A book in time

Fiction Fantasy Adventure ArchitectureHappy endings Mysterious whodunits Gritty life experiencesBombay Mumbai Scary ogresSuper cool simpletonsRecently this columnist stepped into a bookstore after a while And was grateful she did Because of the universe that it always introduces us to even if it was for just an hour in the middle of a packed week There were several other reasons that got us smiling and also made us put things into perspectiveFor one it felt like a lifetime since the last visit and so the sheer idea of being surrounded by books from ceiling to floor was like feeling secure and happy in a really cool evolved Alice in Wonderlandkind of world In busy crazy and chaotic Bombay that can make for a one helluva upperChatting up with Trilogyrsquos coowner Ahalya Naidu in this cosy ecosystem that is tucked away in a corner of Chimbai made one realise even more of the importance and criticality of such spaces for us Bombaywallahs Indie booksellers like them need to be supported not just so they can survive but also thrive so they can continue to provide us the joy that only reading a book can offerAs schoolgoers some of us readers were lucky and blessed to have either parents or relatives who were hardcore readers and hence the habit was passed on Bookshelves were part of legacies in homes and library cards were the allimportant passports we possessed to enable us entry into this wonderful world of books Those were the days where physical bookstores werenrsquot accessible for many and so hardbound collections by Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle or the prized Tintin set from a visiting uncle or aunt who travelled from the US the UK Australia or the Gulf meant the world to us For the rest of the time of our bookcollecting exploits we had to resort to secondhand booksellers sometimes even the local raddiwallahs who by some fantastic twist of luck would have a dogeared copy of a rare classic or then one had to rely on the neighbourhood circulating libraryGrowing up in Bombay meant Fort and Kingrsquos Circlersquos secondhand booksellers were our best friends with their VFM and exhaustive reading lists It was another important chapter in our bookreading life what with offering collegians a whole new avenue to pursue this passion The 1990s and first decade of the 2000s in particular witnessed the advent and boom of boutique and bigticket bookstores soon we became spoilt for choice And whether you were a suburbanite or a city slicker you had options galoreNot anymore The pandemic I suspect and fear has changed that pictureperfect frame The online store has also altered the dynamic in so many ways With the more convenient option available at onersquos fingertips it seems to have also tampered with the inclination to make a trip to bookstores far or nearEven more reason why when I made that visit to the Bandra bookstore it was the coming together of many things It meant that we as readers need to be all the more aware of why these indie bookstores and libraries must be allowed to exist in the city and hence our support for them in this long arduous journey is the least one can do so they can continue to spread the joy to readersSo the next time you have a few hours to spare on your day off head out to support your local bookstore or library with your family catch up with your friends there or exchange books with a loved one And if you have kids bring them along too for a muchneeded break from their tablets and devices The touch and feel of a new book oh yes and the smell is special Introduce them to it and you will have a fan hooked on for lifeI leave you with a cool fact I learnt about some time ago In Iceland there is a tradition of exchanging books with each other on Christmas Eve as families and friends ring in the festive season reading books Not a bad time to introduce an Icelandic tradition to the city what say Letrsquos do our little bit to work towards a happy ending the kind that we all wish for each time we pick up a bookmiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayanaSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom