Hyderabad’s Rare Book Seller

looks like a struggle for once career..so some hydrabadis are looking for Java Coder books and some are looking for white mughal material..its about what is important to once career.

QCP, Wild boars are bloody tasty......mmmmmyummm

Talkng of bade and chote biryani, I was once offered "pandi biryani" - I thought it was a take off on Pandav and somehow expected a story on how this came from the Pandav times etc.

I ate the biryani with great relish, and it tasted real nice. Imagine my surprise, when I found out what pandi was? Man, it was really ...but hell the taste was great, so I forgave the guys.

Loved the Paradise biriyani.

Harish,

The longish stay in Hyd for my civils coaching at Hyd Study Circle (Domalguda). Sipping Irani tea and munching Osmania biscuits and reading DC is a fav pastime of all Hydbadis. I too learnt it.

It's mixing feeling abt the city (good+bad). As a newbie to Hyd I felt offended when auto guys say (though a macaca looking), 'mei asli nizami hoon, telgu nahi aata'.

When I read/hear that Mohajirs refuse to learn Sindhi in Sindh, I see the parellel btw the mentality of Mohajir in Sindh and convert Muslims in Hyd. We had an ex-flatmate in London - a Hyd kudi - who converses us only in Urdu whereas I converse iwht her only in Telugu & we talk for hours like that. For a third person this looks bizarre.

OK guys, gotta go, bye for now.

Yaar VRV, you are welcome to your views. I don't expect everyone to love the city. Heck, there are a lot of Hyderabadis themselves who hate the place. It would be unfair for me to impose my love for the place on others.

Harish,

I had a love-hate relationship with Hyd. I hope I've not offended u.

Oh yeah VRV, a number of stores in Hyd/Sec have stores called Karachi. Most of them are probably owned by Sindhis nostalgic about the city/place they came from after the partition.

Iron,

Yup, Paradise is at Paradise, Secunderabad (the Chowk is called so because of this restaurant) :-)

Not sure about the bakery. Is Osmania medical college the one near Koti?

The first Bawarchi is near Chikkadpalli (RTC 'X' Roads), don't know if newer ones have come up at Malakpet and elsewhere.

Karachi Bakery nr Mozamjahi Market is actually owned by a Hindu. May be he's a Sindhi settled in Hyd. There're Karachi sweet houses in Hyd/Secbad & even in places like Rajahmundry.

I dont know why Karachi is famous for seets?

Sorry for the delay Harish and Irony.

Yeah I am that goddamned Telugu but I lived outside of it most of the time.

++

There can be two views abt the riches of Hyd Nizam...in hindisght (as we cant change the past) it's good that we have something called heritage stuff like forts, ornaments/jewels, markets and edifices like Charminar and Makka Maseed.

Irony, the hygeine was a concern then, now it's improved but there's a long way to go to catch up as a global city.

Last time I visited I saw many changes esp a sardarjee mucnhing his subway bacon sandwich (opp Times of India bldg), a surreal thing for me to wacth.

Whatevah, Bhaarat and India coexists.

If u like biryaani then u dont say that u liked Kalyaani biryani ;)

(Kalyani biryani is a pseudonym for beef biryaani; they call it katchi biryaani in Dhaka, bade biryaani in Ahmedabad, esp Teen Darwaza and Shahalam area).

Paradise is in secunderabad is it not.

The one near Osmania Medical College is a very old and ancient establishement and not run by Iranis, but regular Nizami hyderabadis! It is close to the bakery there which is famous for its Osmania Biscuits.I forget the place..man, I need to check my diary....

Bawarchi is a newish joint. Cafe bahaar in Himayatnagar/hyderguda does some great Biryani though. Man this time I really indulged in it and it sort showed on my waist and the blood sugars

there was one I went to in malakpet - isnt that the place where Bavarchi is?

Yaar Iron, the problem is there with most Irani restaurants. Hygiene is not excatly a priority :-)

Right now, there are quite a few places where the Biryani is amazing. Bawarchi, Cafe Bahaar, Paradise and Hyderabad House and another place just opposite the Nampally railway station (I forget the name) serve great Biryani.

that is correct - it also groes through old golconda.

What I liked was the Biryani (yes I know Hyd is famous for it), the one you get near Mujhumjahi Market (the medical college area) and the nizami biscuits. MInd you if even for a moment think og the hygiene you would not even touch the food with a barge pole.

I have been through both the approaches. I liked the one from the Qutub Shahi tombs. It passes through what could have been an ancient mohalla (and still is intact). It seems a nice laidback kind of place where time stands still.