A
day to be counted as one among the happiest days. It is not often that I set
out from home for the sole purpose of buying books. Today I set out from home
only for that and to return the library books which had become due and for
which a fine of Rs. 12 was imposed by the British Library. Right from home I
set out to Moore market which lies close to Chennai’s central railway station. Moore
market is much older than my age and my dad’s age put together. It has been
standing erect since a long time except once when a fire accident destroyed
some parts of the market. It lies right behind the Nehru stadium and close to
the ground where Bombay circus makes it visit once in a while. Its well known
for second hand books on any subject under the sun or perhaps even beyond. And
it’s a paradise for a book lover like me. I enter the place with wallet full of
money and walk out through the other side being bankrupt but with the happiness
of buying great books at throw away prices. Being a pirated copy or being a
second hand copy will never undermine the greatness of a good book. It is like
history. Its magnificence never fades by the going of time. Like wine it
becomes tastier day by day. I am a great fan of pirated and second hand books.
Not that I have any grudge against original titles or I do not buy them. Just
that their inferior counterparts tend to be much cheaper (read as far much cheaper).
For the cost of one original book I will buy 2 to 3 books. The only compromises
being the quality of the paper and the print. And at times you may not get all
the pages, or the print could be unreadable. But the big picture is that the
deal is real lucrative. And now that I have been a frequent buyer from most of
the shops in Chennai, the hawkers know me by face and I get books for good
discounts on the already reduced price. Today I got four books – 1. The auto
biography of Lee Iacocca, 2. Tata Nano – Making of the wonder, 3. The Magic of
thinking Big by David Schwartz. I already have the e book. I loved this book so
much that I wanted the paperback too.4. Made in Japan, the story of Sony
corporation. I roamed like anything today. I love roaming alone nowadays though
when I see couples walking hands held together makes me feel a bit dejected for
a moment.
0 comments:
Post a Comment