The Sunday Haul (on 27-10-2024)

Las week it was Diwali week as preparations for the major festival have begun. The ads in the newspapers and television are screaming discounts to lure buyers. The shoppers have already begun crowding the stores as I noticed at Chikkadpally on the way to Abids. A nice book I had seen the previous Sunday and thought of buying wasn’t there and I was disappointed for not buying it the moment I saw it. I then left for Abids. 

 

At Abids, all  the shops were open, and the first of the shoppers were arriving as I went around the streets. Some sellers had to shift from their original places but they were around somewhere. More or less all the sellers were present with their books laid out on the pavements. 

 

I began from the sellers in front of the GPO. The first title I found was a nice copy of 

‘Loving’ by Henry Green. Strangely enough, sometime back I had found a copy of ‘Loving, Living; Party Going’ by Henry Green that did not seem to hold my interest when I read a few pages of the first part. So I gave it away and later regretted parting with the book. I did not want to miss this copy of ‘Loving’ by Henry Green so I bought it and got it for a hundred rupees. 

 

With another seller right next I spotted a copy of ‘Testaments Betrayed’ by Milan Kundera, and it said ‘an essay in nine parts’ which made me buy it because I love reading essays though these do not appear to be the kind of essays I like. Anyway, this too I got for a hundred rupees which seems not much to pay for this kind of book. 

 

A long time back, maybe three decades or so I had read the name Eric Sevareid somewhere that I don’t remember now. But the name remained in my memory and so when I saw a copy of ‘Not so Wild a Dream’ by Eric Sevareid I picked it up to see what it was. I hesitated before buying it because it was too long, about 516 pages but then it was in a heap of books being sole for just fifty rupees. It wasn’t a difficult decision. I picked it up rather than regret later for not picking up though it appeared like no one would buy it. 

 

This is one book that I had been waiting to read since long but the copies I saw in bookstores were all hardcover ones so when I found this paperback copy of ‘Em and the Big HOOM’ by Jerry Pinto I picked it up. This I got for eighty rupees only. 

The Sunday Haul (on 20.10.2024)

 Last Sunday I had the kind of super haul of books I haven’t had so far this year. I found more than half a dozen wonderful titles that filled me with lots of joy and also a certain confidence that I indeed have an eye for picking out good titles. 

 

The effects of the viral fever that I had for more than two weeks seemed to be wearing off and I felt much better than ever. I had started for Abids about an hour earlier than my usual time because I wanted to take public transport, and also take my own time to look at all the books laid on the pavements.

 

So, I began first with the sellers at Chikkadpally on the way to Abids. The first find was a wonderful book. I found a copy of ‘Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide’, something I felt I should have found long back. There’s so much about books by well-known writers, books in different genres, and other titles that I looked forward to start reading it right away. I got it for hundred rupees only. 

 

Then with another seller I found an almost new copy of ‘The Crooked Timber of New India’ by Parakala Prabhakar, a title that I had been wanting to read ever since it came out sometime last year. It is about how the country is being run at present. I got it for a hundred and fifty rupees. 

 

Then I hopped on another bus upto YMCA, and from there took a ride on a bike. I had chai and samosa in Grand while flipping through the pages of the two books I had found earlier at Chikkadpally. After the break for tea the first title I found at Abids was something that looked different but good. I spotted a copy of ‘The Novels of Ayi Kwei Armah’ by Robert Fraser, a slim hardcover book. I had never heard of Ayi Kwei Armah, and when I saw that the book was published by Heinemann I felt Armah must be one good novelist. So, I took this book and added it to my haul. 

 

I have the feeling that there is a lot I have to learn about writing beginning with grammar. So whenever I spot a good book on grammar I buy it. When I found ‘Bloomsbury Grammar Guide’, incidentally the second Bloomsbury title of the day, I picked it up. While paying for it I happened to glance at other books on the pavement and my eyes spotted the familiar logo of The Harvill Press on the cover of a book. 

Knowing how precious these books are I picked it up and saw that it was ‘The Conspiracy & Other Stories’ by Jaan Kross. I had once again found a book by an author I had never heard before. When I looked down at the bottom of the cover I saw the blurb by Doris Lessing- ‘Jaan Kross’ scope and depth make him a world writer.’ I knew it was too good and so grabbed it and was surprised when the seller asked just fifty rupees for it. In my heart of hearts, I knew that it was the best find in the haul I had gathered so far. It has the following stories: The Wound; Lead Piping; The Stahl Grammar; The Conspiracy; The Ashtray; and The Day Eyes Were Opened. 

