Keeping Reading Alive by D Suiam

Gandhi Bookhouse is one of the standing Telugu bookstores today, located in Koti, Hyderabad. The bookstore is best known for offering books of all genres such as spirituality, literature and competitive exams at affordable prices for their readers for 15 years.

The bookstore was founded by Brahmam a decade and a half ago. With experience of working at the Visalandhra bookstore for almost half a century, the enterprising founder established a store with Gandhi’s books and diaries. Five years after, they chose to expand by selling more genres of books rather than limiting themself to diaries and specific stories and authors. For instance, other than having books on literature and competitive exams they stock books on vastu which the netizens are passionate about. The bookstore was collaboratively named after Vishalandhra, which means spiritual and mental development. The owners of the Visalandhra bookstore also play a key role in the successful running of Gandhi Bookhouse. This bookstore started as a non-profit shop solely to provide affordable books to many readers in the city. 

As time passed, readers in the city changed their tastes in reading. With English being the highest recommended language, the number of Telugu readers is diminishing every year. Yet they retain their niche as a Telugu Bookstore and become the only store that presents more Telugu books rather than English books at the current time. The shop managers explain, “The passion for the mother tongue still exists among the Telugu people. As proof of that, they have a connection on shipping Telugu Books to London and other cities in India, such as Bangalore and Chennai.”

The store manager informs “Gandhi Bookhouse has a wide range of readers, from children to retired people who are coming here and get books to read.” This store also has a WhatsApp group where they share updates regarding the book available in the store. Once upon a time, before the smartphone existed, Gandhi Bookhouse sent books to remote areas in a mobile van to make books accessible and also spread awareness about the treasure trove of books the store had.

The Covid-19 pandemic snatched a brilliant man like Brahmam from us - the avid readers. It comes as a relief, that his sons and family have taken up the responsibility of keeping their father’s legacy alive. Through the efforts of continuing to make books accessible to places there are no libraries and bookstores to keep alive their father’s passion of collecting books, they are still spreading joy to bookworms in Hyderabad and beyond. Therefore, every time one visits the bookstore, the regular or new readers, they also contribute in keeping Brahmam’s legacy alive and ensure the culture of reading never dies out. That would make him the happiest to see his life’s work has truly been rewarding!

You can reach out to them here 7997070263 (Swaraj Kumar, current store Manager).

The store is open from 10 am to 6 pm.