The Sunday Haul

It is quite impossible to go through each every title on the pavements at Abids before deciding whether to buy the book or not. There are literally thousands of books waiting to be picked up. I look for titles, covers on books that appear unusual, like something worth reading. Only very rarely have I picked up books in that manner that later turned out to be quite good finds. I usually follow the safe way and look for titles that I have read about somewhere, either in reviews or referred to in other books. This Sunday’s find was one such book that I had read about in another book.

Sometime in October on a Sunday morning I happened to be doing some early morning reading, trying to learn something about the craft of writing. I was reading Elizabeth George’s ‘Write Away’ in which I came upon an example of writing in the first person. The example was the opening paragraphs from Susan Isaac’s ‘Shining Through’ that was quite impressive and funny at the same time. I made a mental note to look for it and wondered if I’d be able to find it. Imagine my surprise when soon after I came across the very title in a hardcover edition at Abids. For some reason that I still cannot fathom I did not buy the book. Not surprisingly when I looked for it the following Sunday I couldn’t find it.

I rued that decision and almost forgot about it until I came across a paperback copy of Susan Isaac’s ‘Shining Through’ last Sunday. I picked it up after reading the first paragraphs that Uma too read after we had a cup of tea at the Irani at Abids. After Uma left I went on with my hunt and was in for the surprise of the day. I saw not one but two copies of another title ‘Red, White, and Blue’ by Susan Isaacs. However, though the blurbs said it was a wonderful read I did not buy it since anyway I would be able to find at least one of the copies the next Sunday.

Theodore Dreiser is another writer whose books I haven’t read so far other than remembering the title of one of his books’- ‘Sister Carrie’ that I often come across at Abids. Normally I would grab any title that is an autobiography by any famous writer but last Sunday I did not feel any interest in buying Theodore Dreiser’s ‘Newspaper Days’ that I saw at Abids. I hesitated because I had bought several such autobiographies in the past but never got around to reading most of them. Also, the price (Rs 75) the seller quoted put me off from buying the book. But now I feel I should have haggled and picked it up especially after reading about Drieser on the net. If it is still available next week thenmaybe I will pick it up.

Next Post: 'Assembly Fever' on Tuesday 1/3/2011

Kichdi Post

By the Lakeside
On a day and at an hour when the whole world likes to sleep late and when no one in his right mind would get up before seven a.m., I was up and out of the house. It had been more than three months since I had done my monthly Necklace Road routine, and last Sunday I went to fill up on some calm that I desperately needed. It wasn’t very chilly when I started at half past five in the morning but still dark with the streetlights still on. I reached Necklace Road in fifteen minutes and settled down on the bench where I usually sit. It was still dark and the lights on the Tank Bund were reflected in the waters of the Hussainsagar Lake. There was no one around as I soaked in the silence.

Soon, the darkness cleared up slowly and the daylight began to seep into the sky. The morning seemed magical last Sunday. Flocks of birds (geese, I guess) flew out from the horizon and some flew low, really low, just inches from the calm surface of the lake, and then rose suddenly gained height and flew away. I had not seen so many flocks of birds before. There were birds swimming in the water in pairs. Two birds sat on something that looked like a metal platform, quietly looking around.

The solitude and the magic of the morning on the lakefront was something priceless. I sat there watching the sun come up slowly, watching its reflection in the placid waters of the lake. I had missed this sight all these three months and I felt glad to be experiencing it again. I left after making a promise to myself to come again sometime next month. Afterwards I bought the Sunday papers and sat in Adarsh café sipping tea and reading the papers for more than an hour until it was time to return home.

The HaulOut of the dozens of articles on the Jaipur Literature Festival one that made me regret not attending the event was an article by Rajni George in the India Today magazine. The article made me wish I had gone to Jaipur and participated in the event which would have helped me do something about my book. Curiously, I came across Rajni George’s name again in a copy of Mridula Koshy’s ‘If It Is Sweet’ that I found at Abids on Sunday. When I first saw it I did not pick it up because it was not in a very good condition. I had read glowing reviews of the short story collection so on my way back I bought the book for forty rupees. One of the blurbs inside the book was an extract of Rajni George’s review in India Today.

