The Sunday Haul (on 23-04-2023)

 After being away from Hyderabad for two weeks and missing my visits to Abids on two consecutive Sundays I was eager to go to Abids last Sunday. Though it was the day after Ramzan there were many sellers out there on the pavements which was a pleasing sight.  

The first book I found was a nice copy of ‘Buffalo Nationalism: A Critique of Spiritual Fascism’ by Kancha Ilaiah, a Dalit writer who manages to ruffle the feathers of many conservative Hindus by his controversial opinions. I picked it up as I wanted to read more of his essays. I got this book for fifty rupees.

 

Ever since I read Robert D. Kaplan’s ‘Balkan Ghosts’ I wanted to read more about the Balkans and I was thrilled to find a copy of ‘Through the Embers of Chaos: Balkan Journeys’ by Dervla Murphy with a seller near the Bata store. I had seen this title somewhere online and had wondered what it could be all about. I was pretty excited to spot this title at Abids and more thrilled that I could get it for just fifty rupees. This was the best find of the year I guess. 

The Sunday Haul at Abids (on 02-04-2023)

  The previous Sunday’s haul of two books was at Coimbatore and though I was glad I was able to look for books on a Sunday I missed browsing at the Sunday street book market at Abids. Last Sunday, back in Hyderabad, I went to Abids eagerly hoping to find some good titles and find I did. 

 

There’s a lot of conflict in the world: between countries, between families, and also between people which is what leads to disagreements, war, and also separations. I want to understand more about how to avoid conflict and get along with those you don’t like. I’ve been reading many articles but haven’t found anything that describes the process in detail. So when I saw a copy of ‘The Anatomy of Peace’ by The Arbinger Foundation I thought it looked like just the thing I have to read. I got it for a hundred rupees.

 

At another seller who doesn’t have any idea of the titles he selling I saw a copy of ‘The Armchair Esquire’ that has more than a dozen articles and stories by writers like JD Salinger, that I decided to buy. I had only taken a look at the copy of ‘The Art of Happiness’ by John Cowper Powys that the same seller had and put it back. The seller urged me to take the two titles and give him whatever I thought fit. Reluctantly I took them and paid a hundred rupees for the two books. 

Further down the pavement I saw a copy of ‘Going Down River Road’ by Meja Mwangi, an African title that I immediately decided I’d buy after I saw on the cover the name of another title by the same author that I had bought earlier and had also read. 

 

In February 2020 at Blossoms at Bengaluru I found a copy of ‘The Bang Bang Birds’ by Adam Diment a few months after I had read somewhere that he was a terrific writer. I really enjoyed the humor in that spy thriller and was very glad to have found two more titles by Adam Diment on a sale on WhatsApp by another seller. These two titles that I read one after the other were also very good and made me want to read all the books Adam Diment wrote. Last Sunday at Abids when I saw a copy of ‘Think Inc’ by Adam Diment lying in a heap I almost couldn’t believe it. I picked it up and noticed that it was indeed by Adam Diment and also it was in a good condition. I got it for fifty rupees. 

 

The last title that I found was a nice copy of ‘Fourteen Years with Boss’ by Ashokamithran that I already have but I did not want to leave it behind so picked it up for a hundred rupees.