The Unbeatable Hyderabadi

When it comes to breaking traffic rules no one can beat a Hyderabadi in either variety or sheer ingenuity. In fact, there are very few things a Hyderabadi can be beaten at. (However, nowadays it happens to be the 20-20 cricket we seem to be getting beaten at regularly. One can say not all of the Deccan Chargers are Hyderabadis. But then, the captain is a Hyderabadi. That alone is sufficient. But that is another story for a later time.)

Here are some of the most common traffic violations Hyderabadis routinely commit. Sometimes it appears a Hyderabadi motorist feels uneasy and restless if he hasn't broken at least one traffic rule every day.

1. The most common traffic violation is driving through the red light at traffic signals. They must be color blind or in a great hurry not to notice the red light.

2. The second most common traffic violation is driving without a helmet. It is several years since the helmet rule was brought in but half the two wheeler riders do not seem to know it. Some really don't know how to wear a helmet and hence carry it with them on their bike/scooters hanging at the back.

3. The third common violation is driving in the wrong lane. Some people don't believe in the lane system. They just want to go wherever they want to go in the shortest way possible even if it happens to be a one way road.

Of course, there are several other rules that the Hyderabadi doesn't believe in- riding triples, drunken driving, driving without headlights in the night, driving without driving licence and so on.

But two habits of Hyderabadis really irk me-One is driving a two wheeler without a helmet with the entire family hanging on to the bike and not stopping at a red light. It shows how responsible parents our Hyderabadi guys are. The other is not giving way to ambulances. I really do not understand why we don't give way to ambulances. It beats me.

Jeffrey Archer - Everywhere in India except Hyderabad

Sometime back I had read somewhere that Jeffrey Archer would be visiting the country to promote his latest book- A Prisoner of Birth. I had forgotten all about it until I caught him on television yesterday evening. I had read a couple of his books a long time back and I admit I don’t remember much of them. However I plan to reread all his books especially after I heard what he said in the interview on television yesterday.

I was amazed when he told the gathering that he wrote seventeen drafts of his latest book and all of them in long hand! It is incredible commitment to writing well. Needless to say he is a bestselling author. One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why his books sell in the millions. He also said that he works in two hour spells starting early in the morning with two hour breaks in between until nine in the night. He is a disciplined and hardworking writer, no doubt about that. Archer also told the gathering of youngsters that one needs talent plus hard work in order to succeed and talent alone is not enough. All that he has said in the television interview makes me feel like taking a different look at Archer. But the disappointment is that while Lucknow is on his itinerary Hyderabad isn't!

Coincidentally, today’s supplement in the Times of India also carried an interview with him where he repeats what he had said on the television interview. From his high praise of Indians and things Indian it is clear that he is out to charm us into buying his books. Even without it his books sell in the thousands in the country anyway. I look forward to more interviews and stories on him in the national magazines like The Week, India Today and the Outlook.

Talking of Outlook reminds me of a disappointing experience I had this week. In the previous issue the magazine informed the readers that ‘exclusive pre-publication extracts’ from Amitav Ghosh’s ‘Sea of Poppies’ would be issued in form of a booklet with this week’s issue. A friend too told me about it so I went to the magazine stand to ask for it. I was informed that no such booklet was being given with the latest issue of Outlook. I read the full page advertisement in last week’s issue again. I read that the booklet of excerpts would be issued only in select towns. It makes me wonder whether Hyderabad is a city or a town. I wonder why Hyderabadis are being denied the chance of reading the extract of Amitav Ghosh's forthcoming novel.

I also wonder if the reading habits of Hyderabad haven’t impressed the guys at Outlook. Or maybe the sales figures of the magazine are so low that they thought it is not worth giving the extracts away in Hyderabad. Hyderabad has more than a dozen large bookstores. People not only buy books here but actually read them too. Amitav Ghosh himself was here a couple of years ago to promote his previous book and had a reading here. He might be disappointed to know that Hyderabadis have been given the short shrift by Outlook.

