Rediscovering Jaipur

Recently a dear friend inquired regrading building reading habit. He was at wits end about getting his child started. And, why me you might wonder? The reason being that the only thing I am ever good at has been reading. My entire life revolves around it. I read whatever I come across and wherever I come across. Yeah, you got it right, I read without prejudice and I just keep at it. Boring people to no end at times. Basically, I can always give you data on how much reading I have done on a given day. Mostly it ranges from 40 minutes to 2 hrs on an average day. On good days about 4 hours. The only way you can keep my restlessness at bay is by providing me reading material. I did my Lierature degree due to my love of reading as that would take care of my hobby too! Lol!

Like all dutiful Aunts the problem persisted in my mind and upon getting a chance I popped by at the H.Wheeler cart at the railway station yesterday. Just to check what possible option the child had. This used to be my favourite haunt for books as a child and then as a young adult. Any journey had to start and carry on with tomes of books. There was always place for books in my luggage.

To my absolute shock and disbelief the only two magazines for children were Champak and Tinkle! India had moved several centuries in the last decade or so but the children segement at disposal remained untouched. People who want to explore business possibilities in publishing my request would be to explore this space. How can we ever have children of tomorrow not pick up any new material? They are the ones we need to invest in for sake of all nationalism if you may! 

Imagine India has done so much in developing the economy over the past decades but the books available for children still remain the same that we had in our childhood! How is that acceptable? Is anyone in publishing reading this? It is completely confounding. While feeling annoyed I suddenly discovered a piece of my teenage tucked away in the corner!

Oh what pure joy to see the comforting font gleaming at me! That magical font had me so royally in my adult life as well. Once while I was travelling and found a collection of RD special in a Guest House library. With much enthusiasm and joy I just went to it like a homing pigeon and was totally shocked to find it to be a German edition, left behind by a thoughtful traveler in an old bungalow in the hills of Dehra.

My partner could not stop laughing for the next half an hour for my bad luck. Yeah! this is indeed my honeymoon memory and the best one actually, where you know you are speaking in the same language! The font type and so much more.

Lo and behold my childhood reading material!

 I for one had an yearly subscription of RD throughout my teen. Prior to that was Champak and Chandamama! Dad bought me my first subscription of RD as a birthday gift when I turned 12.  Since then "Life's Like That", "Humour in Uniform", "Laughter the Best Medicine" and "Story in Real Life, " became a habit. And the annual collections of stories was much awaited Christmas and New Years gift. Apart from the subscription I had a library card of my own as soon as I was born possibly! Ok that was a joke indeed. But as soon as I got started on my Enid Blyton possibly, so thinking Grade 1 may be?

Mom and Dad both were avid readers and Dad still is, so it was but natural that the youngest one in the family had to be Christened with her own card and due slip :D In Delhi I was member of the Mandir Marg Bengali Association Library, which housed amazing collections of all the coveted series for us, Malory Towers, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and so on. Then there was the world of Tin Tin and Asterix by the the time I turned 11.

 I immediately bought myself a copy with the short change I had in the dire days of currency change. As I turned pages I was gripped by an article on kindness. The story was in the section marked as Kindness of Starngers. It not only narrated an old couple's trial during the Chennai flood, it was called, "The Bridge of Life." Gripping and uplifting made the buzzing noise of the stone setting on the platform melt away in seconds.

I was crossing that bridge with Nirmala Rangaswamy on a rainy December day in Chennai. The time travel made me relive my turbulent teenage but with a wry grin on my face now. I was so happy to have reconnected to my inner most self just by chance once again. I had to share my joy immediately with someone, but who? Nobody in the crowd would know where I was coming from and will definitely think me to be completely cuckoo or something! I walked back to the H. Wheeler guy. Here, this guy would know where I was coming from for sure! I was absolutely certain of that.   

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, H.Wheeler Bookstall, Jaipur Junction

I asked him why was he in the business of books at the station? Sanjeev smiled sheepishly but his eyes gleamed as he said, "Because I love reading!" Hahaha! Didn't I tell you, this guy would certainly get me?  I was intrigued.

Me: So what do you like reading?

Sanjeev: Oh! I love children's literature. All that you see here, Champak, Tinkle, Chacha Chaudhry, I have read it all. I immediately read them when I get them. (He blushed as he replied. I wondered why a man who loved children's literature had to blush, possibly it was India is not kind to sensitive men. He definitely enjoyed what he did, which meant after all he was one of the lucky few who had that illusive thing, job- satisfaction).

Me: How did you get started?

Sanjeev: I ran away from my village at the age of 8 as my Father had scolded me and ended up here in Jaipur station because I knew one of our village people used to work here. Then my Father found me and I was taken back to the village. But I could never grow to love my village again. My heart loved this station and Jaipur. So, when I grew up I came back and opened this store in 2003.

Me: Where are you from? 

Sanjeev: Hajipur, Bihar

Me: Is the business good?

Sanjeev: It's OK. Last two years it has gone down due to the online material. People do not like hard copies so much anymore. Also the prices have gone up considerably.

Me: Do children buy from you?

Sanjeev: No, not really. Children are not interested in reading these days. They are addicted to digital devices.

Me: So, who are your main customers?

Sanjeev: Aah! Ladies, who read Vanita, Griha Shobha. But the significant buyers are the people who buy English books by Indian authors. That's the market which is growing. No one buys the Chart Busters these days. They are way too expensive. Sometimes one odd tourist might buy it.

Me: It was great talking to you. Where can I send you the write up once I put it together?

Sanjeev: He smiles sheepishly and says, "Sanjeev Kumar Singh, H. Wheeler Book Stall, Jaipur Junction"