Hyderabad Book Fair, December 2011

I must admit that for a self confessed book lover, I haven't been regularly visiting the book fairs in Hyderabad. A lack of awareness of when they are held also kept me from visiting them as often as I would like to. Well, yesterday I happened to visit the book fair at People's Plaza.
I walked to the place from the Necklace Road MMTS station, about a kilometer and half away. Taking the walk was a good idea as not only did it give the body the much needed physical exercise but also did away with the hassles of finding a parking slot for the vehicle.
Just outside the entrance, you have a few food stalls selling the 'chaat' stuff, coffee & tea. I passed over the temptation to have some tea as I was more eager to get lost in the vast ocean of joy that awaited me inside. The meager Rs. 5 charged towards the entrance ticket, is, I guess, more to keep a count of the number of visitors rather than actually charging you any.
The stalls were set up in a vast area. I haven't kept an exact count of the number of stalls but I did notice stalls numbered 170 onwards. My guess is that there were about 180 of them in all. There was tea and drinking water but no food stalls inside the premises.
What does the fair have to offer for the book lovers?

• Management books (most of them more popularly known as personality development or self help books) .
• Religious, spiritual books and CDs: (there was also the Nitayananda's stall, lol! )
• Books for the students: the regular sciences, GRE, TOEFL etc.
• Some of them had the kids' stuff like CDs/DVDs playing the rhymes, cartoons etc.
• A few stalls selling stationary
• For people like me who dig fiction, there definitely was much to offer as nearly 40 % of the stalls had the stuff.

Second hand books abounded with many of the popular titles being offered for as less as 50/-. The new ones had discounts of about 10%. But later I realized that we could bargain further there. A word of caution for the people who already are equipped with a list of new books that they want to buy. Don't! Flipkart offers it at much cheaper rates than the fair does. Second, do check the print inside before buying. Some of them are Indian reprints and the quality of print is poor. You get the original version in flipkart.

But for the second-hand stuff, if you are lucky, you land up with some really good picks. You just need to have the patience to delve through. The true book lover can get lost in this world as the look, touch and feel of the pages in his hands can give a heady feeling.

We have the Numaish exhibition in Hyderabad every year. The crowds jostling for space, the long ques for tickets had put me off. To compare, the crowds here are no where as thick as the ones at Numaish, yet what's redeeming is that there were crowds. There were kids, of course and grown ups mostly 30 years upwards. There were very few of people in their 20s buying the real stuff (that is apart from the study material). I almost felt like hugging one such young girl who was seriously browsing through the novels...real novels and not just some chick-lits. There is still hope for the continuing of the culture of book reading, I thought.
There was also quite a handful of Telugu literature.Though I don't have an in-depth knowledge of Telugu literature, I recognized some reputed names in the old world of Telugu fiction/ poetry by Sri Sri, Chalam, Yendamuri, Ranganaykamma... Telugu children's books were there but I wonder how many of our kids have even heard of the Budugu books. I heard some of the kids clamoring for 'Cinderella' books though. I also found few of the famous English novels translated into Telugu.There were a couple of stalls selling Hindi literature too.
I felt quite heady in this environment which was breathing and living books. The sight of so many books, the sound of books being discussed...

I made a very conservative purchase of two books : Ken Follet: 'A Place called freedom' and James Patterson: 'Honeymoon' Safe buys both...known authors, bestsellers.
'Roots' by Alex Haley has been my favorite and I had read it when in my college. Since then I had wanted to possess the book. When I saw this book, all discretion set aside, I went ahead to buy the book for 300/- ( I found out later, available cheaper in flipkart). The fourth book was a book which had the feel of a junk-read. 'Oh Shit, Not Again!' By Mandar Kokate: unknown author, unknown book...what you buy as 'what- the- heck' kind of novelette. Will find out when I read but for Rs.130 for a new book, it is ok, I guess!
Though far from being satiated, nevertheless, the possession of new books in hand is invigorating.
The foodie refuses to remain quelled even in a blog about books. Well, so here's to that foodie:
I visited Water Front at the end of my experience. As I stepped in, it was so dark that I almost couldn't see my way around. As I was one of the earlier ones to arrive, I got a place by the lake-view which I admit, was awesome. The ambiance of the place, the view, the prices in the menu, everything was superlative! Though I had to read the menu by my mobile torch, lol! The vegetarian curries start at Rs. 250. There is a section of Thai and also cocktails and mock tails (160/-)
As I was in a bit of hurry to catch my train back, I didn't order for anything exotic or elaborate. Also the fact that I was alone and would not be able to down the regular order of North Indian fare without getting some of it packed. Ordered a simple Hakka noodle ( 253/- with taxes) which was good in taste, decent fill per plate. May reserve this one to visit with the family for a leisurely visit later as I have read good reviews of this.

