Legacy bearers: women nurture two popular used books shops in Chennai
Two sisters in Chennai are working to keep their family's historic bookstore, Alwar Book Shop, open despite challenges like Metro Rail construction and changing digital reading habits. They view the shop as a legacy of their parents and continue to operate it for a loyal customer base.
Why it matters
The story highlights the struggle of small, independent businesses to survive in the face of urban infrastructure development and the digital shift in retail.
R.K . Alwar did not want his books to be interred with his bones; and that was his final wish, not expressed on his deathbed but when he realised he was doddering towards it. Alwar’s daughters Ammu and Julie have honoured that wish against daunting odds, ensuring the iconic Alwar Book Shop stays rooted to the spot where it has always stood at Luz Church Road in Mylapore . Alwar passed on in 2018 and since then his daughters have witnessed a parade of reasons to go back on their promise. If they had, nobody could have faulted them for it. The pandemic tested their resolve and the ongoing Metro Rail work has done the same thing. But these events had only ended up playing the devil’s advocate, revealing to the world that this resolve comes with a cladding of steel.
The article is a human-interest piece documenting a local business story without political or ideological bias.
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