When I moved permanently to Bangalore in 1995, I hoped to renew my acquaintance with five institutions in particular. Two were bookstores. ...
When I moved permanently to Bangalore in 1995, I hoped to renew my acquaintance with five institutions in particular. Two were bookstores. Premier was owned by a shy Hindu from the Konkan coast, and sold new books. Select was owned by a loquacious Kannadiga engineer, and sold used or second-hand books. Both owners were extremely knowledgeable about their stock, and about the obsessions of their regular customers as well.
Two other Bangalore institutions I knew well also dealt with the printed word. One was Variety News; it stocked a wide range of periodicals from across India (and the world); it was owned by a family of Muslims who spoke Dakhani to each other and English or Kannada or Tamil to their customers. Like the owners of Premier and Select, those who ran Variety had wonderfully warm relations with their regular customers, knowing their interests and catering to them with professional ease. Then there was the British Library; one of the more benign legacies of imperial rule, it housed books published in the United Kingdom, here issued to desi members by devoted and competent desi librarians.
I liked all of these places; but the place that I liked most was Koshy’s Parade Café. “Koshy’s” is...
