Second to none for book-lovers

Second to none for book-lovers
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bacon, and his swallow-chew-digestion theory with books, still hold good. But in this process of digestion and assimilation of knowledge, does it really matter from where the books surface for the reader, to swallow, chew or digest?

Bangalore has its own share of top-notch bookstores like Gangaram’s, Higginbothams, Landmark and Crossword, offering works in accordance with the writer’s market price. But down on Bangalore’s thoroughfares and the stray alleys, there are a business lot who operate beyond industry benchmarks.

On M G Road, Avenue Road and even on carts in Jayanagar, the second-hand book vendors are thriving in their own market of discard. That’s where Da Vinci Code (store price Rs. 260) could be had for anything between Rs. 85 and 120.

Nalini Ranganathan, a student of Vijaya College says, ‘‘Books are like treasures. It doesn’t really matter to me if I purchase a book from Landmark or a pavement bookseller. What matters is to store the knowledge with myself.’’

Not all would agree to Nalini because for several, the price tag definitely matters. A bookseller on M.G. Road says, ‘‘Those who cannot afford the prices at big bookstores come to us to buy the same Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, Paulo Coehlo at subsidised rates.’’

What holds the key is obviously the source of books and the sellers’ marketing acumen. Anil, who sells books near Plaza Theatre says, ‘‘Our boss gets the books from Kolkata as one of his relatives helps us in the marketing of the entire lot.’’

Nagendra who runs his business next to FoodWorld on M.G.Road says, ‘‘We get the books from The Pustak Mahal, Mission Road. The rest, we buy from Avenue Road and sell as second-hand.’’

Most of these vendors go in for bulk purchase and follow it up with a reprint. Like Asif, a book-seller outside Forum Mall in Kormangala, who has the reprint done at a printing press in Mahalaxmi Layout. Even as the question of ethical business is debated upon, these vendors insist that their sale would not really affect large-scale businesses.

Though the sale made by the pavement booksellers is marginalised, it is ultimately the wallet-conscious reader and his tastes, which take a call. And that’s probably what keeps this business bustling as ever.