Seeing a huge demand for the books on Mahatma Gandhi by film goers outside Regal Cinema in Colaba after the film’s release, Somaiya and his co-workers set up the bookshop within the office of the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal and have been not only promoting the Gandhian philosophy through books not only offline but also online
TK Somaiya (right) started the Gandhi Book Centre with other members of Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal in Grant Road in 1982. Photos Courtesy: Nascimento Pinto
It was November 1982 and Richard Attenborough’s ‘Gandhi’ had just been released in theatres across India. In Mumbai, TK Somaiya and fellow karyakarta (co-worker) associated with the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, saw how people were thronging the theatres to watch the movie featuring popular Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley play the titular character, enact the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Working with the organisation that was continuing the legacy of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, popularly known as an Indian advocate of non-violence and human rights, and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, they decided to start selling books on Gandhi outside the theatre.