Last weekend, I visited Crossword bookstore in Bangalore. I love visiting a bookstore. There are a couple of reasons for that. One, it is the only place in Bangalore where you don't have to maneuver around and rub shoulders with “Who’s that???” of Bangalore, and the second is I love reading!
With the coming of stores like Crossword and Landmark, concept of a bookstore has changed a lot. It is not anymore a place where you do quick shopping by telling the title and the store keeper dusting it and bringing it to the checkout counter. There is more crowd and more books! Also, I could see people have started using it as a landmark. Nowadays in cities like Chennai and Bangalore, Landmark has become a “landmark” for people to meet up and plan further.
The socio-cultural anthropologist in me was awakened... I picked up an arbitrary book and started reading the place and people. It was quite interesting.
First section is usually the blockbusters and new entrants neatly merchandised. Usually the most effective sales area, as most people end up buying a book from this section. Next is the Fiction and Murder mysteries section which incidentally is the best selling section as most of us want to live in the fictitious or parallel world and all of us at some point wish to kill someone for various reasons but only that it is not possible and we at least take some respite by reading murder mysteries. To the right of murder mysteries is the self help section. Though the books were mostly on management and "how to become a millionaire" kind of stuff, name of the section “Self-help” was kind of repulsive. None of us want to be seen standing in the self help section especially if we are a little conscious about the beautiful girls around.
Yes, by the way bookstore is brilliant place to meet and pursue girls who are more often than not are available. Other than the obvious reasons which is to buy a book and waiting for their boyfriend, they also visit a book store because, they do not have a boyfriend and or they have been recently dumped and want to go to a public place which is calm and or will calm them down.
Coming back to the layout, the section next to self help is management books. I don’t understand why, is it because managers need self help? Anyways,
Just after the fiction section come the classics. This section is a good place to be, because whichever book you pickup, it would make you look like a guy with a big brain and beautiful heart. Surprisingly, this is the least selling section in the book house.
Then there is the non-fiction, religion and philosophy section. Usually guys who have been dumped or who have not managed a girl friend in their life can be seen here, with a khadi kurtha, thick rimmed glasses and possibly bearded. Some times you will find the “Namdhari” crowd as well in this section. With heavy J. Krishnamurthy book in their hand, they are a conspicuous lot. Looking at them, when I project the data at hand, the number of karma yogis our land produces must turn our country instantly to a puniya bhoomi or something…but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Just next to the philosophy section is psychology followed by romance and relationships which leads into erotica. Though not many want to look like perverts or people who need self help in their romance life, every single soul takes a quick peek at these sections. They hold the book in hand but don’t seem to read. After a little it more observation I understood the modus operandi. People take the book, and keep looking around to see if anybody is watching them, and quickly glance through the pages to get a glimpse of photos and illustrations. After all who is bothered about the theory, when you can get to see some action? Few minutes in the section and they move on, only to return back now and then.
All the sections mentioned above form the right hand side area of the book store. To the left is where actual business is, where serious readers are, and most importantly the checkout counter is. Books on specific businesses, arts, crafts, children books, workbooks, cuisine, architecture, computer books et, all.
In this country of free riders, book stores are no exception. There are people who read through the costly photo albums of stars and cricketers at the book store without paying a single penny.
Typical people who visit a book store are parents and kids who have come to search for a workbook which the school had prescribed in the desirable section (not even under the necessary category), guys in their late 20’s who have not managed a girl friend or who have been just dumped and have to kill some time during the weekend and at the same time not feel guilty for having wasted the time, girls in mid 20’s same as their counterparts, uncles and aunties who care for the environment and aesthetics, old parents accompanied by their single son/daughter in his/her 40s, recently married couple who have just bought a new house, looking for architecture or a cuisine book, married guys who have dropped their wives off at a beauty parlor not knowing how long it would take before they get the all important missed call!
This might sound preposterous, preconceived and prejudiced, but please, please, please… before commenting on this blog post, I suggest, you visit a book store again say Landmark or Crossword and then do the honors.
