It was one crazy weekend, or should I say extended weekend. National Book Trust had, for the first time, organized a Book Bazaar on Delhi University premises and we were there too. When we took up the stall, a lot of people shook their heads – unwise decision. Students don’t buy books. A) They are just not interested. I mean who spends on books when you have the internet and the CCDs, not to mention the endless shopping trips. B) Tehy never have the money to buy books. C) It’s too hot, it’s the weekend and the idea is just crazy.
This post is specially for the skeptics. Yes it was hot, gosh we were almost dehydrated sitting in the sun for hours, not to mention the tans and the endless mosquito bites. It was also a weekend and yet students thronged to the book bazaar to see books, to browse through them and ….TO BUY BOOKS. It was such a wonderful feeling to see college students coming together, discussing books, getting excited over them and then putting together their money to buy them (or to rent them by taking library membership). And no, contrary to the advise we had received they weren’t buying chick lit or some random novels. Nope we sold copies and copies of Mister God, this is Anna, Discovery of India, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Alchemist (gosh this one never fails to sell), A Brief History of Time, Relativity Simply explained. Works of Khushwant Singh, Amitav Ghosh, Stephen Hawking, Eric Hobsbawm were popular. Current Affairs books were in demand as were personality development ones.
So next time, don’t ever doubt the reading skills of Gen X. Indeed India does read 