The affairs of baking

Prince Shahamat Jah Nawab launched the book ‘The Bakeries of Hyderabad’ at Inorbit Mall recently.Written by Sandhya Balakrishna, a creative director who has worked in advertising for 15 years, the book talks about the state of baking industry in the city and how it is surviving for the past many years in a contemporary market.

After the launch, the author commented on the reasons she chose to pen the book. It seems that in a land that produces the “lighter than air” Osmania biscuits, not many have spoken about the baking industry of the city.

“I feel that nobody has showcased the greatness of Hyderabad bakeries. There’s always talk about biryani and haleem,” said Balakrishna.

“I decided to pen the book and about a year ago I started documenting for it. I have been eating delicious items from colony bakeries from my childhood.

Now, my children are doing the same. There is something unique about your neighbourhood bakery and that needs to be spoken out,” she said.

“The book has untold stories of the bakers of Hyderabad. It explains how they survived in a market where chain confectionaries are popping up everyday. I went to many bakeries for research and everyone collaborated with me.

The book also has some little known facts about the famous Osmania biscuits, which were in net are not true,” said the author whose next writings will be about the famous ‘Dasara Dolls of Mysore’.

Zafar Javeed, Secretary of Sultan-Ul-Uloom Educational Society was present at the event. The book is published by The Write Place-Crosswords Publishing House.