Kolaveri: the carefully arranged careless look

I am sure, by now we have the Kolaveri, every version of it, oozing out of our ears.
Starting with the delight-to-watch Sharad Pawar one... transcending national/international borders, male/female/child/black/white/brown--even puppets on NDTV :) everyone seems to be encompassed by the infectious tune.
The skeptics have criticized it, the comments ranging from 'Rajni's son-in-law, hence popular' 'why the obsession with white skin in the south of India', some rubbishing the lyrics and many more such comments.
Let's admit, we don't create the music that we did until three decades back, when the lyrics held much meaning and moved us. Fast is fawned on and tardy is frowned upon. Instant gratification of all senses is sought. Here today, gone tomorrow. But as long as it lasts, people revel in its popularity.
One was dismayed at 'going viral' in our younger days but this is now a matter of great delight. So what's working in favor of this feverish zeal that encompasses the entire world with 21 million you tube video strikes? Remember the tananatananaaaaaaaa of Malgudi Days? Can we even try to explain why we feel so warm and joyous inside us when we listen to this song...especially those parts where we hear the looooooong drawn sleepy tanananananaaaaaaaaaaa.
 Such songs go beyond the superficiality and touch the child deep down inside us. Again, I don't seek to compare the two songs in either the lyric or tune. But equate the two as I find that that is the magic that is being sought to create.
We all know how much of a hair dresser's hand is involved when he needs to give his actors the tousled look of the mornings. A similar attempt has gone into making the song seem spontaneous and a lot more hard work has gone into giving the otherwise average-looking Dhanush a classy look. Dhanush and team has created this image of a simple South Indian rustic who seems to make light of his heartbreak. The part where Dhanush wipes his upper lip...seems so unaffected and unedited. That the song is in some silly English, helps people understand it. And they have loved it so much that no one seems to have pointed out the spelling mistake in the lyrics when it should have said 'I want you here now' and not 'I want you hear now'. Moreover, don't we all break into some such silly self-composed ditties when alone?
What also is redeeming  is that this song has firmly put South India on the Indian and world map in an astoundingly irrefutable way. The Southies are not simply dark skinned 'Maddus' who speak with a nasal voice but are now lending more and more of resources (music directors, actors, stories, films) to the North of India where we have the likes of Abhishek Bachchan confessing to feeling wonderful while working with the Tamil film makers.
I am aware that this song will not be the rage a year from now, but then why not just give in to the way it makes you smile and swing your head in rhythm with the simple beat?

The Buffet@ GVK

Certainly this restaurant hasn't tried too hard to name itself. It is simply called 'The Buffet'.
I must thank Vinod for his diligent research of restaurants at BH and always discovering new ones. It hugely benefits foodies like me who love to try a new one at least once a month.
Not keeping well prevented me from trying one last month. Made up for that by eating at 'The Buffet' yesterday.
This is located in GVK mall and is on the 5th floor. Finding the restaurant can be tricky as not many, not even the GVK staff, have really heard of it. Second, if you attempt to go from the parking area, you'd be lost as the elevator reaches INOX. So it is advisable to take the outside lift and head straight to the 5th floor.
Yesterday I enjoyed the warm welcome which started from the time I stepped out of the elevator. I was escorted from there to the restaurant.This pampering continued through the meal with very attentive waiters.
The restaurant is  well lit and very spacious. Well-spaced tables give you all the privacy you need.
I gathered from my internet search that the buffet is priced at Rs. 249 and this was confirmed by the restaurant when I called them the day before. In fact, this price is exclusive of taxes with which it comes up to nearly 300/-. A first for me, as when you inquire for the buffet price, the rate is normally quoted with taxes.
The spread consists of both veg and non-veg dishes. And the spread is HUGE.
Even for a strict vegetarian like me who could partake of only half the offer, I felt it was truly filling.
What was a delight to see were the starters--four of the vegetarian ones consisting of cauliflower, potato wedges, paneer rolls and spring rolls. There were four salads on offer too...just the ordinary ones--none too exotic.
There is no Indian food in the main course. There was pasta, noodles, fried rice, au gratin, spaghetti bolognese (didn't touch this not knowing whether it is a veg or non veg dish). There was also one Indian dish of Biryani which was awesome in taste.
Among desserts, there is nothing unique or imaginative. You had the ubiquitous gulab jamun and ice cream and plenty of varieties of pastries and a couple of soufflés. After stuffing yourself with all the goodies, you really aren't in the mood for the desserts...especially when you have so many of the same stuff to choose from.
It was also nice to note that all food is labeled green/red according to whether they are veg/non veg dishes and are served on two different tables but confusion still persists as you find some veg ones in the non veg section and vice-verse.
The paanwala appeared towards the end of the meal but I was in a hurry to catch the movie and hence didn't glance at the various paans in the menu. 
My take on this spread is that it is too good to last. They cannot afford to give this kind of spread at that price for too long. Grab while the restaurant is still new. All the dishes taste quite decent.