- Ciao
With the coming of stores like Crossword and Landmark, concept of a bookstore has changed a lot. It is not anymore a place where you do quick shopping by telling the title and the store keeper dusting it and bringing it to the checkout counter. There is more crowd and more books! Also, I could see people have started using it as a landmark. Nowadays in cities like Chennai and Bangalore, Landmark has become a “landmark” for people to meet up and plan further.
The socio-cultural anthropologist in me was awakened... I picked up an arbitrary book and started reading the place and people. It was quite interesting.
First section is usually the blockbusters and new entrants neatly merchandised. Usually the most effective sales area, as most people end up buying a book from this section. Next is the Fiction and Murder mysteries section which incidentally is the best selling section as most of us want to live in the fictitious or parallel world and all of us at some point wish to kill someone for various reasons but only that it is not possible and we at least take some respite by reading murder mysteries. To the right of murder mysteries is the self help section. Though the books were mostly on management and "how to become a millionaire" kind of stuff, name of the section “Self-help” was kind of repulsive. None of us want to be seen standing in the self help section especially if we are a little conscious about the beautiful girls around.
Yes, by the way bookstore is brilliant place to meet and pursue girls who are more often than not are available. Other than the obvious reasons which is to buy a book and waiting for their boyfriend, they also visit a book store because, they do not have a boyfriend and or they have been recently dumped and want to go to a public place which is calm and or will calm them down.
Coming back to the layout, the section next to self help is management books. I don’t understand why, is it because managers need self help? Anyways,
Just after the fiction section come the classics. This section is a good place to be, because whichever book you pickup, it would make you look like a guy with a big brain and beautiful heart. Surprisingly, this is the least selling section in the book house.
Then there is the non-fiction, religion and philosophy section. Usually guys who have been dumped or who have not managed a girl friend in their life can be seen here, with a khadi kurtha, thick rimmed glasses and possibly bearded. Some times you will find the “Namdhari” crowd as well in this section. With heavy J. Krishnamurthy book in their hand, they are a conspicuous lot. Looking at them, when I project the data at hand, the number of karma yogis our land produces must turn our country instantly to a puniya bhoomi or something…but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Just next to the philosophy section is psychology followed by romance and relationships which leads into erotica. Though not many want to look like perverts or people who need self help in their romance life, every single soul takes a quick peek at these sections. They hold the book in hand but don’t seem to read. After a little it more observation I understood the modus operandi. People take the book, and keep looking around to see if anybody is watching them, and quickly glance through the pages to get a glimpse of photos and illustrations. After all who is bothered about the theory, when you can get to see some action? Few minutes in the section and they move on, only to return back now and then.
All the sections mentioned above form the right hand side area of the book store. To the left is where actual business is, where serious readers are, and most importantly the checkout counter is. Books on specific businesses, arts, crafts, children books, workbooks, cuisine, architecture, computer books et, all.
In this country of free riders, book stores are no exception. There are people who read through the costly photo albums of stars and cricketers at the book store without paying a single penny.
Typical people who visit a book store are parents and kids who have come to search for a workbook which the school had prescribed in the desirable section (not even under the necessary category), guys in their late 20’s who have not managed a girl friend or who have been just dumped and have to kill some time during the weekend and at the same time not feel guilty for having wasted the time, girls in mid 20’s same as their counterparts, uncles and aunties who care for the environment and aesthetics, old parents accompanied by their single son/daughter in his/her 40s, recently married couple who have just bought a new house, looking for architecture or a cuisine book, married guys who have dropped their wives off at a beauty parlor not knowing how long it would take before they get the all important missed call!
This might sound preposterous, preconceived and prejudiced, but please, please, please… before commenting on this blog post, I suggest, you visit a book store again say Landmark or Crossword and then do the honors.
- Ciao
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I sure would dose the fire by rather sheepishly acknowledging what you had to say :-) I have had been to the Crossword and it is rather interesting place to be coz that is one place which makes it official to kill time by reading a book without being disturbed and when the time's up just get up and leave. No obligations whatsoever. Interesting is'nt it.
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