Just like shopping for any other item, buying books can be an impulsive decision. And since you find these sellers almost everywhere, it saves a lot of time too.

Agrees Swapna, a financial analyst, “I may not usually make plans to go and buy books. I may just have a list of books I would want to buy, at the back of my mind. And when I pass by and find a book that catches my interest, I just pick it up.”

Most of the times, you find books that are not available in the stores on these streets. And another added advantage is that you can get your hands on these for usually one tenth the price.

Says Swapna, “I have had instances when I have spent thousands only for two books which is quite expensive for people who frequently buy books. So if it is only for one-time reading, I go in for these books which are only Rs 50 or 70.”

Such books are popular but they have their drawbacks too as one can find print errors. As you flip through the pages, it is not hard to notice that these books are only photocopies of the original ones.

Says Yulia, a student, “Quality wise these books are not a safe bet. Many a time, you’ll find that a chapter is missing or the print is illegible. This makes it really difficult to read.” But such mistakes are very rare and do not happen always.

Kirthi Mohan, a student opines, “Recently, when I was at a book store I noticed that the quality of the paper was the same as that of the books you get on the streets. So with the rare exception of minor print errors, these books are much more durable than the ones you get at the stores and much cheaper too.”

But cheap though they may be, they are not original. So most of the people do not prefer buying books from these vendors. Says Marina, a software engineer, “I prefer purchasing second-hand books rather than buying such pirated ones. I would like to have my own collection of books. So I buy only original books.” Even Swapna agrees, “It is not something one would buy as a collector’s edition or if you want to have your own library. But for people who buy books simply for the pleasure of reading, this comes in handy.”

However, one cannot forget that selling of pirated books such as these is a punishable offence. But everyone, including the police, solicits this. Kirthi adds, “Selling anything pirated for that matter is illegal but nowadays the cops turn a blind eye. And this is rampant throughout the City.”