The previous Sunday, The Hindu came with its monthly supplement of ‘The Literary Review’ which had Navtej Sarna writing in his column (Second Thoughts) on attending the Jaipur Literary Festival and his attempts to get his copy of Orhan Pamuk’s ‘The Naïve and Sentimental Novelist’ signed. This is one book that I plan to buy soon along with Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘Living to Tell the Tale’ that I saw at the Oxford Bookstore the other day when I went there to attend a book reading. Something I had been expecting from TLR happened. I had thought that if the supplement carried a regular column on writing it would have been helpful for writers. In the latest TLR there was such a column by Vikram Kapur called ‘The Creative Writer’ which I hope will be a regular feature.

Getting the Meisterstuck back
Finally after what seemed to be after ages I’ve got back my precious Meisterstück back after repairs. Two days back I got a call from the Mont Blanc boutique at Taj Deccan informing me that my fountain pen had arrived. Though I wanted to go right away and collect it I couldn’t for various reasons. Yesterday evening I raced to Taj Deccan and took my pen back. It now appears perfect with a new Mont Blanc star on the top of the cap of the pen. Boy, was I glad to have it back notwithstanding the fact that it cost me a bomb to get it fixed. I’d been missing my Meisterstück like anything.

Like it wasn’t enough shelling out nearly four thousand bucks on the repairs to the pen I also picked up a bottle of ink that cost me another eight hundred and twenty bucks. It looks like I have to use my Meisterstück only when I want to sign on papers and make very short notes. I cannot afford to use it to write regularly since I write quite a lot everyday and actually use up an ink bottle every month. I have to buy another branded pen to use as a workhorse to do my regular writing though the ones I currently use are doing a fine job, just that it gets a bit boring to write with the same pen every day unless it is a pen like the Mont Blanc.

Friday Double Post- The Sunday Haul (1st Post)

There are days when I don’t find a single book worth buying at the Abids second hand book bazaar on Sundays and then there are days when I find more books than I can afford to buy. Last Sunday turned out to be one such day when I couldn’t decide which titles to pick up after I came across nearly half a dozen good ones. Despite much restraint I managed to pick up three good titles for under hundred rupees.

The first of the find was a book I had missed buying the previous Sunday. The first thing I did after parking my bike at Abids was head towards the seller where I had seen two good books last week. Luckily, Mohammed Hanif’s ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes.’ was still available with him and I bought it for fifty rupees which was quite a bargain for a book in good condition. However I was disappointed to see that Umberto Eco’s ‘Focault’s Pendulum’ and ‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan were gone.

The second find of the day was Alice Sebold’s ‘The Almost Moon’ with a distinct and eye-catching cover in violet. Though I had not read her first book ‘The Lovely Bones’ I had read ‘Lucky’ sometime last year and was quite enamored of her style of writing. I picked up ‘The Almost Moon’ for twenty rupees but do not plan to read it right away. I will find her first book, read it and then start ‘The Almost Moon’ soon after. I come across quite a few copies of ‘The Lovely Bones’ at second hand bookstores and also at Abids though I did not pick it up. Now I am determined to buy the book the moment I spot it anywhere.

Then, the final find of the day was again a book I had seen earlier but had not bought. I like to read memoirs by famous people about some experience (usually terrible) that they have gone through. One such book was Robert McCrum’s ‘My Year Off’ that was about the time the author who is a famous editor, had a brain stroke. The book I bought last week was a similar book- the actor Michael J Fox’s ‘Lucky Man’- an account of his Parkinson’s. I had first seen this hardcover copy at a secondhand book store but did not buy it since it was priced quite high. The other Sunday however, it was on sale on the pavement for only thirty rupees which was another reason I bought it.

