New bookstores in North Chennai foster literary culture and community engagement

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At Maatrukkalam bookstore, that was opened last month in Thiruvottriyur | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Started in December last year by N Vijayakumar, an advocate in the Madras High Court, MS Shahjahan, a school record clerk, and N Venmani, an architect, VadaChennai Vaasi has a mix of fiction and nonfiction, apart from children’s books. “If someone from the neighbourhood wanted a particular book to read, they had to make their way to shops in places such as Teynampet or Vadapalani,” says Vijayakumar. He and his friends wanted to change this, making reading more accessible to people from North Chennai.

“For instance, if youngsters here wished to attend an open mic, a film discussion or a literary event, they’ve always had to go to other parts of the city,” he says. Their bookstore has a dedicated space for such events. It is not that North Chennai never had bookstores. “Old Washermanpet has had a long tradition of old printing presses and publishing houses such as Manivasagar Pathippagam,” says Viijayakumar. “But we wanted to offer something for contemporary readers, such as poetry, novels, and short stories, apart from nonfiction.”

At VadaChennai Vaasi, there are separate sections for political history, fiction, and English titles, and a hall with a seating capacity of 54 for events such as book readings, book launches, and author interactions. “Upcoming authors can use this space to take their work to more people,” says Vijayakumar.

The bookshop hosts literary events every week. “We pick a book and organise a discussion in which people take turns to review it; discuss cinema by inviting people from the field; and host open mics as well,” he adds. The store’s highlight is a cosy reading corner. “Books in this section are available for free reading,” says Vijayakumar. “Anyone can walk in and pick a book to read.”

Maatrukkalam was started as a publishing house four years ago to amplify the voices of the marginalised. “We have so far brought out five books focussing on unaddressed issues and unknown voices from North Chennai,” says author and independent researcher Bhagath Singh, who started the publishing house along with a group of friends. Among their notable titles is Knockout: Vada Chennaiyin Kuthusandai Veerargal by P Veeramani, that chronicles the lifestories of 18 boxing champions from North Chennai.

The publishing house has now been expanded into an independent book store by Rajesh Khanna, an engineer-turned-marketing manager; K R Rajendran and Sivakumar, both of whom are industrial workers. The store consists of books arranged in shelves along the wall in a 10x10 space. “We have a variety of literary genres by 20 popular Tamil publishers,” says Bhagath, adding that they launched with a collection worth ₹2.5 lakhs last month.

From curious passers-by who have transformed into readers, the store has been steadily attracting interest. This is exactly what Bhagath hopes to achieve: to spread the word on reading in a part of the city that is always on its feet.