 

I have a few titles by Jerzy Kosinski except the ‘The Painted Bird’ that I am still looking for as he is considered an unconventional writer. So when I spotted a slim book, a copy of ‘Being There’ by Jerzy Kosinski lying in a heap of books selling for just fifty rupees I grabbed it. On the cover it said that it was also made into a picture starring Peter Sellers and Shirley Maclaine. I was pleased to have found it. 

 

After finding these six titles I decided enough was enough and thought of not buying any more titles. However, once at Abids I cannot return without checking out all the sellers. So, it while doing so that I spotted another wonderful title that had the sort of an arresting cover that marks it out as something good. It was a copy of ‘Mr. Mani’ by A.B. Yehoshua, an author I hadn’t heard about before. But I was certain it was a good book even before I read on the cover the blurb by ‘The Nation’ that said- ‘A marvel…the Nobel Prize has been given for less.’ I felt it in my gut that it was a good book and so bought it for seventy-five rupees. It is translated from the Hebrew by Hillen Halkin and is ‘A Harvest Book’ published by Harcourt Brace & Company. 

 

With the same seller was another book on something that interests me a lot- handwriting. I found a copy of ‘The Missing Ink: How Handwriting Made Us Who We Are’ by Philip Hensher, a name I remember reading somewhere. This was the eighth book of last Sunday’s haul at Abids, and it was a wonderful haul of some wonderful titles by authors I haven’t heard about before. I just hope I find the time sometime soon to read at least a couple of books from this haul. 

The Sunday Haul (on 13.10.2024)

I was down with viral fever since the past two weeks and hence missed going to Abids for two weeks consecutively. However, I recovered and went to Abids last Sunday. Having missed two Sundays I was eager and hoped to pick up a lot of books but ended up buying only two though I saw a few titles that I now feel I should have bought and one among them was ‘The Great Railway Bazaar’ by Paul Theroux that I already have. 

Anyway, I first went to the seller at RTC X Roads and found a copy of ‘Subaltern Studies III: Writings on South Asian History and Society’ edited by Ranajit Guha. I had read about Ranajit Guha and so picked it up though it looked like an academic book. I got it for a hundred rupees.

 

When I saw the copy of ‘Walking the Mountains’ by Wilfred Thesiger later at Abids I was thrilled and bought it right away. I thought I had found another wonderful Thesiger title but when I sat in Star of India and leafed through the book over a cup of chai I realized that I already have a copy of it that I found a while ago. I did not regret buying it because I can always give it to someone who might enjoy reading it. 

On Friday last I had been to the launch of 'Beyond Biryani' by Dinesh C. Sharma, at the Guruswamy Centre in Secunderabad. The book is about Hyderabad and how it developed over the years as described by the author. The distinguished panel who had a discussion later highlighted other aspects of Hyderabad not many knew. I had taken along my son who seemed to have been awed by the attendees and the quality of the discussion. The price is of the book is too steep- Rs.799/, and I hope the book is worth it. I also got the book signed by the author who is also a journalist. 

Hyderabad Book Fair news: I had read in the papers that the annual Hyderabad National Book Fair would be conducted sometime in the second fortnight of December this year. A seller at Abids told me that it could be from December 19-29, 2024. So it is a wait of two more months. 

The Sunday Haul (on 22-09-2024)

 Last Sunday, mercifully it did not rain here in Hyderabad so my trip to Abids was on. But due to some wrong planning on my part and some unexpected delays I could not spend much time at Abids. However, I was able to find the copy of ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ by Carson McCullers that I had seen the previous week and hadn’t bought. 

 

The copy of ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ by Carson McCullers had a beautiful white cover and I bought it though I already have a copy at home. But the copy I found at Abids last Sunday was a Penguin edition and smaller in size than the copy I had that was a first Mariner Books 2000 edition with a photograph of the author with the saddest face I have ever seen. 

The Sunday Haul (on 15-09-2024)

 After what seemed like a fortnight of wet weather Hyderabad had some beautiful weather since the past one week. The sun shone brightly last Sunday in Hyderabad brightening up the day and also my mood. Add to it my son agreed to come along with me to Abids. It meant I could get to Abids on a two wheeler earlier than my usual time. So off we went after breakfast and reached Abids only to find some sellers were not at their usual places because some of the shops were opened for the wedding/festival crowd.

I bought only one book and that was a nice copy of ‘The Big Sleep’ by Raymond Chandler that was a Black Lizard Vintage Crime edition. I already have two copies of this title but did not want to miss this beautiful copy so I bought it for just eighty rupees. 