Friday Double Post- Three Things (2nd Post)

Eating Out at Rotti Shoti

Finally I got to eat at the funnily named restaurant that I had seen a couple of months ago and where I had promised I would have dinner sometime in December. However I couldn’t make it to the place in December but sometime last week I went there with family for dinner on a special occasion. Rotti Shoti is in Sindhi Colony on the road that connects Paradise Restaurant to Minister’s Road. There isn’t much parking space there though I could see parking attendants hovering before the entrance like the place gets several cars.

The burly doorman gave me a stiff salute and opened the door. Though I couldn’t see any cars parked outside I was surprised to see the place filled with people. There was the usual noise of people talking loudly and the clatter of plates. Within seconds of sitting at the table menus appeared before us. Not feeling very adventurous we ordered ordinary fare. Though on the menu it said that it would take a minimum of twenty minutes for the orders to be served, not more than ten minutes passed before we had food on the table. Then the staff were quite attentive taking turns to come to our table to serve the food, fill the glasses without giving us an opportunity to draw their attention. The service gets my full marks.

Since I am not qualified enough to write about how the food we ordered was prepared and what ingredients went in, I am not elaborating though I can tell that the food was tasty. The ending was a disappointment since we couldn’t get the dessert we wanted. But the biggest surprise was that the bill did not amount to much since every thing was priced quite modestly. On the basis of the rates and the taste alone the place gets my approval. So, the khaana-waana at Rotti Shoti was fine and the bill-vill too was easy on the pocket.

Missing My Mont Blanc
There’s a certain kind of anxiety parents feel when they send their kids to a strange place for a long time. I am feeling the same kind of anxiety ever since I sent out my Meisterstück for repairs to faraway Rajkot. Its been a little more than a week and I’m missing my fountain pen like anything. I long for it to be back in my hands so that I can finish revising my first novel. I had put off the revisions under the excuse I don’t have my Meisterstück in my hands while revising it.

Sometime a couple of days ago I got a call from the Mont Blanc service center in Rajkot. The lady who spoke in a fancy accent told me that the repairs would cost me exactly three thousand four hundred and ninety rupees. When one uses such luxury accessories (purchased or gifted) one must be prepared for some costly maintenance so I simply agreed to the repairs even though it would leave a big hole in my wallet which already has a big Income Tax hole. After she also told me that I would get the pen back in a week I felt a little better. I have to wait for a few days more for my Meisterstück to be back in my hands.

The new Oxford Bookstore at the Park
One of the many reasons why I don’t actually look forward to going to book readings at fancy hotels like the Grand Kakatiya and the sort is I feel out of place there. Another reason is that the staff at the entrance don’t appear too happy welcoming people who visit the hotel on two wheelers. Their attitude towards those coming on motorbikes is akin to that of city slickers’ towards relatives coming on bullock carts. If you notice (unless you don’t own a motorbike) the parking place for two wheelers is somewhere at the back of such hotel out of sight of everyone. It is like the hotel staff is afraid that other guests who have driven there in their fancy cars would get upset sharing the hotel space with those coming on a two wheeler even if it is a Harley Davidson.

Yesterday evening I went (on my bike, naturally) to Hyderabad’s newest hotel- the Park at Somajiguda for a book reading of Akhil Sharma’s ‘An Obedient Father’ at the Oxford bookstore in the hotel. I was quite surprised to see how big and hip Oxford at the Park was. It had an attractive if unusual design in the trademark red and white décor. I was taken in by the nice, comfortable seats arranged all over the store for people to sit and browse. There were large, round, white coin like structures hanging from the ceiling giving it a strange feel. It was an unusual bookstore that I liked instantly. However I did not have the time to check out the café there and other knickknacks because the book reading had already started by the time I reached. It turned out to be quite an interesting book reading by Akhil Sharma about which I plan to write in another post later in the week.

