Ever imagined a life where you sit amidst old, rusty, yellow-paged, books and went on countless, imaginary journeys? Well, for 82-year-old S A Govindaraju, it’s a reality.
It started when a very young Govindaraju started collecting Penguin books. It slowly expanded the collection over decades and has now turned into a treasure quest for all the book lovers.
His collection soon became ‘Rare Books’, a garage-turned bookstore in Chennai’s R A Puram, a place off the beaten track, bereft of a flashy board welcoming its visitors. “I don’t want people to come here and bargain. For them, it might be a business, but for me, it is a mere act of passing on good books,” says Govindaraju.
His unique collection not only includes books but also advertisement cutouts from newspapers and magazines dating back to the 1940s. You will find an eclectic mix of English literature, poetry, fictions, classic Tamil literature and innumerable National Geographic magazines. The oldest book in his collection is a 1886 German novel.
“Few books in the collection are over 150 years old, some are from 18th century. Advertisement & cartoons are almost 100 years old. I started collecting books at the age of 24.” Govindaraju told ANI.
Not just bibliophiles but Govindaraju is happy to entertain anyone who wants to look around his place.
If you want to sell your old book, he can be reached on 9941132756 or at renuka_govindaraju@yahoo. com.