STORYTELLER BOOKSTORE by PATRICHIA DCRUZE

 

Mayura Misra, founder of Storyteller Bookstore

“So often, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me up, and reminded me that there are good things in the world.” -Vincent van Gogh

A mutual feeling runs down our veins while walking down the lanes of Kolkata. Strolling down the lanes and by-lanes of Kolkata and missing out on the opportunity to smell the honey-like fragrance of books is near to impossible. The magical spell that a bookstore casts on its explorer is par excellence to any other spot visited. Such an aura is felt when stepping into the bookstore located in South Kolkata, run solely by a woman named Mayura Misra. 

Sketching out her passion from her dream to have a bookstore, Mayura Misra turned the space below her apartment into a beautiful bookstore named ‘Storyteller Bookstore’. The bookstore specialises in bringing a variety of children’s books for those sparkling eyes that come in search to take home their favourite prince and princesses, Peppa collection, fun-filled activity and knowledge building books, and many more. While the children enjoy their time exploring their world, the adults also get a chance to grab a few copies of Jane Austin, Raza Mir, Devdutt Pattanaik, Jokha Alharthi’s Celestial bodies, Susan Orlean’s The writer’s library, Kunal Basu, and many more. The beautiful abode of knowledge does not let any of its visitors leave disappointed.

Apart from spoiling the visitors with her rich collection of books, Mayura with her zeal to create awareness among both the children and the parents about the importance of reading conducts regular book clubs and engaging author meet-ups for the children at Storyteller Bookstore. To make the author-meet interactive and interesting, the children are requested to read the book of the author whom they are to meet from before. The children are invited little before the author’s arrival and while they wait for the author, the children engage in writing a manuscript on the book of the author. The manuscript is then shown to the author for reinforcement. 

Every parent arrives with several queries that are well catered to by giving them advice on which books would be best for their child and the effectiveness of the books in their child’s knowledge-building process. Mayura makes sure that she provides the best of her knowledge to her customers at Storyteller Bookstore and she does so by keeping herself updated by reading various current blogs and manuscripts.

The smooth functioning of Storyteller Bookstore was hindered by the pandemic in 2020. But,with her zeal to reach the young minds, Mayura scaled her reach through the e-commerce platform. She kept her bookstore open throughout the pandemic and never faltered to provide the best to her customers. Putting up bookstalls in schools had to be put on hold, but arranging for book clubs and author sessions continued virtually. Parents can easily get all their issues related to reading resolved from any part of the world through

WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, email. The challenges were faced with great valour and she overcame each like a lioness.

Whether you are a booklover or not, visiting Storyteller Bookstore (Woman led independent bookstore since 1991) should be on your priority list. Mowgli, the fur friend will surely not disappoint you with his cuteness and love throughout the week from 10 am to 8 pm.

Author Bio:

Patrichia is a dedicated public-speaking coach with a fervent love for writing. Embracing her passion, she has flourished as a published author and poet, finding joy in the art of storytelling. Her contributions to Lampshades reflect her admiration for the team's events and initiatives.

Beyond the written word, Patrichia finds solace and expression in various artistic endeavors, including painting, candle making, and poster designing. A self-proclaimed food enthusiast, she relishes exploring new culinary experiences during her travels.

Photography serves as another avenue for Patrichia to capture the essence of life's moments, believing each image tells a compelling story. She approaches life with a philosophy centered on deriving both pleasure and knowledge from every experience.

In her own words, "Love, passion, zeal mixed together creates Magic. If you are passionate about something, infuse it with love and zeal, and watch as your dreams become reality!"