Friday Double Post-2 : The Sunday Haul etc

Getting the Mont Blanc Fixed
Only a week ago I had seen its picture and had not expected to see the real thing so soon. The other Sunday I had found a Mont Blanc catalogue which was a feast to the eyes. One of the pens featured in it was the Meisterstück Solitaire Doue Geometric Dimension that was quite beautiful and in fact I had wondered how much it cost. The other day I decided to drop in at the Mont Blanc boutique at the Taj Deccan to get my Meisterstück fixed and not only got to look at this beautiful pen (the Solitaire Doue) I also learnt how much it costs. Needless to say, it isn’t something government guys like me can afford hence I did not think much about it (and also other stuff in the store) afterwards and focused on the task at hand.

Two months after I got a Mont Blanc Meisterstück as a birthday gift, and even before I had begun to write with it regularly, a mysterious hole appeared bang in the middle of the white star on the cap. For one reason or the other (mainly because of the cost of the repair) I kept putting off getting it fixed. Because of the hole I did not feel like writing with the pen all the time. Last week I took the decision to get it fixed no matter what the cost. I had been to the Mont Blanc outlet at Inorbit mall last week with Uma but had to return because they did not follow up on servicing. The store at the Taj Deccan was closed too but last Saturday when I went there alone it was open.

The person at the counter in the Mont Blanc boutique at the Taj Deccan sported a black Mont Blanc and a nice smile. I told him I did not know when he looked at the hole on the cap of my Meisterstück and asked me how the hole came about. He said the pen had to be sent to Rajkot if I wanted the hole to be fixed and also added that it would cost me around sixteen hundred rupees. When you own and write with a pen that costs more than thirty thousand rupees you don’t balk at spending sixteen hundred rupees for repairs so I agreed. So, off it goes to distant Rajkot and hopefully will return in about three weeks time. Curiously enough, though I wasn’t writing with the Meisterstück regularly because of the hole, I am now missing it very much. I am counting the days when it will be back in my hands.

The Sunday Haul

Sometimes I cannot understand some of my decisions most of which leave me full of regrets afterwards. Last Sunday at Abids I came across a beautiful, brand new copy of Mohammed Hanif’s ‘A Case of the Exploding Mangoes.’ I did not buy it even though the guy offered it for fifty rupees only. I simply walked away feeling that I have far too many books at home and unwilling to add one more. I had also seen Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement’ and Umberto Eco’s ‘Focault’s Pendulum’ the price of which I did not even ask. These two books (‘A Case of…’ and ‘Focault’s P…) are haunting my dreams since then. I cannot sleep properly until next Sunday when I plan to rush to Abids and pick up these two books before anyone does.

However, I picked up a magazine- The Sunday Times Travel magazine of July, 2007. It was in quite good condition and not having read any travel magazines of late I bought it. It cost me only twenty rupees though. Of the many articles in it one that I found slightly humorous was Josephine Davies’ account of her trip to Damascus accompanied by her mum during the month of Ramadan. Not that this magazine wasn’t very interesting but the fact is that I am used to the Conde Nast Traveller style of writing. Until I find another issue of Conde Nast I have to keep reading these.


Off on a Short Trip

I am on a short trip with the family to Tirupati. I visit the place quite regularly and love visiting the temple. I am going on a package tour with IRCTC which is quite comfortable. Everything from the train reservation, accommodation, food and even the darshan is taken care of so it doesn't tax your mind very much.

Friday Double Post- Anil Ekbote, A Tribute

One of the first questions I’m asked the moment I am introduced to anyone is- ‘Are you related to Gopal Rao Ekbote?’ even though I am not. Until 1996 my standard reply was that I did not know him. I did not expect to meet any other Ekbote other than my own immediate relations. Sometime in 1996 I met another Ekbote who was not related to me. It was Anil Ekbote. For those who read the Deccan Chronicle, he was the paper's foremost movie critic writing simple yet perceptive reviews. For some reason he stopped writing for them. He also happened to be the instructor of my IGNOU creative writing course and of course, I was sort of thrilled to meet him in person. Over the years I came to know him as a very learned man, modest and unassuming. I kept in touch with him on and off over the years.

