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Manney's - Bookworms love holing in here
Invited to Pune by hosts Oxford University Press,
the Nobel
Laureate Sir William Golding singled
out Manney's for a visit. After all, he was curious
to know more about the bookshop that imported the
maximum number of his titles. Khushwant Singh,
erstwhile editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India,
named Manney's as one of the leading bookshops in
the country. Baburao Pawar of Sangli is 'pucca'
and confident that his request for a book on Indian
snakes scribbled on a postcard will be taken care
of by - who else - Manney's, of course.
A no-nonsense bookshop, serious readers head for
Manney's, the place where books and booklovers are
revered. It was founded by V G Mani in November
1948 with the experience and expertise that came
from successfully running a chain of bookshops in
Pakistan. He set up his first shop in Rawalpindi
in 1929. At Manneys, the emphasis was  essentially
on English Literature and interestingly, Military
Science. Mr Mani had gained a lot of insight on
this subject from the Britishers and military personnel
who were his regular customers back in Pakistan.
"I had no clue as to what I was getting into
and wondered if I would enjoy it," confesses
Manik, the founder's son. Not wishing to be a mere
cog in the wheel, he took a month's leave from work
to check out 'life in a bookshop'. Ever since, there has been no looking back. The shop
has indeed been his 'Jaan.' Once ensconced,
he quickly got into the groove and added sections
of interest.
Now the 2400 sq. feet shop has books on every conceivable
section, from Violin to Vaastu Shastra. It is a
great place to browse undisturbed; the knowledgeable
salesmen who hover in the background are a great
help. "I handle questions related to cookery,"
says Mr. Manik
with a glint in his eye. "At times I do get
exasperated with the deliciously vague queries like,
for instance, can I have that book on chocolates,
the one with the red cover please. But we cope!"
On being asked to name a couple of celebrity customers,
he chuckles "You mean celebrities read?",
and qiuckly adds, "Going by whom I consider
celebrities, we have had Governors, Police Commissioners,
Army Generals and even religious heads walk in to
browse."
At Manney's, browsing is encouraged but there is
little scope for frivolities. Reading is a serious
business here. - Shabari Shetty |
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