Dheera's Workshop of Whimsy

28/02/09

When we came to Bombay in 1977, I was impacted by three things the most. The vast, capricious sea, the liberal attitude of the Bombayite and the Strand Book Stall. And since the Strand was synonymous with dear Mr. Shanbag, I was deeply impacted by him. The Strand was a meeting place, a peaceful reading room, a welcoming browsing room where one never felt unwelcome.

            The discounted prices, the ability of the shop to locate difficult to find books, the knowledge Mr. Shanbag had and shared unstintingly, and his ever smiling face, always made my day and kept taking me back for more.

            Some years later, I wrote a book and printed it myself. Not knowing what to do with it I took it to my friend Mr. Shanbag. He did not make me feel foolish as he explained gently that I needed a publisher and that self published books don’t get very far. He kept the book in his shop however praised it to the sky and eventually found me someone to distribute it. In a way it was Mr. Shanbag who launched my writing career.

            All of us readers, writers, browsers buyers, non buyers, any of us involved with the written word will feel the void left by the great Mr. Shanbag. Goodbye dear friend, we shall miss you.