonsense.

If you ask me, there’s nothing like a cup of Irani chai to give you a high that lasts almost the whole day. No wonder almost everyone in Hyderabad is addicted to it. I guess one reason why the guys are taking to drugs is that there are no Irani joints in places like Jubilee Hills where, I am sure, the youngsters and the pubs they frequent are located. By the way, I am sure if they drink a cup or two of chai they will find no need to take drugs to improve their moods. I know this is a bizarre theory but the only one I could come up with to put a stop to the drugs menace.

Rain, Rain, Don’t Come Again

Of late we seem to be getting more rain than is good for us. At least that is what many Hyderabadis are thinking, especially those caught for hours in traffic jams. Last week a record amount of rain fell in Hyderabad disrupting traffic, everyone’s plans and a whole lot more. Hyderabadis have evolved to such a stage that they don’t know what to with all the rain that is falling from above free of cost but don’t mind spending more than ten bucks to buy bottled drinking water.


Haleem News:

You cannot really call yourself a Hyderabadi unless you have tasted haleem at least once during the holy month of Ramzan. I tasted my first haleem of the season sometime last week. Though a vegetarian I cannot resist tasting a tiny portion of haleem at least once. This time I had haleem of Pista House which seems to have outlets all over the city judging from the number of banners hung almost everywhere. However, the price is a bit too high. At eighty rupees a serving it is too steep to indulge in many times.

But whatever be the price there seems to be no stopping the Hyderabadi from heaping haleem into their mouths every evening.

While on the subject of eating, in a demonstration of how we Hyderabadis this side of the city go about doing things, two new eateries sprang up almost unnoticed and unheralded recently. I was passing through Himayatnagar when I noticed the board of ‘Jharokha’ a new Rajasthani food joint next door to ‘Dadu’s’ at Liberty. Then opposite ‘Bawarchi’ at RTC X-Roads ‘Bollywood Chillies’ has opened its doors. I am sure if it had happened in Jubilee Hills we might have seen endless ads and breathless write ups of such new eateries.

Of course, another eatery came up in Jubilee Hills recently. Minerva Coffee House has opened a branch on Road No. 36 in Jubilee Hills. I saw hoardings to the effect and also went past the new eatery while I was in Jubilee Hills recently about which I will write in the next post.


GLoggers; A recent issue of ‘Outlook’ magazine carried a feature on top bureaucrats in Karnataka and the blogs they are maintaining. The name they've coined for government bloggers is 'Gloggers.' After that story I expect others to follow since many bureaucrats are copycats and have that ‘If he can do it why can’t I’ mentality. I assume (modestly, of course) that I am the only government bloke in AP writing a blog. If there are others please let me know.