The Sunday Haul (on 15-05-2022)

Though not as hot as it was the previous Sunday it was uncomfortably warm in Hyderabad last Sunday. It was almost noon when I reached Abids to look for good titles from among the thousands of books laid out on the pavements every Sunday in Abids. It wasn’t until an hour had passed before I found a wonderful title.

When I was just beginning to go to Abids after a friend took me there one Sunday many years ago I used to see a lot of copies of ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’ by Alan Paton but it never struck me to pick it up. I did not buy this classic because I was ignorant and assumed it was no good. I was into thrillers and had not yet discovered what a good book reads like. But later on I picked up a copy of it when I read somewhere about it being a classic. I was glad I picked it up and read it soon afterwards because it was such a beautiful story about the innocence of the black people. I had a lump in my throat when I read the part about the hanging of the narrator’s son. I found many other copies of ‘Cry, the Beloved Country’ that I gave out to friends, and last week I found a beautiful Penguin edition with an illustration by Paul Hogarth on the cover. It was in a pile of books selling for Rs 50.

I love reading about places and travelogues are a favorite genre that fill my bookshelves. Last Sunday I saw a copy of ‘Kathmandu’ by Thomas Bell with a vivid cover that was difficult to ignore. Also the fact that it was a Penguin title made it hard not to buy though the seller quoted a steep price. I did not want to miss buying it so I paid whatever the seller asked for and picked up the book. The price was Rs 200.