Marriott Hyderabad's Clean up Drive

On my way to office every morning, I pass the Marriott hotel that is located at a junction just before the Tank Bund begins on the Secunderabad side. Until recently, before the Marriott group took it over, it was the Hotel Viceroy. After the takeover some things seemed to have improved. Now safari clad security guys at the main entrance check cars thoroughly using mirrors, and a dog sniffs the boot and other places of the cars entering. A lot of Marriott’s own cars are parked in front of the main gate. Opposite the main gate across the road is a compound wall of a graveyard. This wall is used as a urinal by everyone including the drivers of all the cars that come to the hotel. However, yesterday I saw something very refreshing.

Now, peeing in the open in Hyderabad is a very common thing. You can see guys everywhere taking a leak in the open as if it was the most natural thing to do. Since the Marriott is a huge hotel with a large compound wall at the back, guards patrol the back to watch out for such offenders. However, they were not able to do anything about the wall opposite the main gate until yesterday. Someone in Marriott must have thought that enough was enough and something ought to be done about the wall turned urinal.

I saw a team of around thirty or forty Marriott staffers in their chef’s caps, aprons and overalls on a cleanup drive. While one team was brushing away the dust from the compound wall of the graveyard in front of the main gate, another team applied a coat of paint on it. Maybe they didn’t want their guests to witness such dirty scenes. Whatever their motive, it was a good thing they were doing. They went about the job of cleaning and painting with an earnestness that was surprising.

I was also stuck by the fact that they didn’t call the press to cover this occasion as many such establishments are wont to. There wasn’t a single cameraman of the numerous television channels in sight. I guess they wanted to do it without calling for attention which was really laudable. Whatever it was I thought if every one in Hyderabad felt the same way we’d be having a much cleaner city.

My First IPL Match

It is an odd sort of coincidence though nothing earth-shaking but within a span of a few days I visited two sports stadiums. On Sunday evening I witnessed my first IPL match at the new stadium at Uppal. Today, a little while ago I had lunch at the Fateh Maidan Club inside the Lal Bahadur Stadium. When I saw the LB Stadium after having been to the Stadium at Uppal, I realized how small it appears. It is really very small compared to the new one I had been to on Sunday.

I saw my first cricket match at a stadium almost thirty years ago. I don’t remember the year but I remember India was playing against the West Indies. The only name I remember is that of Lance Gibbs who, if I remember correctly, had a goatee and was a feared spinner. I had been to this match with my elder brother and the stadium happened to be the LB Stadium. I am not a big cricket fan so don’t much remember what that match was all about and who won or who lost. After that I never saw another cricket game again though I would catch bits of one day tests on the television now and then.

Then again, on Sunday I witnessed India’s newest entertainment spectacle- the IPL 20-20 Cricket matches. A friend gave me free tickets to the match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians. Sachin Tendulkar was playing and my good friend thought my son would find it a great experience to watch the legendary batsman in action. So I went in the evening to the new stadium at Uppal with kid in tow.

The road to Uppal was jammed with cars and bikes. There was total chaos. Everybody was parking their bikes and cars wherever there was enough space though there was a huge ground inside for parking the vehicles. We weren’t allowed to take anything, not even water bottles inside. I would soon find out why. I kept my mobile phone inside my bike.

We got in easily and had some kind of pink colored wristbands tied to our wrists. I later realized it was to prevent people from switching to other stands. Only Hyderabadis can think of doing something like that. Guys and girls dressed in pink with walkie-talkie sets rushed around all the time. The Stadium, though half complete was H-U-G-E. It was full house and the match had just begun when we took our seats.

Luckily, Sachin was at the crease but was out after a few magnificent shots. I am not much of a cricket fan so I looked around at the people while the game went on. There weren’t many oldies around. Everyone seemed to be under thirty and dressed in killer clothes. They all had that excitement on their faces that comes from witnessing something unique and wonderful.