The Dirty Picture_First day show

One of the rares for me...booking a ticket for a movie without reading/watching any reviews. Its happened again today...booked a ticket for the Dirty Picture and I must say after watching the movie that I am FLOORED!
'Awesome!!!' doesn't come even close to describing the movie And there's no one but Vidya who can do justice to such  role. I went a bit skeptical after seeing all those titillating posters but had some confidence that a Vidya Balan movie can rarely go wrong. They say success comes late to some people...so it has to Vidya. She has proved her mettle beyond doubt. The dialogs are strong, scathing and caustic and the actor has done full justice through her delivery. Naseeruddin...is there any need to write about the great actor? He is an aging, wrinkled, mustached hero of the 80s in all his macho and melodramatic glory. Whatever the narcissist hero does is simply superb. His clumsy attempts to match up to Silk's steps (Vidya Balan's name in the movie) are lauded and Silk chided for not being able to keep up with him.He is wigged and mustached like all the heroes of 80s in south. Its not like Om Shanti Om kind of superficial attempts at recreating the 80s. They have gone into the skin of 80s and we have the old Jeetu Bhai's famous pots song recreated. Ekta Kapoor plays it safe by not trying to re-create song and dance sequences from any other actor but her father's.
Emraan Hashmi in the not-so-subtle emulation of Mahesh Bhatt as the thinking, intellectual director and Tushar Kapoor as Silk's fan do justice to their role.
But it is a through and through Vidya's movie. Very strong script brings out the best of Vidya.
It may not be the real life story of Silk Smitha but were she alive today, she would have been proud of being portrayed as she was in the movie. First it was the item song in Munna Bhai, and now the second time, I felt that the titillating scenes were necessary to take the movie forward.
Very simple and strong message in the movie tells us that as long as one believes in self, there is no one in the world who can touch you but once bugged by self doubts, you can destroy yourself.
It is a story of a simple struggler from a humble background who is passionate about acting and how she is betrayed first by her child hood idol and then another man as she scales the ladder of success. How she allows self-doubt to creep in when she chooses to listen to others and that's when the down slide begins which subsequently leads to her suicide. In her suicide, she conforms to the expectations of the world by draping herself as an Indian nari.Sad!
A must see movie, not to be missed by anyone.

Aloo Paratha and Mint dip

When I visit the restaurants, I am served the green dip which goes with the starters and I find it awesome in taste.
Well today, I finally learned how to make it and it was equal awesome in taste.Here's the recipe:
(Recipe courtesy vahchef)

Grind together

• 1 tsp jeera
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 2 garlic pods
• 2 bunches of pudina/mint
• 1bunch of dhaniya/coriander
• 1 tsp anaar/pomegranate seeds
• salt

Take equal quantities of this paste and thick curd and whisk together. The fragrance of mint combined with coriander with a dash of sourness caused by the pomegranate seeds makes this a heady concoction.
 I don't have the dried pomegranate seeds which were shown in the recipe and therefore went with fresh ones and enjoyed that crunchiness rendered to the dip 
Make those hot aloo parathas and dip it in this chutney and enjoy this great combination. 

Udaan

Saw this film tonight and had tears in the eyes. Only one life to live and why live this life in subjugation and fear?
Fly, soar, be free...

