A fresh chapter begins

Between the lines

As the city’s oldest bookstore reopened on MG Road, many made a beeline to visit one of the iconic landmarks of Bengaluru.

While some came to ‘Higginbothams’ to check out the newly done interiors and the fresh collection of books, many turned up for sheer nostalgia — to refresh old memories and make new ones.

The bookstore now showcases children’s literature on the ground floor. The first floor has a special section on Karnataka classics, graphic novels and other works of fiction and non-fiction. Connecting MG Road and Church Street, the bookstore also has a passageway with a courtyard, where a coffee shop is likely to come up.

Sanal from Kochi, who was studying in the city in the 90s, regularly visited the store for academic books, novels and other rare works.

“The store had a huge collection in those days. I would also buy stationery here which included writing pads, pens, files and envelopes. It was all a bit premium but exclusive. Later on as well, when I was working in Bengaluru, I used to pick up books on brand management and marketing here,” says Sanal who is visiting the city.

So what are the changes that he has now noticed in one of his favourite haunts? “There is a new technology section now. There is more innovative stationery available. And the best part is that they are maintaining the old architectural style with a new look. People may have moved to the digital format but there are a few books that you want to touch and feel; it is bookstores like these which keep that charm alive. I will see what I can pick up for my son now,” he adds.

For school friends Apoorva and Sindhu Priya, the store holds a special place in their hearts.

The two used to visit the place to buy story books as kids. “In fact, my first book was purchased from here when I was four! I absolutely love the look after renovation. It’s really cute and creative and we were just tempted to walk in. The courtyard is impressive. Painted white, it looks really comfortable, a place where you can just relax and read all day. ‘Higginbothams’ is certainly one of the must-visit places in Bengaluru,” gushes Apoorva. 

Sindhu Priya adds, “They have included more collections. We are happy to see that some of the series like ‘Harry Potter’, which came in when we were really young, and books by Roald Dahl are still there.”

Deivanayagam, a frequent visitor to the store earlier, came looking for Tamil novels. “As far as I know, this is the only shop in the city which stocks books in Tamil. They have done up the interiors very nicely and even the stationery section is really good. The variety of books is the same and am sure they will be adding some more soon,” he expresses.

Visiting the store for the first time, Srinidhi says that the ambience is classy and better than most other stores but the collection is smaller compared to other prominent bookstores in the city.

“This is my first visit here and I feel they could add to the existing stock. Though I must say that I found a few rare books on the shelves.”