Part 1 :: Study Paper Diary
As part of my
post-graduate diploma in journalism from Bhavan’s College of Communication and Management, I am required to
submit a study paper on any topic of my choice. One would think it is easy to
choose a topic when you have that kind of an option, but the reality is otherwise.
There are many things close to you and you end up feeling as if you’re cheating
on one by selecting the other. It took me ten days to finalize my topic and I
ended up choosing the very first thing that had come to my mind: The Bookstores of Hyderabad.
Let me begin
by a short story: One fine day last year, I headed out to my favourite
bookstore Landmark (the Somajiguda
branch). I wanted to buy The Silmarillion,
by J. R. R. Tolkien. However, it
surprised me that one of the largest bookstores in the city did not have the
book. Surprisingly dejected by Landmark, I crossed the street and went to Walden. I did not have any hopes of
finding the book there and of course, they proved me right. Anyway, my search
for The Silmarillion took me to all
the bookstores (all branches) – Crossword,
Odyssey, Akshara, A. A. Hussain & Co., and The Best Book Center. Much to my surprise, every bookstore failed
me.
I am a crazy
reader and buyer of books. In the past three years, I have frequented the
bookstores of Hyderabad almost every month. It is with dismay that I see their
quality going down. Therefore, I took this topic including case studies on Landmark, Akshara and The Best Book Center.
My idea is to report the present status of these bookstores. In particular, my focus is on three objectives-
1.
The book collection
2.
The staff
3.
The reading environment
My
preparations for the study included preparing a timetable, collecting news
reports of the last five years on the topic, browsing for any books about
Hyderabad bookstores (there are none), preparing the interview questions for
the bookstore owners, preparing interview questions for customers and readers,
and a questionnaire for the study.
I also went
in the search for passionate readers, collectors and buyers of books. This
involved an extensive search over the internet for Hyderabad readers and
bloggers pertaining to bookstores, and I must say that the Google search
engines proved very fruitful. Goodreads also came in handy; bringing out these
readers. I found about five such people, contacted them and scheduled
interviews and meets.
Why is it
that the bookstores of Hyderabad remain behind? Why don’t authors prefer to
hold book events at our bookstores? In this capitalist and consumerist society,
have we forgotten the pleasures and importance of good bookstores? Or, do we
not care? Are we heading towards the end of bookstores? Does the Hyderabad
society not respect books and bookstores? Watch this space as I attempt to find
answers to these questions.
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