City books a date with Bengali literature

Bridging the gap

Bengali films, plays, cuisine and festivals have already made their presence felt in Bengaluru. The City will now play host to another bit of that culture, in the form of its first exclusively Bengali book store.

On Friday, Kolkata-based Ananda Publishers will throw the doors open to ‘Ananda’ in RT Nagar.

Subhasis Bhattacharjee, who will run the store with his wife Mahua, told Deccan Herald it all started with the publishers looking to distribute Durga Puja editions of ABP Group magazines. Bhattacharjee sold the largest number, leading the publishers to pitch the idea of a shop for him. “A lot of Bengalis settle outside the state. While they may know the language, the next generation doesn’t. People have been telling me how this store will help them teach their children,” said Bhattacharjee.

Mridula Mukherjee, who imparts Bengali tuitions, concurred. “Normally, I have to write down the alphabet for my students. The bookstore will make teaching much easier. It will be especially helpful if they carry children’s literature,” she said. “It is high time Bengaluru got an exclusively Bengali book store. Mumbai and Delhi already have them.”

Another demographic looking forward to the store is parents of IT professionals who follow them to the City. “Some have told me their parents have come to stay with them, but hardly want to visit malls. To them, leisure is reading a book. However, this being Bengaluru, there are precious few places where they get Bengali books,” explained Bhattacharjee.

It helps that Ananda’s publications range from children’s comics to the cream of Bengali fiction and non-fiction. However, readers want a little more. IT professional Spandan Chatterjee said he would have preferred the shop at a somewhat more central location in the City. Bhattacharjee seems to have that covered, through home delivery. “Also, if business is good, we will shift to a better location,” he said.

The overall response is positive. The Bengalee Association president Runu Roy said it was a “great news for the community.” “The experience of browsing actual books before buying them is incomparable,” she said.