Some more restaurants and buffets in Hyderabad

ll the mundane stuff over the past few days prevented me from writing more. So, here are reviews of some of the restaurants that I tried in the last 3-4 months:

Sahib Sindh Sultan:
The one visited during Dushera time was Sahib Sindh Sultan. Had heard good reviews about it so thought of trying it out. The restaurant tries to create the nostalgia of trains. When we went, we were one of the earlier passengers in the long train compartment. The ambiance was well created and was charming. But what we hadn't realized that the AC compartment was soon going to get converted to our earlier days' sleeper class, what with the crowds and crying babies. The increasing noise and the crowds did put me off. Outside of the coach where the tables were laid out, were comparatively less occupied and quieter.We went on a Sunday, which I think was a mistake.
In keeping with the theme of Indian food, there were no soups. There were two shorbas which could be read as sweet corn soup and tomato soup. Shorbas aren't shared like in other restaurants. Each had to have a bowl. The quantities are ok though. The starters and the main course were awesome. The accompanying chutneys are equally awesome. The biryani tasted very different form what the Hyderabadi palate is used to...yet it had its own distinctively delicious taste. The service was good. Our family had actually gone there for a long and leisurely lunch and I could sense the impatience in the steward's manner after a while. We ordered the mock-tails at the end of the meal which was a huge mistake. They were horrendous...thin and no great shakes. The pan-wala asks you for an order of a pan as soon as he sees the finger bowls brought in. All the orders took at least 20-30 minutes in coming.Sahib Sindh Sultan offers no buffets.
Good ambiance, clean wash rooms (outside the restaurant) , great food but expensive at Rs 2100/- for three.

Rayalseema Ruchulu
In the month of September, it was Rayalseema Ruchulu. As a vegetarian, I never thought I'd visit this restaurant known more for its non vegetarian fare, especially the sea food. Rayalseema Ruchulu was my son's recommendation and we went there for his birthday. He wanted me to taste the food of actual Rayalseema.The RR special soup was quite yucky and therefore we went for the tomato shorba (though it isn't a part of a Rayalseema menu). A paneer starter and its accompanying chutney were quite decent in taste. And then we went for the jugular...the Ragi Sangati The Ragi Sangati, as I could see was a ball of boiled ragi and rice and brought with an accompanying allam pachadi. We ordered a tomato curry to go with it. We halved the ball amongst the two of us. The waiter doused the ball with ghee despite our trying to stop him from doing so. Later I understood why. Despite taming down the food with the ghee, the combination of Ragi Sangati and the tomato curry set our palates on fire and we ended up having watering eyes and running noses. By the time the meal had ended, I had a heap of tissues at my side. The food was delectable, though. We skipped desserts as the ragi really had us feeling stuffed.
Despite the visit on a weekend, there weren't many people around which I thought was a blessing as there was very little noise around. Also, could be because we went in around 2:45 or so. Quite a decent service. An earthy feel is created around with cement benches for seating (though padded well). Cement floors like in the houses of yore. Lights shaded by carved hanging shades. All the waiters were dressed in black...I don't know why. Does black have anything to do with Rayalseema theme? And most of them were Shakal-style...shaved heads!All in all, a nice, quiet, spacious restaurant. The simple meal for the two of us was around 750/-

The Square, Novotel:
In sharp contrast was the restaurant at Novotel. We had the buffet dinner. Everything was so bejaan, so bland and tepid. Most of the fare was continental. The food served whether Indian or not, needs to have some filling main course along with all the accompaniments. And then who said continental needs to be bland?
There were two starters (a rather insipid alu fry and gobi fry) and one soup in the vegetarian section from the Indian fare. Just about three curries and rotis. Plenty of choices of breads and cheeses. Tried most of them, though none of them truly stood out. Placed along with these breads were all those fancy looking, daintily done up fare from their coffee shop Le Cafe'. Well, however cute they look, how many of those teeny pastries can you have? What vividly stands out in memory is the truly VAST array of desserts...everything from Indian dry sweets, the syrupy ones, pastries, cakes, various ice-creams, souffles, a true delight for a person with a sweet tooth.This fare is like lot of odds and ends thrown together to display all those lovely colors and shapes but nothing that really fills you. The food doesn't justify the hefty bill
Neither were the waiters much forthcoming about what the buffet offers. For example, we weren't told about the Chinese live counter and saw it only when we had already had our fill. We were also not asked if we wanted to try something from the a la' carte menu.Though we had asked for a buffet dinner, at those rates, one at least expects the waiter to ask whether we wanted something which is not there on the buffet. In fact, we did end up ordering some mock tails from the menu.
You can always go there to enjoy the ambiance, which is awesome...starting with the foyer which was vast and with its high ceiling sure did make an impression. We had booked previously and were seated at the long table towards one end of the restaurant. Even as we sat down, we realized that the air conditioning did not reach out there. All the time we were there, we felt quite warm as the temperature was not at a comfortable setting.
Novotel doesn't really warrant a second visit.