The mango market of books

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The Kalyan Mandapam was decorated with racks of books and tables with boxes of picture books and coffee table books. The stage was set with boxes and card machines. People formed lines to buy the boxes of three various prices: Rs. 999/- ; Rs. 1499/- and Rs. 2499/-.

Lock-the-box by bookchor.com was an event that book readers would hoard to. Books of various genres and categories all stacked neatly in racks and people were picking them out like mangoes from orchards and placing them in their boxes.

The seems of the mandapam had people seated with books and boxes. Each of them had to ensure the the boxes were filled and the price of the box was justified. A few of the book lovers shared the box and a few bought the box-worthy books. A young woman acquainted me and we shared the box. I am glad she did. 

The fact that the mandapam was filled with used books made it endearing. However, books like Diary of Anne Frank, Mein Kampf were brand new.

What I liked particularly about the event was assistants who were trying to help readers make sense of the chaos. What I disliked was that there were few Indian books - a one off chicken soup series and a book on Krishna conciousness and one by an unknown author was what my eyes could find.



Keeping this one nitpick aside, I felt my Sunday morning was justified. Lock-the-box will be back in six months. Look out, readers!


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