Anybody who will frequent the Balmatta area of the city will not see the “man in the mush (moustache)” behind the counter of the book shop, Athree Book Centre, near Ambedkar Circle from April 1. Instead, the banner of Navakarnataka Publications will take the place of what used to be Athree Book Centre.
The bookstore shut shop on Saturday, amid hectic last-minute purchasing. During the days until April 1, an inventory of stock will be undertaken, following which, Navakarnataka Publications will take over the shop.
Customers have a sense of personal attachment with the bookshop, but for many others Athree Book Centre was a familiar landmark in a city that is rapidly changing. There is one person however, who does not regret the shop's closure: its owner G.N. Ashokvardhan.
Mr. Ashokvardhan's announcement on his blog that he was closing the shop elicited a flurry of comments which reveal the owners own struggles as a bookshop owner and his customers' views about the shop.
Several people expressed happiness at Mr. Ashokvardhan's insistence that he was “retiring” and wished him well. The owner himself said that although he was unhappy of the present conditions that the book publishing industry and bookshop business, he had never incurred a loss during his 30-odd years as a bookshop owner. It was his “livelihood”, he says.
Several people remarked on Mr. Ashokvardhan's trademark moustache and his spectacles. Ganesh R. posted: “…book lovers are going to miss the most familiar man with a beaming pair of spectacles and an imposing mush (moustache) which is merrily incapable of hiding the honest and friendly smile”.
Many others recalled that their childhood books came from Athree. One Shyam Prasad Pare said he had always imagined that he would present books from Athree to his son, as his own father had done. Many others wished him well with his future plans.
A professor of English in Mangalore University had this to say about the “range of do-able things” in Athree, besides remarking on availability of a “fascinating range of books”: “One could drop in to buy a book, or to participate in discussions that carried the burden of the world or to find out the latest cultural (activity) in town, or to leave a message/parcel/whatever for someone to pick up the next day or week, or simply a place where you could keep your luggage before you caught your bus or train!”
Natesh, however, quoted from Mr. Ashokvardhan's own write-up: “Even before you (Mr. Ashokvardhan) and even after you, there would be people who would fulfil the need for local books”. This was typical of the owner, he said.
As for the man himself, Mr. Ashokavardhan named a number of people – “especially” his wife Devaki and son Abhaysimha – who were equally responsible in the success of the shop. Towards the end of the post, he said that he was closing the shop with a sense of “anxiousness” about the state of the reading habit, “happiness” about the close personal relationships developed over the years and “dreams” about future plans.
It was time, after the tradition of Yakshagana, to take off the vesha.
Athree closed to customers amid hectic last-minute purchasing on March 17. An inventory of stock will be undertaken before Navakarnataka Publications takes over the shop on April 1.
