Now, buy books by kg at Bypas

KOLKATA: A popular concept in the west and even in other Indian metros, the concept of buying books by weight has finally made inroads here. Kolkata being a city where books have traditionally been venerated, BookTuk, the 600sqft store near Kalikapur on the EM Bypass, is witnessing a good turnout.
Owner Ramesh Tiwari said, “Prices of books have gone up.Most people buy online now. That's why I tried out this new concept of recycling old books in Kolkata.“ From fiction to non-fiction, from biographies to books on photography , from childen's literature to coffee table books -Tiwari sources his contents from various places.
Sabyasachi Mitra, a teacher, was pleasantly surprised when he found the store selling a kg of books for only Rs 200. “I'm going to come back again,“ he said.
Homemaker Sonali Mitra said, “I wanted to take some pictures of the store and share them on Facebook so that more people get to know about it.“
Not just Indians, the concept has worked with foreign clients too. Cameron Stroll, who has been doing volunta ry service in Kolkata for a year, dropped by at the store on Saturday afternoon.
“People buy books this way at fairs in the US. I was wondering if I can sell some of the books I have been reading before I leave for the US,“ he said.
Unfortunately , BookTuk does not buy old books in this way .
But what do authors have to say to this new attitude to wards the tomes? Author Bani Basu has reservations.
“It goes with the modern days. But as an author, I feel repulsed that books are being sold like vegetables,“ the author said.
BookTuk is open every day from 11am to 8pm.