In a world where everything has gone online, where people might prefer a kindle rather than a physical book in their hands, bookstores have suffered greatly. It is much more difficult to maintain a physical bookstore, paying for rent of the shop and making sure the books are stored properly, it is a task which can cost a significant amount of money. Today, people find it much easier to store PDFs on their devices and enjoy their books in this format.
Goobe’s Book Republic is an independent bookstore in Bangalore, started and mainly managed by one person. It is a small shop on Church Street. There was once a worn-out banner in front of the bookstore but right now Goobe's only has a simple board where the name is inscribed in chalk while the 'owl' mascot accompanied the writing. The shop is below ground level and one might even miss it in the ever-moving environment which is Church Street.
As one enters the store, you will not see the typical shelves, some of the shelves are handmade from thick bamboo poles, the hemp ropes visible where the structure is being held in place. Even the organisation of books is peculiar. There is a non-fiction section, a science fiction section, but no particular romance section. At the back of the shop there are two shelves facing each other and it might look like that section has been haphazardly put together, but they are books from a particular time period, from 1960s, 70s, 80s and so on. The environment of the bookstore invites you to explore the store.
Just as one enters, they will find certain comics by independent artists of Bangalore along with some zines and posters. Exploring further, there are books lining the walls on all three sides. The small makeshift corridors which fill the bookstore encourage readers to pick up the books, spend some time with them, and read their summaries before they decide on a purchase.
Ravi Menezes, the owner of the bookstore talks about his experiences with setting up the bookstore, “at first I kept some books at an inn I used to run, but as the stock of books grew, I needed more space to keep the books, and moreover I wanted more people to read the books too, so it just made sense to open up a bookstore."
“I want reading to be accessible to everyone,” Ravi explains, and Goobe's is just one places where he has made that possible. But crisis is not a new thing to Goobe’s Book Republic. In late 2019 itself, the bookstore was on the verge of shutting down, Ravi started a huge discount sale for the store, where almost every book was being sold under a 100 Rupees. Then it was demonetisation which dealt another blow to the store and right now, it is a global pandemic which has moved certain readers to the online mode.
Ravi himself has a particular love for books and describes the feeling of holding a physical book, “I like to run my fingers through their spine, I like to hug my books, and I am always smiling whenever I see a full bookshelf,” he says. But at the same time, he is also worried about the future challenges which might be faced by the existence of physical books itself, “It is predicted by 2050, the rising temperatures and the cutting of trees will make it much more difficult to print books in the first place, so I understand why people would rather not buy physical copies, but books aren’t the problem here,” he adds on.
Goobe's also has a renting scheme for its regular customers, and anyone can pay a monthly fee and get to take home a book anytime. Moreover, the owner also takes in older books which are in readable condition and pays the seller for the books. In that way Goobe's becomes a community of readers, where people are encouraged to come again and again, spend time amongst books at least for a while and to relax and indulge in the habit of reading.
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