It was a shock to learn that he had passed away not more than a week ago. I had last met him a couple of years when he was not keeping good health after the death of his wife. He had talked about the launch of his book. He was a sort of inspiration to us, his writing students, since he was not only a writer; he was a movie and art critic, translator and what not. He was so obsessed with writing he took voluntary retirement from the Electricity Department and focused on his writing pursuits. I was amazed at his interest in writing and longed to follow in his footsteps but it seemed impossible. Nevertheless, he remained an inspiration to us. He would always have something new to tell us every week, about something he had begun or submitted to the papers for publication.

After learning about his death I felt guilty for not having kept in touch with him in the past few years. Last week I went along with Kiran and Sailaja to meet his daughter. I told Aparna, his only daughter that I had invited her father to our house one day for lunch. He had readily agreed and came home one day unexpectedly and had lunch with me.

Anil Ekbote had encouraged me a lot and on my assignments he had marked ‘Excellent’ which boosted my confidence. It perhaps led to the publication of my first middle in a newspaper. He was proud of our work and encouraged us constantly in that soft voice of his. An important lesson I learnt from him was to be observant and to notice everything around us as it would help us a lot in writing.

Anil Ekbote's death is a great loss to the literary scene, especially the Marathi literary scene.

The Sunday and Recent Haul

In the excitement of posting about my recent finds of Joan Didion’s ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ and ‘At Home With Books’ at Begumpet’s Frankfurt Bookstore and at the Best Books sale at YMCA I had completely forgotten two more books that I had found at the same time. On the day that I had picked up Didion’s book at Frankfurt Begumpet I had bought two other books that I found.

The first find was my second copy of Stieg Larrson’s ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ which was in a far better condition than the one that I had found at Abids a couple of months ago. The earlier copy was an Maclehose edition and after I bought it I had thought it did not have all the pages in the end. But when I took out the one I found (Black Lizard edition) I realized I was mistaken. My earlier copy too had all the pages right up to the end of the story. It too had an excerpt of Larrson’s second book ‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’ and since the excerpt ends abruptly I took it to be the ending of the original book. But it is quite a lengthy book running to 644 pages and might take me at least a fortnight if not a month to finish it. Judging by the reviews of the book I should have read these two books long back. But then as the saying goes ‘better late than never’ I plan to begin TGWTDT sometime in the first week of February. Of course, I expect to find ‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’ very soon.

The other find at Frankfurt was Zadie Smith’s ‘The Autograph Man’ that I got for the same price that I got Stieg Larrson’s book- hundred rupees. Zadie Smith’s books, especially ‘White Teeth’ were something I was looking forward quite eagerly to read if only I could find second hand copies. ‘The Autograph Man’ is her second book I guess which came after ‘White Teeth’ which is what I want to read first before I read ‘The Autograph Man.’ Of course I am also eager to read her book of essays titled ‘Changing My Mind’ that I read about somewhere recently. I don’t remember where I read it. These two finds were ones I made on a day other than a Sunday.

On Sunday the haul at Abids consisted of two finds and not one of them a book but interesting nonetheless. The first find was the June 2007 issue of ‘Literary Review’ that I got for only ten rupees. I picked it up because it was the first time I was finding the magazine at Abids and though it was quite dated there was a review of Ryszard Kapuscinski’s ‘Travels with Herodotus’ in it that I wanted to read. Plus there was a review of Haruki Murakami’s ‘After Dark’ that I also wanted to read. It was a good find since there was a lot in it about books, reviews, new books and new authors I haven’t even heard before.

The other find on Sunday at Abids was a 2010 Mont Blanc catalogue, beautiful in black with stunning pictures of the beautiful pens. There were pictures of a new series made with ‘Meissen Porcelain’ that I haven’t seen anywhere before. Mont Blanc is talking about their pens as something that you pass on to your children, as a sort of legacy. The ads for Patek Philippe watches too have a similar theme (You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.) Anyway, there were two other models, the Meisterstück Solitaire Silver Barley and Meisterstück Solitaire Geometric Dimension, both so breathtakingly beautiful I wondered why I was not born rich.

