Exploring Bengaluru - The Bookworm

What would you do if won a lottery ticket? I would head to the nearest bookshop and treat myself to a favourite novel, and if I was anywhere near Bookworm I would end up buying the 'almost as good as new' as well as some of the 'very old and well thumbed' edition of Blondies, Phantoms, the whole set of Calvin and Hobbes, and the entire Tintin collection as well!

For me old books open up a new world - the book may not be mine and yet it takes me back in time. The time when 'Gollywog' still existed in Enid Blyton's books, and the time when Blondie was the 'in' thing in comics. There is something about the smell of old books that elates and perks me up as if I have hit upon a treasure - and that is what happens to me every time I visit Bookworm.

How we discovered bookworm is rather amusing! We were browsing through books at Higgins n Bothams on M.G Road when one of the kids got a 'potty' urge. I guess Mums of pre-teen kids are the best guides in any town to tell you all about the 'public toilet' locations! It was during the 'toilet' search that my sister stumbled upon a small, dark shop literally splashed with columns of books - old and new, rare and common at Shrungar Shopping Arcade! She returned and announced her discovery, and that day started this new 'regular' addition to our shopping sites in Bangalore.

'The Bookworm' is a small shop located in the gully next to India Coffee House on M.G.Road, and is housed in 'Shrungar Complex'. The young man - Manoj Gowda who mans the counter is most helpful and quite well informed about all kinds of books. You just have to name the author or the book or a little bit of the story line and he will fish out the whole collection. Since the shop is small and stacked to capacity it is sometimes difficult to locate the book you want, but I think it is this very thing which gives it life, and though there are no couches to sit on and luxuriously read the books, we just love shopping here - to touch the old books, smell them, and get total value for money.

The good thing about Bookworm is that they are always ready to send you the books by parcel if you end up purchasing more than you can lug (which will happen every time!), provided you pay the money in advance. The first time we (sis & I) went there, we both ran crazy and ended up buying about 30 to 40 books!! We were pondering half heartedly on which ones to retain and which ones to put back when Mr.Gowda told us their 'home delivery' system. We carried a few books for the journey and parceled the rest immediately after paying up the amount + half the postage fee.

The shop at Shrungar Complex is only the tip of the iceberg! Seeing that he had caught some big fish, Gowda took us to their other shop located quite nearby at
No.32, Basement
Brigade Road, Bangalore - 560001
Landmark - Behind Shoe Track
Phone No. - 080 411 26755

This time I bought one more pile of books! So when are you raiding 'the bookworm'? If there are some places you know of in Bangalore running on similar lines, please leave a comment or drop me a mail.