The Sunday Haul

Last Sunday turned out to be completely different from the sort of Sundays I usually have. First, the sun came out brightly after about a week of cloudy but rainless days, I couldn’t go to Abids at my usual time which was because I had to go to office on work (and later to Jubilee Hills which was cause for much excitement,) and finally my friends said they couldn’t join me at Abids. Early Sunday morning when I got the call that I have to go to office little did I realize it would entail a visit to Jubilee Hills as well. I usually look forward to a visit to Jubilee Hills anytime and it had been quite a long time since I had been to Jubilee Hills. I don’t know about you but I feel like I have been to another different world whenever I am in Jubilee Hills. Also,I had never been to Jubilee Hills before on a Sunday and it turned out to be different.

Naturally, I went in the car, being No.2. I almost felt like one of the residents of the Jubilee Hills being driven in a Honda City in that posh area but for the fact that my wallet was almost empty. Looking around I was reassured that everything was fine with Jubilee Hills and its fancy homes, its fashionable, rich residents who, I was surprised to note I did not see a single specimen of on the streets though it was past noon. Then it struck me that it was a Sunday and no self-respecting JH type would get out of bed until four in the afternoon on such a day. Naturally again, I was deeply disappointed for I was very much looking forward to see at least a couple of fashionable denizens going around in their fancy, expensive cars wearing those oversized goggles.

Anyway, later in the afternoon, at exactly 1 pm I reached Abids and proceeded alone to look for books. Actually it had been quite a while since I had no company while hunting for books and so I enjoyed the solo hunt and landed three books. The first find was a decent copy of Woody Allen’s ‘Without Feathers’ which is a collection of some hilarious essays and plays. Though I already possess a copy I picked it up since it cost me only thirty rupees and since it was a Woody Allen book that led me into a nice friendship with a very interesting person. The second find of the day was a book by a writer about whom I had only read so far and had not actually expected to find. I found David Foster Wallace’s ‘The Broom of the System’ and got it for only twenty rupees. I would have been happier if I had found ‘Infinite Jest’ but ‘The Broom…’ was no less a happy find though I wonder when I would find the time to read the tome that runs into 530 pages.

The last find of the day was Bill Bryson’s ‘Down Under’ which I had been looking for. I do remember reading it earlier but I want to read it again because after Dave Barry, Bryson is someone who I find very funny. ‘Down Under’ too is quite a tome and also turned out to be an expensive find because the seller wouldn’t give it to me for less than seventy rupees. I actually let go of two other good books- beautiful, hardcover copies of Len Deighton’s ‘Yesterday’s Spy’ and John Le Carre’s ‘Call for the Dead’ that I now feel I should have bought. Maybe next Sunday I will pick them up.