Bibliofile

Bookworms' Friend

Simply called The Book Shop, for a long time in Delhi’s Khan Market and more recently in the nearby Jor Bagh (as only kitchens and bars could afford Khan Market rentals, not bookshops)—the inviting musty fragrance of paper and hardcovers mixed with wood of the shelves, the quiet of the shop (or strands of a saxophone), the richness of the titles and the warm presence of K.D. Singh at the counter is what a book lover could ever ask for. He passed away last week after a battle with lung cancer. Friends say he was heart-broken to shift out of Khan Market, but the new shop certainly had his stamp. Singh would be there at a few book launches, always impeccably turned out, with his bright eyes and striking smile, and great insights on books and authors. In the world of Flipkart and Amazon, or even a Landmark and Crossword, where it doesn’t really matter who sits at the counter, K.D. Singh and his The Book Shop will always hold fond memories.

Capital Quarrels

The book to be caught with right now is ‘rock-star French economist’ Tho­mas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Cen­tury, which rattles the capitalist eco­nomies at its foundation, as the central idea in the book is that inequality is on the rise globally. There is a war going on bet­ween Piketty and the venerable Financial Times, which has rubbished the author’s data and its interpretation as saying it has been ‘constructed out of thin air’. The world is waiting for Piketty’s next punch.