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The iconic bookshop A.A. Hussain & Co on Hyderabad's Abid Road has shut down. International Book Service in Pune's Deccan Gymkhana, set up in 1931, has a new owner. But the legendary Ram Advani Booksellers in Lucknow's Hazratganj is going strong. Mr Advani, 95, still comes to the shop, immaculately dressed, every day. "People who love the smell and feel of books come to my shop," he says. He chats with his customers, many of whose grandparents he has known well, about the city, about books, about life. Which portal can promise that?
Rule, Pandemonium
Writer Jai Arjun Singh (Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro: Seriously Funny Since 1983) has just finished a fascinating project—a thorough job of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's films. There are few books on serious appraisals of films of an Indian auteur. And who better than the fascinating Hrishida (his Gol Maal, with no big stars, was the top grosser in 1979, the year which saw six Amitabh starrers like Suhaag, Kala Pathar and Mr Natwarlal). "It has taken me over four years of intense work...," says Singh. The book will be out in a few months.
Titles Crossed
The Raymond Crossword Book Award shortlist has some interesting titles. There is The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury, This Place by Amitabha Bagchi and Odysseus Abroad by Amit Chaudhuri in fiction. Capital by Rana Dasgupta and A Southern Music by T. M. Krishna in non-fiction and The Accidental Prime Minister by Sanjaya Baru and Byculla to Bangkok by Hussain Zaidi in Popular Award. The winners will be announced on April 28 in Mumbai.
