The Edward Hyde Show: 302 : High Fidelity

As long as I can remember, I always had a preference for popular music. So much, that I publicly stated I preferred listening to Uncle Haas' music (English) to Grandpa's (Carnatic). The legend goes that when Uncle Haas returned from college, I would follow him into his room and pester him to play my favourites.

* * * * *

A long time ago, I bought a turntable.

A German turntable that does not have a dust cover, nor the box that houses the unit. And the day after I bought it, I lost the stylus- the thin needle that touches the record as it is played.

This happened in the mid-to-late 1990s, when I did not know how to find a technician who could fix it. Consequently, the turntable found itself consigned to the top shelf of a cabinet and lay there many years, waiting for salvation.

* * * * *

My grandfather used to buy Carnatic records. Uncle Haas bought a few English records. Papa Hyde bought film music.

I "inherited" all of them, and I made sure they moved with me when I moved to Bangalore.

And then forgot all about them.

* * * * *

After I returned from my trip to the mountains, I was out with a friend in one of the lanes of Shivaji Nagar. While the friend looked at the vintage furniture that was getting restored for him, I found a small collection of vinyl records- the 33s, the 45s, and a few 78s. What happened after that is hazy; I vaguely remember parting with some of my money and returning home with all of them. I had officially begun buying my own records. I decided it was time I bought my own turntable and began my hunt for a suitable one.

But very slowly.

* * * * *

The market for turntables isn't as happening as the market for home theater systems or plasma televisions. You won't find hot deals every festive season. But scratch below the surface and you'll find a few stores that sell entry-level and premium turntables. You'll get to know vinyl aficionados who will swear by the unbeatable sound of a vinyl. A compact disc ain't that good, they'll tell you.

So I asked them how to go about getting a good turntable. Their advice was simple- "Old is gold".

With sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning playing in the background, I recalled my purchase of almost fifteen years that was lying quietly in a forgotten corner of the house in Madras. I turned to my well-meaning friends and asked them what to do. And with it began the process of hunting the market for a skilled technician. Google the Wise pointed me to a shop in one corner in Bangalore who could help. So I set off to ask them, braving scores of people in the very crowded Avenue Road market.

The technician at the shop said he could fix it for me, and to back his statement, he showed another model from the same company that was waiting to be fixed.

The shop also sells used vinyl records. I casually started going through their very large collection.

And returned home with 10.

Forgetting one crucial fact.

I still do not have a working turntable.