I had read that the prices of the food items inside the stadium were high. The report wasn’t incorrect. A glass of water cost Rs 5, cool drinks in 350-ml cups cost fifteen bucks and a single roll (chapathi with curry roll) that one could get for twenty bucks at Sangeet cost fifty rupees. You had to pay for every thing. I was glad they didn’t charge me for using the toilets. Maybe they’ll get the idea to do so when they realize they need to do more to recover their investments

The local team, Deccan Chargers, perhaps in line with the Hyderabadi policy of being polite to guests lost the game to the visiting Mumbai Indians. The crowd didn’t appear disappointed that the team lost and it seemed as if it was only expected. The only excitement was when the local lad, Venugopal Rao hit a few balls into the stands and also, when Sania Mirza appeared on the screen briefly.

The cheerleaders were modestly dressed but it was the Indian cheerleaders I found to be rather good with total desi, bollywood moves. Strangely, the Indian cheerleading team had two guys and two girls compared to the all-girl American cheerleaders. So that was my first IPL match and I don’t think I am prepared to watch another game.

Two Midweek Finds and A No Haul Sunday

It was one of those rare Sundays when I returned from Abids without picking up a single book. One reason could be that I had not gone at my usual time in the morning. I had to visit my niece in hospital in the morning so it got late. Moreover it was very hot so I decided to go in the evening. I got only an hour to browse and though I saw July 2007's 'Conde Nast Traveler' and April 2008's 'New Yorker' magazines I did not buy them. I also saw 'Hungry Ocean' by Linda Greenlaw and 'Kill Shot' by Elmore Leonard. I have both books so I didn't pick them up though I was getting them for only twenty rupees each. Earlier in the week, on Thursday I found two good books by one of my favorite writers- Elmore Leonard.

There have been very few occasions when I have returned from a bookstore without a book in hand. Though the shelves at home are overflowing with books with no space for any more books I decided to buy just these two books. I couldn’t resist buying them because they were written by Elmore Leonard and they were titles I haven’t read before.

The first book was ‘The Hunted’ and according to the blurbs it is a story set in Israel and promises to be a great read if the praise at the back of the book is any thing to go by. The other book was ‘The Moonshine War’ and this book too promises to be a great read as all Elmore Leonard books are. It is about a bootlegger in the thirties and is shorter than the other book. Which makes me wonder which book I should start first. It is a tough decision!

Incidentally, Thursday's supplement in The Hindu, ‘Downtown’ carried an article on one of the biggest second hand bookstores in Hyderabad, the Best Book Centre branch at Abids/Boggulkunta. It has a large collection of books and I found several good books there but the prices are on the higher side. Still, it is a good place to browse for some real finds.

A Hot Sunday and A Crow's Nest

Yesterday it turned out to be a very hot day in Hyderabad with the temperatures shooting above 40 degrees. It could have been around 42 degrees or even more given the way it felt like being inside an oven. One reason for the unusual heat could be the increasing concretisation and the felling of trees. One newspaper reported that the 'intelligentsia' in Hyderabad were very concerned about the felling of trees and the vanishing green cover. There was a meeting about it, the paper said. We are great talkers I guess and don't do much about anything other than talk endlessly. However, three years ago I had planted two Millingtonia trees in the open space before our house on the occasion of my kid's and my niece's birthday.

Now the trees have grown quite tall with branches spread out in all directions. I had chosen the Millingtonia for its straight trunk that shoots up into the air regally. But our Millingtonias seemed to have a different mind of their own. The trees offer welcome shade and visitors to our neighbors park their cars under the trees much to my annoyance. The other day I was surprised to see a pair of crows hanging around the trees which was a bit unusual. Usually the crows have their morning meetings on the roof of a neighbors house. But these two seemed to be doing something else.

I looked closely and was pleasantly surprised to notice that they were building a nest on one of the Millingtonia trees. The crows flew about with twigs in their beaks and built that nest. It isn't yet complete and I think they are getting ready to lay the eggs when it begins to rain. Which makes me wonder how they will protect the eggs in the rain? It is going to be an interesting time ahead what with the nest getting ready. I hope they build a good nest and have their babies on our Millingtonia tree. I would feel really happy that the trees I planted would have served a purpose for which trees exist in nature.

