Date:21/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072150060200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

A friendly neighbourhood bookstore

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Reader-friendly: DC Books Store at Indiranagar in Bangalore.

Bangalore: On 100-foot Road in Indiranagar is a friendly neighbourhood bookstore that does not compel you to buy anything.

With its cheerful interiors and bright blue exteriors that cannot be missed, DC Books allows readers to lounge around as long as they want.

One of the three big bookstores in Indiranagar after Mahatma Gandhi Road and Jayanagar, it is the 40th bookstore in DC Books’ chain of stores. Its 37 stores are in Kerala. Inaugurated on July 9 by Ramachandra Guha, the bookstore is still in the process of tweaking its woodwork, but offers readers a collection of fiction, non-fiction, children’s and management books. DC Books also publishes its own brand of children’s books, “Tumbi” or Dragonfly, which says Kevin K. Thomas, branch manager of Bangalore, are of international quality with Indian stories.

DC Books, which began in 1974, is an addition to Dominic Chacko Kizhakemuri’s illustrious forays into the world of publishing. Books published by the DC brand are sold all over south India.

In order to encourage the habit of reading, the company is planning to open 12 more outlets in Bangalore, all of them based on the concept of having readers from the neighbourhood. “In fact, we will also have a bulletin board with a round-up of the events taking place in the locality,” says Mr. Thomas.

Also hoping to have more reader-friendly schemes such as yearly deposits for discounts on books, the store has seen a generous response from customers. “We have been receiving a lot of customers over the weekend, and it is good to know so many people know about us,” says Mr. Thomas.