Get your copy of How Opal Mehta... for Rs60

The plagiarism controversy surrounding Kaavya Viswanathan’s novel How Opal Mehta got kissed, got wild and got a life has fuelled curiosity levels of readers in the city.

The pirated version of the book, available with pavement booksellers, is selling fast. The book is being sold under a shadow of discreetness.

Sameer, a book seller at Hutatma Chowk, said, “I am here to sell the books. I am unaware if there is a ban.”

Apart from the controversy, a reduced rate of about Rs60 to Rs80 is also contributing to the hike in demand. A book seller at Kaala Ghoda, on condition of anonymity, said, “The demand has risen. I sold about 15 copies in the last four days.”

Divya Patel, an avid reader, said, “Everybody is interested to know what is there in the book. The hype has been created after the controversy. This is one of the reasons I purchased this book.”

Some people are not even aware of the controversy. One purchaser Vishal Sinha said, “I don’t know about the ban. I usually buy a lot of books. This is just another book for me.”

Kaavya’s book was withdrawn from the stands of major bookstores after the plagiarism controversy. Some shared similarities were found between her book and Megan F McCafferty’s novels Sloppy First and Second Helpings.