I haven't been there for about 15 years now. The last time I went was a professional visit - just to see if an advertisement was displayed right. So I decided to give Anjali a taste of the Hyderabad I knew.
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| A rather crowded entry! |
Anjali got a taste of the Hyderabad that is now. The Metro ride was a nice start - we got off at Gandhi Bhavan. But we could sense the press of the crowd right there. From under the station to the road that leads to the exhibition entry the crowd was packed. The road leading to the exhibition was choc-a block. The Sankranthi holidays are good for the traffic, not for visiting the Exhibition. Of course, we also chose to go at 7 in the evening.
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| A rather crowded walk |
The crowd inside was worse. I was feeling suffocated myself and wondered how Anjali must be feeling at her view. I quickly led her off to less crowded spaces but by then she had already lost interest. My prime aim was to eat popcorn (which I ate then) and fried fish (which I wanted to eat them but never did). Popcorn was easy and wasn't too bad. We walked past the Usha showroom and a couple more regulars. Then a huge open area where lots of families spread out sheets on the ground and were picnicking.
Beyond the families, I spotted Lonavla chikki. We did one final attempt at joining the mainstream, felt faint at the crowd, spotted a kebab chap who sold very expensive kebabs at 270 bucks a plate and a shwarma chap who sold me cold shawarma. Of course, he asked me if I wanted it warmed up but since I already had spent a good 20 minutes waiting I decided against. A quick stop at the sugar candy chap and wild horses could not keep us back.
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| A hurried exit |
The loudspeakers played 70s and 80s music of Hindi and Telugu songs - popular hits. Maybe they are inducing nostalgia too. The Kashmir handicrafts chaps, Lucknow, Rajasthan etc were all there with their wares. I saw a couple of stalls with some new products - my Dad would love those and always picked them up. Another memory of Dad was a poster he bought of a lake in Kashmir which he got mounted and we had it on display at home for decades.
My favorite memory - buying a Tears for Fears album 'Songs from the Big Chair' (Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Shout) on a trip with Sanjay. It's still there somewhere.
Anjali's first experience with the Numaish obviously didn't go as well. I doubt she will go back there in a hurry.
2 comments:
Hari,
Numaish has fond memories for me. I studied in Shankerji school which is inside the Exhibition grounds. Jan and Feb were the best months of the year where we would play around the stalls talking to vendors from all over the country.
Hi Krishna, Didn't know there was a school inside the grounds. Yes, fond memories. I should go again when there is a little less crowd.
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