Incidentally, the other day I started with Uma for the Mont Blanc store in the Inorbit mall at far away Madhapur, to get the hole in the star on the cap of my Meisterstück fixed. It turned out that they do not do any servicing at that outlet being a franchisee and the person asked me to go to the MB outlets in either Taj Deccan or the Grand Kakatiya. We also dropped in at the ‘editions’ store next door and gawked at the pens displayed. The counter person told us that they stock pens of brand one normally cannot find anywhere. I was quite excited to see copies of ‘Pen World’ magazine of December 2010 for sale at four hundred rupees each. Then there was a hefty book on pens that was for Rs 3500. We did not buy anything but walked out to go to Taj Deccan. Unfortunately for us, being the Republic Day, the Mont Blanc outlet at Taj Deccan was closed. I wonder what if one of the guests at Taj Deccan developed a sudden desire to buy a Mont Blanc pen that very day where would he go?

Double Post- 'AT HOME WITH BOOKS'- 2

‘Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.’- Barbara Tuchman

‘Dispensary to the soul.’- Library inscription in Trajan’s forum, Rome.

‘I have seen men hazard their fortunes, go on long journeys half around the world, forge friendships, even lie, cheat and steal, all for the gain of a book.’ A.S.W. Rosenbach

‘You can read a person by the books he reads.’ A.L. Rowse (historian)

If that is true then I wonder what my own collection of books would reveal about me. I have small collections of travel books by Pico Iyer, Paul Theroux, VS Naipaul and others, books by Elmore Leonard, Dave Barry, Somerset Maugham, books on writing, fountain pens, books on books and reading, autobiographies and memoirs especially of writers and movie stars, and scores of other titles, mostly about humor. The sight of all these books scattered around my house sometimes consoles me that my books are one of the few things that make me someone more than just a faceless bureaucrat.

All these days, watching books clutter up every space in the house, I was feeling that I had with me far too many books. But in AHWB I read about people with collections of books running into thousands. My pathetic collection of a couple of hundred books is nothing before the number of books some of the people featured in the book- Seymour Durst (12000),Barbara Kirshenblatt Gimblett (15000 books), Victor Niederhoffer (18000 books), Ruth and Marvin Sackner (35000) and others who have thousands of books arranged in beautiful bookshelves in their equally beautiful homes and libraries.

One reason I love AHWB is the photographs of the people and their homes filled with bookshelves. Some of the people have the sort of homes I would love to live in if I were to earn as much as they earn. Surprisingly, many of the people in the book happen to be architects or designers like Laurie Mallett, Thomas Britt, Michele Oka Doner, Michael Graves, Robert A. M. Stern, Bill Blass, David Hicks, Joan Vass and of course, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and so many others.

Some of those people whose collections in ‘At Home With Books’ that I have found to be fascinating are those by Nicolas Barker, Barbara, Richard Howard, Kitty D’Alessio, John and Jane Stubbs whose collection is the first in the book, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (my favorite) and too many others to be mentioned here.

It is both humbling and inspiring to read about the effort, money and passion some of the collectors put into collecting books. Some have actually built climate controlled rooms or libraries so that nothing affects their precious books. Some are dedicated to building a collection on a particular theme like Seymour Durst who has thousand of books on New York, Loren and Frances Rothschild on Samuel Johnson and others who have collections on art, music and such culturally relevant subjects. In a way they are preserving culture for the future generations. I think all book lovers owe a lot to these indefatigable collectors.

What I realized after going through the articles on these dedicated and passionate collectors is that I too should bring some kind of an order to my book collection however simple it is. It makes sense to keep all your books neatly arranged in bookshelves which is where they belong. Having them in that manner gives the books the place they deserve and at the same time imparts a sense of order to one’s life. Another side effect of the book was that I was able to convince my family members that I am not the only one in the world who buys too books and fills the house.

