The late TN Shanbhag's invaluable gift to Mumbai's readers -- Strand Book Stall -- has its 62nd anniversary, next week. THE GUIDE caught up with two pallbearers of his rich legacy, daughter, Vidya Virkar and Man Friday, PM Shenvi
The late TN Shanbhag's invaluable gift to Mumbai's readersu00a0-- Strand Book Stallu00a0-- has its 62nd anniversary, next week. THE GUIDE caught up with two pallbearers of his rich legacy, daughter, Vidya Virkar and Man Friday, PM Shenvi
"As a youngster, I wasn't aware of my dad's influence. My brother Arun, and I grew up around books. Discussions at the dining table were never mundane," recalls Vidya Virkar, from Strand Book Stall's Bangalore branch. 
From YB Chavan to Ratan Tata and Dr Anant Pai, the late TN Shanbhag
and Strand Book Stall's influence on the city's readers is unparalleled
Vidya, who overlooks her inspirational father's labour of love from the Garden City, is in reminiscent mode. It was on November 20, 1948 when her father started the bookstore from modest beginnings. Originally located near Mumbai's long-gone Strand cinema in Colaba, the store borrowed the name of its more popular neighbour; it stuck even after moving to its present address on Sir PM Road, in 1966.
HER FATHER'S DAUGHTER
Soon, Mumbai was to discover its humble, self-made literary icon. "As book sales improved, we moved up; I began studying at the Cathedral and John Connon High School. Years later, a schoolmate walked up to me and said, 'we loved your dad. I visited Strand so I could chat with him.' That statement startled meu00a0-- I realised that dad had become a celebrity of sorts," says Vidya, her voice brimming with pride even after all these years.
Vidya gave up a lucrative career in advertising at J Walter Thomson on London's Baker Street to return to India for good, in 1991. "Dad was a liberal thinker. In fact, he literally nudged me away from the book trade. He always said, 'Fly in any direction and if it brings you back to this, then so be it.' But the store was always at the back of my mind, especially once Arun moved to the US," she recounts. Fly she did, but Vidya didn't want the legacy to fade away, returning since "this was much bigger", she reasons.
Vidya and her family relocated to Bangalore and by 1995, she had joined Strand's operations, opening its first outlet on Dickenson Road. "It helped me learn the ropes."
Vidya spearheaded the Strand Book Fest, about 13 years agou00a0-- "the shop is tiny; we have so many titles to show off with great discounts. The sale was a great way to reach out to all our readers. Seven years ago, Narayana Murthy invited me to open four outlets on Infosys campuses in Bangalore, Mysore, Pune and Hyderabad."
Strand was invited to open a bookstore inside Bangalore's Wipro campus. These ventures anchored the family business, tremendously, adds Vidya.
BOOK NOOK
Back in Mumbai, Shanbhag's Man Friday and manager, PM Shenvi has reason to smile from the iconic 700 odd sq ft space that houses over one lakh titles.
"It's unbelievable; the impact that Strand has had on Mumbai's readers, across generations and social strata. I was studying at Jai Hind College when common friends told me of a vacancy at Strand. I met Mr Shanbhag and he asked me to start work from the next day itself," says Shenvi.
The 44 year-old association is etched in stone, as Shenvi recalls a promise made to his mentor: to never leave Strand for monetary reasons. "He bent backwards to include the human element. He would encourage people to cultivate the reading habit. Plus, we wereu00a0u00a0 India's first bookstore to offer discounts, and the first to be air-conditioned," he adds, proudly as he shows off their latest additionu00a0-- the Large Print editions for popular titles. "These are a huge draw in the US and are meant for people with eyesight problems, also for senior citizens. It's Strand's way of going the extra mile, for our readers."
THE STRAND IDEOLOGY
Shenvi explains that Strand doesn't believe in stocking bestsellers, but books that are rarely found elsewhere, pointing to a rare Peter Watson title, Ideas: From Fire to Freud. "It costs 30 pounds, but we sell it for Rs 500!"
Shanbhag's son Arun supplies books from the US. Once the price was fixed, Shanbhag would retain the price until the last copy was sold. "Our volume of trade is higher than profits. We work on a very thin margin," says Shenvi.
Echoing the sentiment Vidya says, "Often, they barely make ends meet. Still, it's the kind of shop that will prevail in times to come. It caters to the book lover, after all. That's how dad wanted it to be..."
STRAND'S FAMOUS CUSTOMERS
* Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
* Rajiv Gandhi
* Amitabh Bachchan
* JRD Tata
* The Birlas
* The Kilachands
* The Ambanis
* The Godrejs
* Shobha and Dilip De
FROM THE STRAND FILES
* Ex-Chief Justice of India MN Venkatachaliah once told Mr Shanbhag, "you don't realise how much you've done for three generations of readers".
* JRD Tata was very friendly with the office staff whenever he dropped by. His favourite genres were literature, politics and humour.
MOST POPULAR GENRES AT STRAND
* Health
* Personal development
* Politics
* Biographies
Shenvi's top 5
1. Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud by Peter Watson
2. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
3. The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
4. The complete works of Swami Vivekananda
5. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda
Strand Book Stall, Dhannur, Sir PM Road, Fort. Call 22661994 / 22661719
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