Bookman of Bangalore, Krishna Gowda of Bookworm, gets his due

Falah Faisal | NT

There is nothing more special than a knowledgeable bookstore owner who knows every book in his catalogue without having to think twice, Krishna Gowda is one such person. Starting from humble beginnings selling books on the footpath alongside Mayee Gowda (owner of Blossoms) outside HigginBottoms, MG Road in 1997, he opened his first store in the Shrungar complex in 2004 which was a mere 100 sq. feet.

Now, he owns a two-floor store on Church Street that measures 9,000 sq. feet and hosts a collection of a few lakh books. His inspirational journey has been the subject of a documentary titled ‘The Bookman of Bangalore’ by Sandeep Iyer and VR Ferose.

On what changes he has seen in the reading trends of the city, Krishna says “When we started 70% of the books we sold were fiction as people preferred light reading but now the youngsters prefer non-fiction more. Books about Management, Self Help, Design Thinking, and Artificial Intelligence sell more now.”

He still maintains the classics he read when he was starting out are still his favourites which include Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, The Outsider by Albert Camus, and The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.

Almost every book lover in town has memories at Bookworm of Krishna recommending books to them that they have ended up loving that they recount in the documentary. Are there any memories that stand out for him in particular? “Some people have found books that they’d gifted someone or was part of their father’s collection. Once there was a girl who was in the 9th standard and she found a book called Sybil. It cost Rs 150 but she had only Rs 130 and I let her take it. She then walked home from MG Road to Cooke Town because that’s all the money she had. Because that is a book her mother had been looking for for years but couldn’t find because it had been out of print and she wanted to surprise her.”

How did the bookstore not only survive but expand during the pandemic? “During the first wave we were very afraid but our readers supported us by ordering books through WhatsApp and paying for the Dunzo pickup. Within one month we were able to break even.” As for what the future holds, Bookworm plans to launch an app and a website that will allow readers to browse through their collection and pick what they like by the end of the year.