I had been reading about Hay-On-Wye since long and had wondered how it would be. There was a separate chapter in At Home With Books on this book town on the border of England and Wales with a lot of pictures of its more than two dozen book stores and also how Richard Booth thought up the idea of such a place. It is one of my dreams to visit the place sometime in the future.

Buying several copies of the same title isn’t a habit only I have because apparently there is another person, Peter Canell who acquires several copies of his favorite books and gives them away to his friends. (Maybe here I can confess that I picked up the paperback copy of Joan Didion’s ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ at the same sale.)Then there is stuff about “Library Organizers” who will organize your book collection into a manageable affair which was quite interesting to read. There’s an entire chapter on specialist book binders and conservationists and I was fascinated to read that Richard Minsky binds books so well that they get stolen often.

There are chapters on how to start a book collection, on how to take care of your books containing advice I would do well to follow if I don’t want to lose my books to dampness, dust and insects. There are lists of dealers of antique, rare books in the USA and England, of people who manufacture library ladders, reading and almost everything related to collecting books.

I am glad I found this absolutely priceless book that everyone who loves books should read if not own. The book has given me a new perspective on the people who love books and collect them. It isn’t a book that one can find in your ordinary book store but I found it at a second hand book sale. This is what I mean when I say I am really lucky with books. But I am really curious how this book belonging to the British Library in Hyderabad made its way to the book sale.

Double Post- 'AT HOME WITH BOOKS'- 1

Why I do it is a bit difficult to explain but I cannot resist anything, especially books, on writing, reading, fountain pens and on books. After I spot something like that I’m restless until I make the book my own. Ordinarily it is quite rare to find a book on or about books. My last book on books was Pradeep Sebastian’s ‘The Groaning Shelf’ that I bought two copies of a couple of months ago. I’ve found another book on books and this was on my second visit to the Best Book sale. I wonder how I missed spotting this book because it was no ordinary book. In size, content and the pictures it was unlike any other book on books I had ever come across. ‘At Home With Books’ was the wonderful book I immediately lapped up paying three hundred and fifty rupees for it. It is a book that I couldn’t just miss buying.

Nothing can be luckier for someone who loves books to find a book on books. Pradeep Sebastian’s ‘The Groaning Shelf’ is another invaluable book about books, reading and book collecting. However, TGS is a small sized book without any pictures or illustrations. On the other hand AHWB is a super-sized book with colorful pictures on every page. It has every thing a book collector needs to know- other book collectors and their magnificent collections, articles on care of books, articles on starting a book collection, and so on. It is just what I felt I lacked in my book collecting life. Now I feel a large gap in my book shelf (and my knowledge of books) has been filled.


Just as finding and reading ‘The Groaning Shelf’ convinced me that I was not the only one mad about books, ‘At Home With Books’ too convinced me that I was not the only one crazy to buy several copies of the same title. There are several book collectors featured in AHWB who own several thousands of books and have collections I cannot even dream of putting up in my life time. Apart from featuring designers, millionaire collectors, genuine book lovers who talk about their love of books the book also has stunning photographs of the books, the bookshelves and the rooms that house the collections. It is not only a feast to the mind it is also a feast to the eyes. I am unable to decide which is the best part of the books- the profiles of the collectors or the pictures of their collections? Whatever it is, I am glad I found this book that has me seriously thinking of my own motley collection.

The hardcover copy of ‘At Home With Books’(Eds- Estelle Ellis, Caroline Seebohm and Christopher Simon Sykes) that I found last week is in immaculate condition with a transparent plastic jacket over the covers. One look at the pictures alongside and one will know how beautiful the book is. Running into almost three hundred and fifty pages, the book has beautiful color photographs on almost every page which makes it a visual delight. It is one reason why I asked my friend Uma Shankar to take a few pictures because he is a far better photographer than I am and also has a better camera than the one I have. (Thanks, Uma for the beautiful pictures.)