 

Afterwards we had chai and chota samosa in the Star of India café and sat for a while talking. He hadn’t found anything interesting and I did not want to suggest anything to him because I wanted him to choose his own titles that he wanted to read. 

 

I had seen a beautiful copy of ‘The Crying of Lot 49’ by Thomas Pynchon with the seller right beside Star of India, and later I spotted a nice copy of ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ by Carson McCullers that I did not buy. I thought maybe I wouldn’t be able to find the time to read Pynchon’s book though I have a copy of ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ that I have already read. If I find them next Sunday I will pick them up because the copy of ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ is too beautiful to miss because of its wonderful cover. 

The Sunday Haul (on 08-09-2024)

 Last week too the wet weather continued though it did not rain on Sunday until after I had bought just one book there. It was a wet and miserable week we in Telangana had with daily rain, and not just rain but heavy downpour all the time. I thought it wouldn’t rain on Sunday last when I stepped out of the house and looked at the clouds in the sky. I took a chance and left for Abids after breakfast. 

Since a couple of months I have begun a new routine as I am traveling by city bus after my accident in November last. So I began first with the sellers at Chikkadpally. With one of the sellers I found a copy of ‘The Sound of Mountain Water’ by Wallace Stegner, a book of essays on the West in the US. I also have his ‘Where the BlueBird Sings to the  Lemonade Springs’  and also ‘Second Growth’  that I had found long back but haven’t yet read. 

 

After that I got to Abids in a longish way, first going to Afzal Gunj and then catching an 8A and getting down near the GPO. First, I had chai and chota samosa in Grand Hotel and then began my hunt. I found a copy of a Telugu book- ‘Viewlu, Reviewlu’ by Sri Sri or Srirangam Srinivas Shastry, the popular leftist writer known for his fiery lyrics. This was a book of his essays and his reviews of Telugu novels and other books. I got it for fifty rupees and felt glad at finding this wonderful book. I had found one of his most famous books, a collection of verse, ‘Mahaprasthanam’ long back. 

 

Then moments later it began to drizzle and it became a steady downpour. I watched as the booksellers hastily covered the books on the pavement with plastic sheets. I knew they would all wind up their business if it continued to rain and so lost heart in going around further. I went to Nampally and got into 20P that would take me home. 

The Sunday Haul That Wasn’t

 Since Friday last week it rained heavily and continuously in Telangana as well as Hyderabad which put life out of gear for everyone. Since no bookseller would want to put out his books on the pavements in such weather at Abids I too dropped the idea of going there on Sunday. It was on Sunday that it rained the heaviest. Somehow I missed going to Abids, looking for books, having chai in the Irani and returning home heart filled with that joy that comes with buying good books.

 However, on last Thursday I had dropped in at ‘Unique’ bookstore in Khairatabad and found a gem there on the shelves. I spotted a copy of ‘Flannery O’ Connor: The Complete Stories’ with an attractive cover that featured a peacock. Though it was priced at three hundred rupees I did not want to miss buying it and regret later since it had thirty one stories including her famous ‘All that Rises Must Converge’ and ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ that I had already read. 

I had found a copy of another collection by Flannery O’ Connor titled ‘All that Rises Must Converge’ sometime recently that had … stories that are also included in ‘Flannery O’ Connor: The Complete Stories’. The list of the thirty-one stories in it is as follows: The Geranium, The Barber, Wildcat, The Crop, The Turkey, The Train, The Peeler, The Heart of the Park, A Stroke of Good Fortune, Enoch and the Gorilla, A Good Man is Hard to Find, A Late Encounter with the Enemy, The Life You Save May Be Your Own, The River, A Circle in the Fire, The Displaced Person, A Temple of the Holy Ghost, The Artificial Nigger, Good Country People, You Can’t Be Any Poorer Than Dead, Greenleaf, A View of the Woods, The Enduring Chill, The Comforts of Home, Every That Rises Must Converge, The Partridge Festival, The Lame Shall Enter First, Why Do the Heathen Rage?, Revelation, Parker’s Back, and Judgement Day.

 

There’s an Introduction by Robert Giroux that throws light on Flannery O' Connor the writer and the person.  

The Sunday Haul (on 25.08.2025)

 During the monsoon naturally it rains and so there’s nothing anyone can do about it. But the only day I do not want it to rain is on a Sunday. Luckily for me it didn’t rain last Sunday when I set out for Abids. It was cloudy, though. Since last November when I fractured my right shoulder bone in a minor accident I am travelling by bus and avoiding riding the two-wheeler. Until recently I used to travel on a different route, partly by bus and partly by Uber Moto. Recently I discovered a different route where I could get a bus that would drop me near home. So I changed my Abids routine starting from Chikkadpally instead of the other way around.

