Manneys magic

When the Manneys Booksellers in Pune was undergoing renovations in 1986, none other than the late Sir William Golding, Nobel Laureate for Literature (1983) actually walked over the brick, mortar and rubble just to shake hands with the late V G Mani, founder of the bookstore.

Golding, even stayed back for some book signing and a cuppa tea! For V G Mani (VGM) was no run-of-the-mill bookseller. He was the proprietor of the noted London Book Company of Rawalpindi, which had as many as 11 branches in pre-Partition India, now Pakistan.

According to his youngest son, Manik (64), the late VGM lost everything during the gory Partition and reached Pune nearly penniless. Yet, he started Manneys (anglicised version of Mani’s) in a rented premises in 1948. The same Manneys will now be celebrating 60 years in its own 3,000 sq foot premises on Pune’s prime Ambedkar road.

Manik, a former MNC executive and now sole proprietor of Manneys, gets nostalgic when he flips the pages of history. “My father was a voracious reader and that is how our entire family became enthusiastic readers.”
According to Manik, the senior Mani had a penchant for literary classics and military books. “Dad’s love for military books saw him set up the library at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla, Pune. His other great strength was he knew almost every customer by name.”

In fact, it is this yen for personalised service that has created a unique identity for Manneys in Pune. Recalls long time customer Avi Doctor, a Pune-based 60-something grandmother, “I have been visiting Manneys since the time I was five or six years old. It is remarkable how Manneys has maintained its friendly persona in this age of constant change.”

The Manneys magic has reached far and wide. When this correspondent met with the author Ruskin Bond in Mussoorie recently, the first thing Bond asked him was, “How is that lovely bookstore, Manneys doing?!” Why, even the ace writer Khushwant Singh featured Manneys in the Illustrated Weekly in 1974.

Rahul Chandawarkar


The tiny giant

It is seldom that a 100-square-foot bookstore gathers so much attention, and reams of newsprint. But then, Giggles in Chennai is no ordinary bookstore. And for a book store started just for fun, Giggles does remarkable business. Faithful customers queue along the corridor leading to this tiny but packed book house, even in the face of huge outfits like Higginbothams gleaming just down the road.

Started by Nalini Chettur 35 years back with just Rs 1000, Giggles still operates at the same space and place, and with just one helper to assist Chettur. Giggles stocks an interesting assortment of books, and this includes books which are not moving fast as well. Chettur has a soft corner for books on India and publishers like Tara, whose books are packaging the unsung wealth of Indian stories, text and imagery with style. “But I am not disdainful of the popular ones,” she hastens to add. Giggles stocks very few management and self-help books because “I think there are enough shops out there selling that.”

Giggles is no bigger than a cubby hole. Just about a handful of people can book-browse here at a time, but still, her customers are the kind who keep coming back. Some famous visitors to Giggles include William Golding, Michael Palin, Ranil Wickremasinghe and Amitav Ghosh.

There is no computer at Giggles but Chettur knows every book that is available in the store, and would be able to whisk out any title she has from the books stacked from floor to ceiling. Customers never go back disappointed as she is ready to get any specified book and post it to any part of the world, even if the store doesn’t stock it. Tiny Giggles has actually been listed by the Lonely Planet Guides as a ‘must see’ place in Chennai.

“I always liked books and come from a family of readers; I read my first book when I was four or five. I remember, my father used to come home with a book for me everyday,” she reminisces. “Today, I find many parents getting comics for their children because they’re cheaper, but books can give the child greater benefit,” she says. Recently, the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) presented her an award for her service and knowledge about books.

Customers entering Giggles end up friends of Chettur, post warm discussions with her on the books she sells.
She is averse to starting chain stores of Giggles. And despite the growing clientele, Chettur doesn’t even plan to move to a bigger place. “I go by what architect Geoffrey Bawa (who incidentally renovated Taj Connemara where Giggles is housed) once said — that books shops should be small, with books literally rubbing into you.”

Hema Vijay