A Secondhand Bookstore Closes Down

When I saw Eric Ambler’s ‘Here Lies Eric Ambler’ a couple of Sundays ago at Abids I had an inkling that something must be wrong with the second hand bookstore I had originally seen this book at. There were other titles I had seen there like Linda Greenlaw ‘s ‘Hungry Ocean’ , Paul Theroux’s ‘Chicago Loop’ and other books. Yesterday I learnt that the second hand bookstore at Liberty was shut down. So I know now why the banners and the board I used to see on the way back home weren’t to be seen anymore.

The MR Bookstore at Liberty located in a cellar was one of the biggest second hand bookstores in Hyderabad. It had a really large and wonderful collection of secondhand books that looked more like new books. I had come across this store more than two years ago and I used to drop in occasionally to check out the titles and buy a few books every month. My last purchase at this store was the hardcover edition of Linda Greenlaw’s ‘Hungry Ocean.’ They had a paperback copy of the same book too that I later saw at Abids.

I don't know why the bookstore was closed down but I can say that not many people dropped in at that store which was located in a cellar without ventilation. It was damp, dark and airless. It was also not a very convenient location without parking. No one really mourns the closing of a bookstore in Hyderabad. I feel sad that it is shut down. But these guys have a habit of popping up in a new place. This store was actually a itinerant bookstore having moved from Punjagutta twice, no thrice in the past and now it is finally closed. However, I won’t be surprised if they come up at a new place within the month.

The good news is that the guy at their branch near Lifestyle, Begumpet told me that they had received some new stuff which would be displayed soon. I am eager to check out the new stocks. I hope I find some really good books on writing as well as those by Paul Theroux and Dave Barry. I had been to the store near Lifestyle yesterday and saw they had a few new books. I saw good copies of Elmore Leonard’s ‘Freaky Deaky’ and also ‘Rum Punch’. I will pick these up sometime next week.

I had actually been to another bookstore and picked up two Elmore Leonard books, and I also wrote a post about it. But due to some virus or glitch I am unable to post it here. I will try to put it up in a couple of days. That is the reason I missed a post the other day. I was disappointed I couldn't post it.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I am all eager to go to Abids for the weekly book hunt.

Bombay Bakery and Restaurant

‘A part of the flavor comes from the food…rest from a 55 year old living legend’ is what is written on a narrow, long board on a wall inside Bombay Bakery and Restaurant at Gunfoundry. What it says must be true since the hotel is busy almost all day buzzing with customers. This is where I drop in to have my daily dose of Irani Chai. I have been dropping in to have chai at this hotel a little more than a year ago after I moved to my new office. I had visited this hotel earlier too but now I am a regular face there. It isn’t the ambience that brings me here but the chai.

There’s a faded yellow blow up of a news item about former Azharuddin extolling the virtues of bun maska and chai at BBR. The newstem is dated September 22, 2001 and the Times of India carried it. He apparently was a regular at this hotel coming in after cricket practice to fortify himself with stuff and chai. Anyway, not only Azhar but anyone who tastes the fare here is unlikely to forget it. I had lunch here only once and not only was the stuff tasty but also inexpensive.

Bombay Bakery and Restaurant is one of those Irani hotels where you not only get tea and snacks but also the regular items like biryani and every thing in between. There’s a separate food section which is always full. The other section where you are served tea and snacks has, like the old time Irani restaurants, a large mirror covering almost an entire wall. Another feature is that one pays the waiters not at the counter. Nobody takes notice of you as they are all busy wolfing down the snacks and gulping the chai. Officer or ordinary guy, every one comes here for a most bracing cup of Irani chai that leaves you charged for hours.

Bombay Bakery and Restaurant is one of the few remaining Irani restaurants in Hyderabad running successfully. I remember there was some kind of an attempt to demolish the place sometime back but I am glad it is still around.

Monster Dad

It happened again yesterday morning at the pool. I was witness to another child’s intimidation by the parent to jump into the pool and begin swimming. A couple of days ago I had seen two kids being slapped by their mothers for a similar ‘crime’. This time it was a dad who was the culprit and the victim was his eight or nine year old daughter.

