Reading a book is one of the pleasures of life. It provides nutrition to one’s brain. It takes you to another world and yes a good book it seems helps fight depression too. These days have certainly taken a lot out of people what with the lockdown and the accompanying pressure of not knowing if one still had a job. A book could certainly help in fighting those demons. However did that really happen in the sense did people buy books or atleast order books online from their favourite bookstore.
According to Leonard Fernandes of CinnamonTeal Design and Publishing their store was shut but their business online was active and had been for quite a while. he said ” We had received several orders during the lockdown period and now with the delivery sytems having commenced operations we are now sending the books over. The books are basically about Goa and were ordered by people living outside Goa and even outside the country. A large perecentage of the buyers are Goans living outside”. Non fiction he said was very popular amongst their clientele and this was represented in their sale patterns.
The Broadway Bookstore is one of the landmarks in Panjim. Anyone who reads books is aware of this store and the range of subjects covered makes it a treasure. Nurtured over the years by Khalil Ahmad it is a treasure trove. The bookstore reopened on april 22 and sales have been very poor. Asked if orders were accepted online, Khalil said “Even if I acept orders online, there is no one available to deliver them. we get around four to five people walking into the store these days. Sales has been very poor, we will have to wait and watch how the future turns out. The few customers who come in do not bring their children which means there are no impulse purchases”. He intends to release advs soon about the sale of childrens books for Rs 10 or 20 and sale of fictio and non fuction books for Rs. 100 or 200 per kilo. this he hoped would boost the sale of books.
Another popular stop is the Literati Bookshop and Cafe , which opened up on Monday this week. The person who was not authorised to speak said people were trickling in and they also had the facility to send books to people who had ordered it online. They were now sourcing books for people and intended to send them at the earliest.
The biggest of all the book stores in Goa is Crossword the national brand which was shut for the period of the lockdown. Prakash Ray said business was ok but very slow. They were very keen on ensuring no one felt uncomfortable whilst visiting the store. This meant ensuring that social distancing was followed and if five customers visited the store, two would be let in and three would have to wait out. With regards to the sale of books he said it was a balance between fiction and non fiction and Prakash expected the sale of books to experience a growth.
There is nothing better than curling up in bed with a book, perhaps revisting old stories or experiencing a high while reading that bestseller. A cigarette can give you a high too but a good book will also ensure you gain knowledge and help you perhaps live your life better.
