A boy and a bookshop !


I vividly remember a review of "India after Gandhi" published in "Outlook". I had cleared my twelfth standard exams then with a percentage of 95%. My mother was ready to gift me the world and I asked for a copy of Ramachandra Guha's book instead.I raided the Landmark bookshop in Nungambakkam and ended up with a haul of some 15 books in addition to Guha's book . Book reviews in "Outlook" and "Wisden Asia cricket" (2002-2005.RIP) introduced me to books, which in turn led me to more books. 

This blog will be home to short book reviews ( 100-200 words, Milliblog style) which strongly conclude whether you should read a book or not. Some reviewers (like Mani Shankar Aiyar) start reminiscing about a golden past forgetting the purpose with which they began writing the review. This blog has no such pretensions. I was already publishing these reviews on my "Goodreads" profile but a suggestion by my brother Mir Mohammed Ali opened my eyes to the possibility of attracting more eyeballs and hence this blog. 

In 2014, news came that the Landmark bookshop in Nungambakkam was being shut down and a stock clearance sale was going on. As I was busy preparing for exams, I could not attend it's funeral. Had I gone, I could have seen the ghost of an unremarkable boy with tousled hair and loose pants running from one shelf to another , eyes full of greed wishing to gobble up every book in their sight but realising that Amma had given a mere Rs.5000/-. I would have seen him mentally calculating the price of all the books in the basket  and reluctantly leaving some back promising to come back to them very soon. This blog is dedicated to that remarkable bookshop and that unremarkable boy.

Comments

  1. Unknown2 August 2018 at 07:22

    Actually we should congratulate your mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shaji P Mathew2 August 2018 at 07:26

    Nice reading. Go ahead sir.

    ReplyDelete
  3. சவுக்கு2 August 2018 at 07:45

    Commendable effort. Hope, lot of people share their reviews.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown2 August 2018 at 08:28

    ready to read go ahead

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown2 August 2018 at 08:30

    Great job sir...waiting to become familiar with some interesting works through your words👍😊

    ReplyDelete
  6. Vishnuvarthni2 August 2018 at 08:38

    Great start and effort bro feeling great about your service to the public

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown2 August 2018 at 09:16

    Your words once again proved that your mother is amazing. .. .. You are blessed. We got the golden opportunity to know the the books through your magical touch...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Litty Baby George2 August 2018 at 09:26

    Had I gone, I could have seen the ghost of an unremarkable boy with tousled hair and loose pants running from one shelf to another , eyes full of greed wishing to gobble up every book in their sight but realising that Amma had given a mere Rs.5000/-.... 👌👌👌

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nitya2 August 2018 at 09:45

    Good to read... I read your book reviews first then I start to read that book ..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown3 August 2018 at 05:13

    I must appreciate your command over the language, you play with the words - it's contextual and very appropriate. Way to go Sir

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unknown4 August 2018 at 05:32

    Great Sir. Hope to hear more from you.

    ReplyDelete

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