There are names in AHWB I haven’t come across anywhere before except that of Paul Getty, Roger Rosenblatt, and Keith Richards (of Rolling Stones). Until I read the book I had no idea who Seymour Durst, Victor Niedehoffer, Laurie Mallett, Richard Minsky, Bill Blass, Nicolas Barker, Niall Smith, Peter Canell, Kitty D’Aleessio, Richard Howard, John Richardson and many others were. But now I know what wonderful book collections they have and how much they love books. They are exactly the sort of people I would love to know.

There’s more in the next post- ‘At Home With Books’- 2 with some more wonderful pictures. I’m putting both posts at the same time.

Golconda High School- Movie Review

Mercifully movies don’t hold as much attraction to me as do books. However, I try to watch good movies whenever I find time or learn about one worth watching. Last Saturday, for the first time in my life, I went to a movie on the first day of its release and saw the second show of the day. It wasn’t an ordinary movie but one that was made out of a friend’s novel. The friend in question is Harimohan Paruvu and the novel in question is his bestselling first book ‘The Men Within’ which was made into a film ‘Golconda High School’ that was released Saturday last. I watched the film at Prasad’s in the afternoon. When I bought the tickets I noticed on the display that the tickets to the movie were easily available and that was when I began doubting. But later the hall filled up.

When Hari told me the actor Sumanth would be playing the lead in GHS I was a bit skeptical. Though I haven’t watched any of Sumanth’s movies I could make out that his films did not do well. One of the reasons could be his acting. I went to GHS expecting the movie to be undone by Sumanth but I was wrong. Actually it was Sumanth who carried the entire movie on his shoulders. I guess it was his finest performances till date and I hope he gets some acclaim for it. For those who do not know, GHS is based on ‘The Men Within’ which is a story of a cricket coach and his team of students of Golconda High School. It is a tale of how the coach transforms the skeptical kids into a team that wins the Inter School trophy.

Comparisons with ‘Chak De’ are inevitable since the theme more or less is the same- that of an inspired coach who puts brings together a bunch of players and transforms them into a winning team and in the process, redeeming himself. But there are a lot of differences between the ‘Chak De’ and ‘Golkonda High School’ worth talking about. First, GHS is about cricket whereas Chak De is about hockey. If it was a team of grown up girls in Chak De then the team in Golconda High School is made up of young school boys. If the goal in ‘Chak De’ is winning the World Cup, then it is the Inter School Cup in Golconda High School. Of course, the big, big difference is that ‘Chak De’ has Shah Rukh Khan whereas it is Sumanth in GHS. I really liked SRK’s performance in Chak De but Sumanth also pulled off an equally laudable performance in Golconda High School. I guess he deserves some kind of recognition for his performance in the movie as the determined coach.

Apart from Sumanth others too have shone in their roles. The actor who played ‘Kirit’ almost matched Sumanth but I cannot say the same about Swati who is not required to act much other than to act coy. The true stars of the movie are some of the kids- the boy who played ‘Siddhant’ had a strong screen presence. The boy who played ‘Mikey’ also acted well. The kid who played ‘Nasir’ had a lot of potential but wasn’t exploited. Ditto with the kid who played ‘Gautam’. There were moments when I had a lump in the throat, especially the scene where the coach asks the hotel guy to forgive Mikey and all the kids realize what the coach is. It was one of the memorable scenes in the movie. Some of the songs in the movie reminded of those in Art Beat Capital’s earlier movie- Ashta Chemma.

The final verdict is that Golconda High School is an interesting and engrossing movie worth watching with your school going kids, if you have any. I have three hopes for the movie- 1) that it will do well 2) that it will win some kind of an award and finally 3) that it will be made compulsory viewing for parents of all those kids forced into ‘coaching centers’ and who don’t think sports help kids in any way.

PS: If you don’t know how Hari looks like maybe you can watch him in the movie bowling to the Golconda High School team.