Today I spent half day in Crossword, bookshop in glitzy new mall opposite Taj Krishna Hotel in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
Could not decide should I buy them considering that these books on South Indian history are difficult to locate in Delhi's bookstores. These include three books from Bombay Gazzetteer (History of Konkan, Early history of Dakhan and Dynasties of Kanarese District), history of Gujarat, history of Nayaks of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, history of Travancore kingdom in Kerala and classical history of South India by Nilakantha Sastri. Besides I bought wonderful selection of writings on Mumbai from Penguin Books - Bomba, meri jaan, or Bombay my love.

Just read a little bit - funny and informative.

Aldous Huxley - "Architecturally, Bombay is one of the most appaling cities of either hemisphere". He usually (mis) quoted, as guidebook-writers omit word "architecturally".

In introduction by J. Pinto and N. Fernandes:

"Exploring the damp delights of Brussels one morning not so long ago, we made our way to the Cinquantenaire, a triumphal arch erected to commemorate Belgium's golden jubilee. We peered at its drizzly outlines for a few seconds and almost simultaneously reached the same conclusion: it was merely a bombastic version of the Gateway of India.
...
Bombay has none of the imperium of Delhi, the self-conscious stasis of Calcutta or the provincial self-satisfaction of Madras. It is ugly step-daughter city but Prince Charming must cut his heels off to win her hand. It is a city in which no one dies of starvation but the vast majority are forced to endure living conditions that no enlightened zookeeper would allow for his animals. Yet the exiles and arrivistas...never leave."

Nicely said. What about Hyderabad? This city is fascinating and intensively developing, at least in the city centre around Abids and in Banjara Hills poverty is not seen, only glitzy malls, PVRs, shops and offices. Tomorrow I'll explore old ruins of Hyderabad and surrounding forts.