NEW SHOPPING SCAPES

Every day events excite me quite a bit and I like to write about it. Like the state of roads in and around Srinagar Colony and there are such dangerous pot holes in certain turnings and corners that if a car gets stuck, it would take a long time for it to get back on the road. So, while Hyderabad wins prizes for being the best city, it is only on the main roads and probably the ORR. But with guys brandishing guns and young idiots zooming at high speeds, that is also losing its charm, especially after dusk or pre-dawn. 

I do not want to complain, because how much can the municipality guys do or MAUD do. They are probably busy wondering when they will get their salaries.

And look at all that construction happening abutting the ORR. My God, and I am left wondering if there are enough people to buy the apartments. And all of them have smooth facades and elevations, for all the pipings, ACs are centralised, including the bin chute. God help the occupiers if one of those fails. Which, according to me, means that this entire populace will only recognise Banjara Hills as the end of their town, the other side being the Airport. Most of them talk of fabulous Club Houses, but if you are still paying the loan for buying this expensive apartment, where is the scope of enjoying the facilities?

Dwelling upon that, when I first came to Hyderabad in 1988, Abids was the centre of the city and all shopping was done there. For vegetables it was the other end of town at Monda Market and for mass marketing it was Sultan Bazar. A visit there meant picking up all kinds of baubles, even those not needed and having some chaat at Gokul Chaat Bhandar. I still visit these areas but am always panicky for there is no parking available. But there is still a certain amount of hulchul and raunak about these places.

I will not ignore General Bazaar, home for a needle to the most expensive sari, folded the traditional way. While there are boys who open and show you the saris, the big boss sits there in his white pant and white shirt, talking loudly on his phone or paying detailed attention to what you are buying. There are smaller lanes which take you to shops, rubbing walls and you are never in shortage of choice.

But coming to the main lane of General Bazaar, it is full of shops, ladies with focused shopping lists, young girls giggling over a flirtatious selling of a flimsy sandal, a guy selling kulfi, pizzas and some of the most delicious chikkis. Earlier, if you were there post 5 pm, there would be a guy on a cycle selling the freshest of greens and everything for Rs. 10.

But I notice that at the entrance things have not changed, except the colour of clothing fluttering in the air, but there is this one bandi and you decide the season based on what he is selling. Just behind him is another little shop selling puja materials, earlier with a gentleman with a blah look on his face, but handing over the right stuff each time and all those bindis for your picking. The young girls there would help you search and look upset if you did not find what you wanted.

This little lane is still used for two wheeler traffic and so you have to be swift, agile and on your toes if you are buying from the side stores. The best is when buying a nightie. He has sized you up and his day has been boring and so he wants to take the wind out of your full bodied sail. 

He will give you a nightie and say that is the largest size he has and that too in XXL. I have actually seen a gleam in their eyes when they say that.....@#$%&@#. After much searching through and you huffing and puffing because of the subtle insult decide not to buy that beautiful nightie and go to a shoe shop, where the young lad is more keen on calling out to the young girls outside the shop than yours truly who is ready to spend. 

After all this trouble why would you not eat a kulfi, please tell me. There are a horde of places to eat out here and if you are the street food kind, then you are blessed. 

All this is possible only if you have got parking. Then joy of all joys you can cross the road and if you are still alive, with no limbs asunder then you can enjoy a softy ice cream........