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The iconic Strand Book Stall located amidst the hustle and bustle of Fort area of Mumbai, will close down end-February.
Housed in Dhannur Building off the Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Road, the book house in the last 70 years has been frequented by Presidents and Prime Ministers, filmstars, writers, journalists, sportsmen, business personalities and commoners alike.
The book stall would close on February 27/28, bringing the curtains down on a place which has been part of Mumbai's modern history.
Incidentally, February 27 also marks the death anniversary of T N Shanbhag, the legendary founder of the book house.
Shanbhag's daughter, Vidya Virkar, has confirmed that the book stall is getting closed this month-end.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, industrialist J R D Tata, celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar, writers like V S Naipaul and Khushwant Singh were among the visitors to this iconic book house. Some other famous patrons were Soli Sorabjee, N R Narayana Murthy, Nani Palkhivala, G D Birla, Keshub Mahindra and Azim Premji.
"We are closing down this month-end, the last day is nearing, the countdown has begun," a senior employee told this DH correspondent.
Founded in 1948-49, Strand has always promoted only the outstanding books in every field and was the first in the world to offer 20% discount on all books.
"Shanbhag was a pleasing personality. He would guide the patrons, he would help newcomers, he would help and speak to them and put them at ease. He would take time out to engage in a discussion with regulars. You go there to purchase a book and come out with four…he gave a personal touch," said Raj Suri, a tour guide-turned-publisher, who is also an avid reader.
"With Internet, smartphones and online sellers it is difficult to sustain book shop business," he added.
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are flooded with reactions on the closing down of Strand.
"It was a hangout for us we would go there, look at the books, read couple of pages and select what to buy," said Yogie Sharma, a lawyer by profession.
Strand Book Stall was founded by Shanbhag in November, 1948, near the erstwhile Strand Cinema in Colaba and shifted to its current location off PM Road, Fort, in 1954. For the last seven decades it has been a paradise for book-lovers.
Housed in Dhannur Building off the Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Road, the book house in the last 70 years has been frequented by Presidents and Prime Ministers, filmstars, writers, journalists, sportsmen, business personalities and commoners alike.
The book stall would close on February 27/28, bringing the curtains down on a place which has been part of Mumbai's modern history.
Incidentally, February 27 also marks the death anniversary of T N Shanbhag, the legendary founder of the book house.
Shanbhag's daughter, Vidya Virkar, has confirmed that the book stall is getting closed this month-end.
Former President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, industrialist J R D Tata, celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar, writers like V S Naipaul and Khushwant Singh were among the visitors to this iconic book house. Some other famous patrons were Soli Sorabjee, N R Narayana Murthy, Nani Palkhivala, G D Birla, Keshub Mahindra and Azim Premji.
"We are closing down this month-end, the last day is nearing, the countdown has begun," a senior employee told this DH correspondent.
Founded in 1948-49, Strand has always promoted only the outstanding books in every field and was the first in the world to offer 20% discount on all books.
"Shanbhag was a pleasing personality. He would guide the patrons, he would help newcomers, he would help and speak to them and put them at ease. He would take time out to engage in a discussion with regulars. You go there to purchase a book and come out with four…he gave a personal touch," said Raj Suri, a tour guide-turned-publisher, who is also an avid reader.
"With Internet, smartphones and online sellers it is difficult to sustain book shop business," he added.
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are flooded with reactions on the closing down of Strand.
"It was a hangout for us we would go there, look at the books, read couple of pages and select what to buy," said Yogie Sharma, a lawyer by profession.
Strand Book Stall was founded by Shanbhag in November, 1948, near the erstwhile Strand Cinema in Colaba and shifted to its current location off PM Road, Fort, in 1954. For the last seven decades it has been a paradise for book-lovers.
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(Published 22 February 2018, 16:06 IST)
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