I was horrified by that father who towered above his seven or eight year old daughter pleading with eyes filled with terror not to make her jump into the pool. She was cowering before him as he held out his silent threats to jump into the pool. Gripping her by the back of her neck, he dragged her, her feet resisting, digging into the slippery tiles of the pool, to the water. He stood close to the edge of the pool with menace in his eyes as the frightened girl looked at the water and at her dad with piteous eyes. I was filled with helplessnes and a rising sense of rage at this stupid father.

What was the pressing need that made a parent hit their own kid, humiliate them publicly thus? Just because other kids are not frightened of the water and jumping into it freely? I didn’t understand why the father was so set upon making his kid jump into the pool without a tube on the very first day. It was the first time I was seeing that particular kid at the pool so I assumed it was her first day at the pool. I felt sorry that the girl was having such a hard time with her dad.

It was something I had never seen before. This dad was different. He had a menacing look on his face. I felt ashamed watching the poor kid who was whimpering and rubbing away the tears that flowed down her face. There could be no crueller treatment than this. I wonder what it would do to the poor kid’s self esteem as well as her trust of her dad.

If the father could be so cruel in public for something as silly as refusal to swim, I shuddered to imagine how much more cruel he could be within four walls of their home over other matters. It was a terrible scene I had witnessed and the sight of the girl’s face haunts me even as I write this. I can perhaps understand being a little stern with your kids to make them do something that is ultimately beneficial to them but trashing your own kid to make them play? It makes me wonder if it is play or punishment.

It isn’t the kids who need help but their parents who need it more than the kids. The sad thing is that the parents don’t realize it. The girl did jump in but the dad had the same expression and he didn't even realize the a bit of appreciation would help his kid. Poor kid. Poor dad. Poor me.

The Sunday Haul; Finding Three Good Books

In the essay titled ‘Welcome to the Age of Tropical Classical’ in his book of essays also titled 'Tropical Classical' , Pico Iyer writes about three authors- Derek Walcott, Romesh Gunasekara and Richard Rodriguez. He writes that these three writers represent a bold new style of writing that he terms as ‘Tropical Classical’.

Pico Iyer says that what distinguishes these three writers is ‘the ability to season high classical forms with a lyrical beauty drawn from the streets and beaches of their homes.’ He heaps high praise on all these three and mentions the essayist Richard Rodriguez’s ‘Hunger of Memory- The Education of Richard Rodriguez’, his first book. The title rang a bell in my memory because I had seen this book at Abids several times in the past.

It was the first book I picked up at Abids this Sunday from a heap of books selling for only ten rupees. It is an autobiography as stated on the cover which also has a picture of the young Mexican-American author. I was glad I found this book which one of my favorite writers has praised highly about. I had read that essay only on Friday morning at the swimming pool while my kid took his morning swim.

In the same heap I also found another book whose title seemed again, familiar. It was ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’ by Christopher J. Koch published by Minerva. The book is set in Jakarta and 1965 is the year mentioned in the title. This is what Anthony Burgess says about the book on the back cover: ‘Intelligent, compassionate, flavoursome, convincing…this book is to be prized.’ I hope it turns out to be a wonderful read.

The next and the last find of the day was Woody Allen’s ‘Without Feathers’ that I got once again for only ten rupees. I have read this book that has eighteen pieces in it including some of his classic works like ‘The Whore of Mensa’ and the play ‘Death’. I like Woody Allen’s book very much but I haven’t seen any of his movies. I already have a copy of this book but I plan to give this copy away to friends.

The last find was a magazine, the Australian edition of “Men’s Health’, of November 2007 the tenth anniversary issue. It had an article titled ‘Raise Your Kids Like a Man’ and I wanted to know how. A lot of the articles in such magazines are about fitness, health and grooming so I generally don’t buy them but this was an exception.

I was glad with this Sunday’s haul of three good books that I got cheap. Only thing is I have to plan when to read all the books I am picking up every Sunday at Abids.