 

Last Sunday I began my browsing first at RTC Crossroads where there is a seller at the junction. Here I found a copy of ‘Woodworm’ by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay with a lovely cover that I got for fifty rupees. Then onwards to Chikkadpally where I saw nothing worth buying. 

Later I got dropped at Abids, and after the customary chai at the Irani café I saw a copy of ‘In Transit’ by Mavis Gallant, a collection of short stories by this wonderful Canadian writer. I got this too for fifty rupees only. 

 

Then with another seller near Bata in a heap of books selling for Rs.50 I found a copy of ‘Respected Sir’ by Naguib Mahfouz, the Nobel laureate from Egypt, that I was thrilled to find. 

Then in the same heap I found a copy of ‘The Story of a Seaside Village’ by Thoppil Mohammed Meeran that appeared very interesting. Both these books are slim volumes that one can finish reading in a few hours. 

 

The other week I saw an ad by The Hindu Group of Publications about some of their books in The Hindu paper. One of the books was ‘Ashokamitran: Beyond Fiction’ that I ordered because Ashokamitran is one of my favourite writers and I wanted to know what this book was. It was delivered the other day, and I am thrilled to find so many pieces by Ashokamitran that I haven’t read. 

The Sunday Haul (on 18.08.2024)

 It was very sunny and also hot in Hyderabad last Sunday. Since the couple of days the weather has been like this, hot and humid in the morning and thunderstorms with heavy rains in the late afternoon or evening.  Even as I was about to leave after completing my browsing and picking up three wonderful titles the sky became dark with clouds as if it is going to rain heavily but it did not. 

The first title I found was a copy of ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ by TE Lawrence, a title that I already have though I could not locate it when I wanted to read it. The copy I saw last Sunday was a different edition and had a beautiful cover but it seemed to be have been pressed to one side. On the whole it was in good condition and I did not want to leave it behind. I was pleased when the seller asked for only fifty rupees for this book.

On way my home I did not want to stop at the last seller as I had not bought anything from him since a long time since he had the same books I’ve been seeing since quite a long time. Last Sunday the seller, a young fellow, stopped me and told me to take a look at the books he had in a sack. Though impatient to leave as it was getting quite late I decided to see what he had as he took out the books one by one from the sack and showed them to me. 

 

When I saw the copy of ‘Understanding the Muslim Mind’ by Rajmohan Gandhi I wanted to take it. I had bought another title by the same author not long ago and though I had not read it I wanted this title by him too. 

The other book I took was a Penguin Classics edition of ‘Odyssey’ by Homer tr: E.V. Rieu who was also editor of Penguin Classics for more than two decades. I am embarrassed to reveal that I have not read this classic work till date and promised myself to begin reading it since I have at last bought it. When I got home and showed my son the books I had bought he told me I already have a copy of ‘Odyssey’ that surprised me since I do not remember buying it earlier. 

The Sunday Haul (on 11-08-2024)

  Last Sunday it was again sunny and bright with no sign of cloud or rain which was something I hoped for since I would be going to the second-hand book bazaar at Abids. Though I had planned to go at my usual time I had to go a bit earlier because Hari had said he would be there with a box of books to give away to one of the sellers. After he gave away the carton and a bag of books, we sat in the Star of India café and had chota samosa and chai over a conversation that we have been having ever since we met way back in 1996.

 

Just before I met Hari I managed to find two good titles. The first title I found was a copy of ‘Spider’ by Michael Morley that was a crime fiction title that I love to read and also it was a Penguin title. So I picked it up hoping it would be a good read though I had not heard of the author before but I bought it because it was a Penguin book. I got it for eighty rupees.

 

The next title I found was an almost new copy of ‘The Conscience of a Liberal’ by Michael Krugman, the famous economist whose columns appear in many dailies worldwide. It stood out with its attractive cover and I bought it for a hundred rupees. I sometimes like to read about subjects I am not very interested in but am curious to know on the surface. I hope it is something I would find interesting. 

 

Narendra Luther is a name many Hyderabadis will be familiar with since he was a well-known writer who has written several books about history of Hyderabad and its past rulers. Other than that he was a senior and respected IAS officer who also served as the Chief Secretary of united Andhra Pradesh. I saw him a couple of times in literary gatherings when he was active. He had a tremendous sense of humour. Though I haven’t read his books I remember he used to write occasional pieces in the local papers. Anyway, I saw a nice copy of ‘A Bonsai Tree’ by Narendra Luther at Chikkadpally. It was his autobiography and was a hardcover. I got it for a hundred rupees.