Independent bookstores in Bangalore hold their own in a technology-advanced world of online portals and reading devices like Kindle. Ask any booklover, and they will tell you that the book experience goes beyond just reading. There is a special joy in holding a book, feeling it, smelling it, flipping through its pages and exploring different kinds of books. And this experience is something you can only get in a bookstore.
Not just any bookstore, but one built with passion and pride, by people who have a thorough, in-depth understanding of books.
Blossom Book House and The Bookworm are among the more well-known bookstores in the city. MetroPlus profiles some other independent bookstores.
Goobe’s Book Republic was set up five years ago in Church Street by Ravi Menezes. His love for books is infectious. Ask him for suggestions, and Ravi picks out books explaining what each book has in store. A lot of the sales are done with Ravi guiding the customer through the bookstore. Goobe’s is located in a basement. But once you enter, you would be amazed by the sheer variety. It is a world within itself. A tour around Goobe’s is a journey of discovery. There are books under every category, from history to science and philosophy to fiction. “People who love books, know about us,” says Ravi. “We have 150 library customers. Twenty of them come here every week or every second week.”
Goobe’s has hardly any bestsellers, which is a welcome relief. “In chain bookstores, not a lot of love or thought goes into their collection. In terms of independent bookstores, a lot is dependent on the person who runs it. The owner’s taste comes in. The books we keep are primarily what we read and what people would like to read.”
Ravi says Goobe’s aims to be a niche bookstore. “We want to be more serious. We want to get rid of certain sections. We had a ‘Romance is dead’ sale, where we got rid of all our romances. Next, we plan to get rid of the pulp fiction section. The areas we want to improve on are science, history, biography, culture and politics, where people can learn something. We want to keep books that encourage people to think and see things in a different light.” If there’s one piece of advice Ravi has for new readers. It’s this: “Don’t go by bestseller lists. Be discerning.”
Aashti Mudnani’s Lightroom Bookstore is tucked away in a quiet locality in Cooke Town.
The charming bookstore, tastefully decorated, its walls lined with shelves of a variety of books for children aged between 0 and 18-years-old, was set up 15 months ago. Within this short span of time, Lightroom Bookstore is slowly becoming the talk of the town. Aashti says she always loved children’s books. She also noticed that finding books for her children was difficult. This combination of factors led her to start a bookstore of her own.
“Loyalty and support from people has kept us going,” she says. The collection at Lightroom is comprehensive, with books from every category, including quite a number of Indian children’s books. “The kind of books we keep here are those that I really love. This has been a criterion for selection.” The bookstore is also a space where events are conducted around children’s books and stories.
Atta Galatta, a bookstore in Koramangala, also features regional books, has been around for two-and-a-half years. Set up by Lakshmi and Subodh Sankar, Atta Galatta has attracted a mixed crowd of book and art lovers. Lakshmi says she never anticipated the reception the space has received so far. “People have responded warmly. It’s more like a meeting place. College students, the elderly and kids have come here. And it’s never the same people. Everyday, new people come to our store.”
Lakshmi says in the regional section, each language is faring differently. “Tamil books are quite popular. Then come Bengali and Malayalam books.” Lakshmi says they generally don’t keep books that are popular in the market. The idea is to get people interested in other books, apart from bestsellers. “Perception towards books changes because of bookstores.” She adds that Atta Galatta is also a space for people from different artistic backgrounds to interact with each other.
“Authors talk to painters, poets to musicians. That’s what is interesting.”
Aashti says independent bookstores face stiff competition from online portals. She agrees that this because it’s more convenient for customers.
But a bookstore holds within it books that you have never read or seen. And offers a unique experience. I don’t know how time flies when I amble my way through bookstores.
And here we are in Bangalore constantly complaining about a lack of places to hang out in. An independent bookstore should be on your list of must-visit places, then.
