Whenever I visit MG Road I make it a point to go to The Bookworm –a little bookshop tucked away in Shrungar Shopping Complex on MG. The store is owned by a young, soft-spoken man called Krishna.
I met Krishna two years ago and what a meeting it was! I chanced upon his then newly opened bookshop and entered it to indulge in some heavy-duty browsing. I have a fascination for old books and The Bookworm advertised itself as a `Treasure house for used books’. So there I was amidst tall rows of fiction, non-fiction, classics, biographies and self-help books. I saw a young man standing queitly in a corner of the shop. I felt a I-know-him-from-somewhere-kind-of- feeling. We see some people almost everyday in our lives the lift operators, janitors, office boys, the bus driver and the girl at the food world counter, yet we don’t know their names or dreams or where they come from. We don’t even acknowledge their existence sometimes. I apparently saw the young man almost everyday for three years because he used to sell books on the footpath next to my office. But I never gave much importance to that countenance. To me it belonged to a footpath-bookseller. How unconsciously prejudiced we can be? Some days I would stop by to browse through or buy some books that he usually spread out on a plastic cover on the footpath. At times, he would scramble to cover the books with a plastic sheet even as rain threatened to spoil his livelihood for the day. On a few occasions I have even witnessed the police harassing him. But I never paid much attention to him -the person! I always found him to be quite but intense –he was never pushy like other vendors and never aloof either. He definitely didn’t have an MBA but he knew how to treat his customers well for they kept coming back for more. And this young man was the owner of `The Bookworm'.
From the footpa
th to a cozy little book shop in an upscale address? How did that happen? Now I was curious. After all those years. I asked him, what’s your name? “Krishna,” he beamed.
I met Krishna two years ago and what a meeting it was! I chanced upon his then newly opened bookshop and entered it to indulge in some heavy-duty browsing. I have a fascination for old books and The Bookworm advertised itself as a `Treasure house for used books’. So there I was amidst tall rows of fiction, non-fiction, classics, biographies and self-help books. I saw a young man standing queitly in a corner of the shop. I felt a I-know-him-from-somewhere-kind-of- feeling. We see some people almost everyday in our lives the lift operators, janitors, office boys, the bus driver and the girl at the food world counter, yet we don’t know their names or dreams or where they come from. We don’t even acknowledge their existence sometimes. I apparently saw the young man almost everyday for three years because he used to sell books on the footpath next to my office. But I never gave much importance to that countenance. To me it belonged to a footpath-bookseller. How unconsciously prejudiced we can be? Some days I would stop by to browse through or buy some books that he usually spread out on a plastic cover on the footpath. At times, he would scramble to cover the books with a plastic sheet even as rain threatened to spoil his livelihood for the day. On a few occasions I have even witnessed the police harassing him. But I never paid much attention to him -the person! I always found him to be quite but intense –he was never pushy like other vendors and never aloof either. He definitely didn’t have an MBA but he knew how to treat his customers well for they kept coming back for more. And this young man was the owner of `The Bookworm'.
From the footpa
th to a cozy little book shop in an upscale address? How did that happen? Now I was curious. After all those years. I asked him, what’s your name? “Krishna,” he beamed.Krishna came from a poor family in a village in Mysore. When he finished school he came to Bangalore looking for better prospects. He worked for another footpath bookseller in the mornings and pursued a degree in an evening college. He always had a passion for reading. However, he never read English books because his command over the language was poor, almost nil. He studied in Kannada medium. He knew the English alphabets and could read some words, but that was about it.
One day, Krishna decided to read `Papillion’. (Check the link for more info on the book) “This book was famous with the customers and I noticed many of them recommending it to their friends,” he recollects. His interest piqued, he picked up the book. It took him three months to finish the book, which he read with the help of a dictionary. After that, there was no stopping him, How to kill a mocking bird, Catcher in the Rye, Alchemist he devoured them all. The last two are his favorites. “I like the narrations”, he says casually.
Initially, he used to earn Rs.1500 per month. Later Krishna decided to strike out on his own and started his own footpath book stall. He used to make Rs.3000 a month. In two years he managed to save enough seed money to start The Bookworm. Seeing his dedication and enthusiasm some of his friends and vendors and customers pitched in with the rest of the amount.
How did he do it? “At some point I decided that I was going to start my own book store. I worked with determination towards my only goal.”
He worked 365 days a year from 8.30 am to 10 pm and more with no breaks or holidays. There wasn’t any spare cash to indulge in extra food or entertainment. He also had to send money back home. But he pulled it off.
The Bookworm has 98percent of all the tittles of almost all the authors. Within six months Kirshna opened another branch of The Bookworm since the first one became too small to accommodate his growth.
“My ultimate goal is to start a publishing house,” he says. “I want to publish good works of people that will go on to become classics."
Will he make it? I bet my last drop of ink -he will.
Today, every time I visit The Bookworm I am reminded of one man’s determination and the possibilities that life can offer to those who are willing to take a chance. Sometimes, we don't get what we want in life simply because our dreams don't leave the drawing board of our mind.
One day, Krishna decided to read `Papillion’. (Check the link for more info on the book) “This book was famous with the customers and I noticed many of them recommending it to their friends,” he recollects. His interest piqued, he picked up the book. It took him three months to finish the book, which he read with the help of a dictionary. After that, there was no stopping him, How to kill a mocking bird, Catcher in the Rye, Alchemist he devoured them all. The last two are his favorites. “I like the narrations”, he says casually.
Initially, he used to earn Rs.1500 per month. Later Krishna decided to strike out on his own and started his own footpath book stall. He used to make Rs.3000 a month. In two years he managed to save enough seed money to start The Bookworm. Seeing his dedication and enthusiasm some of his friends and vendors and customers pitched in with the rest of the amount.
How did he do it? “At some point I decided that I was going to start my own book store. I worked with determination towards my only goal.”
He worked 365 days a year from 8.30 am to 10 pm and more with no breaks or holidays. There wasn’t any spare cash to indulge in extra food or entertainment. He also had to send money back home. But he pulled it off.
The Bookworm has 98percent of all the tittles of almost all the authors. Within six months Kirshna opened another branch of The Bookworm since the first one became too small to accommodate his growth.
“My ultimate goal is to start a publishing house,” he says. “I want to publish good works of people that will go on to become classics."
Will he make it? I bet my last drop of ink -he will.
Today, every time I visit The Bookworm I am reminded of one man’s determination and the possibilities that life can offer to those who are willing to take a chance. Sometimes, we don't get what we want in life simply because our dreams don't leave the drawing board of our mind.
1 comment:
I like the way you write, you write beautifully. I am going to pay a visit to Krishna the next time I go to Shrungar Complex. Inspiring. Keep writing. I also liked your post on `My B'day' -hilarious....
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