Literary Wonderlands

Beyond the aisles of large chain stores, a treasure trove of independent bookstores awaits bibliophiles. These unique havens offer curated collections, a personalised touch, and often, a vibrant space for the community to connect. Nestled in the city of rich literature, Kolkata, Earthcare Books was founded in December 1985 by Vinita and Bharat Mansata. The store has traditional artwork on the entrance door, hanging paper boats, a plant in a hanging bulb, red oxide flooring, arched gateways, murals on the walls, and handmade products made by small enterprises. Vinita says, “The intention to start Earthcare was to create a place where people could meet and exchange ideas.” Initially, the duo envisioned a bookstore focused on humanities, theatre, cinema, and literature. Their passion for ecology emerged later in the late 80s and early 90s when they started reading materials focusing on environmental issues. Vinita says, “The activity of just buying and selling was not so much of an interest. The interest was more to present to readers something meaningful and important.” She selects books that interest her and what readers should read. The bookstore is also a publisher and distributor of books on environmental issues and sustainable development. They have books on farming, agriculture, environmental issues, human rights, science, women’s issues, history, art and culture, and poetry.

Book Cafés

Pagdandi, meaning an unbeaten path, lives up to its name by offering a space for artistic exploration alongside literary pursuits. Founded in 2013 by Neha and Vishal Pipraiya, the ‘Pagdandi’ Bookstore Café helps people slow down and take time off from their busy life. Vishal says that they select books based on whether they would like to read themselves. “We also have our own life philosophy. This makes the selection reflect the way we think about human rights, domestic rights, caste studies, feminist literature, and freedom of expression.” The bookstore has well-curated book selections that one would not find easily in other bookstores - graphic novels, fiction, non-fiction, poetry titles, and YA books, alongside events, making it ideal for those seeking a creative refuge. To maintain the freedom of choice of being selective and not falling into the maze of commercialisation, they opened a cafe that takes care of the business. The cafe frees them to choose the books they wish their readers to read. Pagdandi initially offered book rentals however, Covid-19 forced an end to rentals, but bookselling thrived.

Readers Paradise

The journey of old books sold on the pavement to blooming into a three-storey bookstore in Bengaluru is quite inspiring. The warmth of Blossom Book House, Bengaluru is legendary. Owner Mayi Gowda says any bookstore or business can grow if you provide the customers with what they want. “But a bond is built when you personally take care of your customers’ requirements. We have been doing this for 22 years.” Famous for its collection of second-hand books or pre-loved books, the towering shelves also store fresh copies and new releases. The bookstore is home to several books across all genres, from Bertrand Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy, Murakami’s books to Sanskrit dictionaries, manuscripts of 1984, lithographies, travelogues, rare comic books, manga, and even a handwritten letter of Rabindranath Tagore. Mayi recalls, “Once a customer came searching for a book. He found the same copy of that book that he had lost at an airport years ago and had his name written on it.”

While these independent bookstores have dedicated readers, in the age of social media and e-reading, there are challenges galore. Vishal says, “Unlike the US, Indian bookstores rely on multiple distributors with no shared inventory system. This forces bookstores to manually search through data to find and reorder books.” There should be a centralised database where publishers and distributors could upload their inventory, eliminating duplicate data entry and saving time and effort. Witnessing change over two decades, Mayi says, “Earlier, you saw working professionals at the bookstore, the place is now primarily visited and cherished by the Gen Zs.”

We wanted people to take their time off form their busy life and enjoy the little pagdandis of life i.e the creative aspects of life.” — Vishal Pipraiya, co-founder of Pagdandi Bookstore Café

The intention to start Earthcare was to create a place where people could meet and exchange ideas.” — Vinita Mansata, co-founder of EarthCare Books

Any bookstore or business can grow if you provide the customers with what they want.” — Mayi Gowda, founder of Blossom Book House