The unlikely literati of Fort in Mumbai
A rare find amongst the dozens of vendors dotting the pavements of Mumbai's D.N. Road: One of the few who reads each of his books cover to cover
Moving along the concrete roads of Fort, you would realise that Mumbai thrives on the old streets of Bombay. You walk almost swayed with the celerity of the city, passing street vendors that offer the world on a wooden plank. Amidst the hustle, there survive book sellers in the shades of Neo-Gothic corridors and on turns of roads. These men hawk a treasure and you realise so when you look at the collection they offer. We happened to take a gander at their books, just as we realized that some of these salesmen happened to read the books that they sold. The ocassion aquainted us with the 'literati' that exists on the unkempt streets of Mumbai. One of these vendors told us that he migrated from Patna wanting to start a business in Mumbai and started with selling books because these were the only objects that had the power to change his life or as he said 'Mujhe ek raaste se, dusre pe pahuncha sakti hain'. Our journey got even more fascinating when we met Bablu Chakroborty, a man with a slim built and a white stubble. Bablu has now been in the business for over forty years, ever since he ran away from his home in Kolkata at a very early age. He shared his motivation behind taking up such a profession, which had as much to do with his passion for reading as it was to do with it being a good business proposition.
“In my time, it was impossible for us to afford copies of books, even if they were second hand. I was very fond of reading all kinds of books and magazines, and decided on making my passion, my profession. I am grateful to the Supreme for giving me such an opportunity” says Bablu.
What makes Bablu such a rare find amongst the dozens of vendors dotting the pavements of Mumbai's D.N. Road, is that he is one of the few who reads each of his books cover-to-cover, tailoring his recommendation to his customers preferences.When asked what genre Bablu enjoys reading most, Bablu simply said “all”, explaining why he thinks reading all kinds of books is so important. “As humans, we have the ability to acquire knowledge and be logical. I think we should put this to use in every way possible. Plus, I believe that there is no limit to learning or acquiring knowledge. It's all about passion and having the stomach for inquiry”, he says.Such books aren't just a hobby, but a way of life for Bablu. He feels that “books are the only way in which people can polish themselves” and thus he likes to encourage his reader to delve deeper into this process of inquiry. He speaks highly of the authors themselves, seeing them as “omnipresent, here to spread knowledge as the true messengers of God”.
When asked on his take on the upcoming trend of 'eBooks' , Bablu said he doesn't really see these as a threat to the book industry. “The ebooks can never replace hard-copies. Everyday, there are reports of the ills of various electronic devices. It won't be before another 500 years or so that we are genetically inclined towards such technology". While other booksellers profess that their businesses simply don't permit them the leisure of having the time to read, Bablu refutes this claim vehemently, arguing that one can always make the time. “I disagree with them. Whenever I have no customers, I sit down with my book and read. When you have passion and a natural knack for inquiry then you want to learn more". The world of books helps Bablu to escape from the regular hustle of the city all around him, and enter into his own space. "I also believe that if you are literate then you should try and look into your product to be able to tell the customer more about it," he says, speaking of how reading books adds value to his business. With four decades of experience backing him, Bablu tells dna of how he has seen the reading culture evolve over time. When he had just started his business, Bablu found reading restricted to certain groups such as the Goans”. Today however, he sees reading is a habit not just of the rich and the educated, with some of his most avid readers hailing from Meghalaya, due to the state's English speaking majority.