Books may be man’s best friends, but the relationship grows only when one is able to find the book. For Mumbaities, that search just got simplified for anybody armed with the title of the book and its publisher’s name. A new city-based venture Granthayan now offers to bring the book to your doorstep through mobile book shops. You can place an order by telephone, from anywhere in the state, at no extra cost.

“Publishers and book sellers are not changing with changing times. Why would a person travel a distance to procure books to read? Books are not an essential commodity that people cannot live without,” says Pankaj Kurulkar, the 46-year-old chief executive officer of Granthayan.

More significantly, Granthayan is one of the very few places where book lovers can access English and Marathi titles under one roof.

Kurulkar feels that easy availability is the only hurdle between people and books. “The literacy rate is increasing and so is the need for books. Granthayan is the result of my wish to overcome the hurdle that readers face in trying to locate a book.”

An electronics engineer, Kurulkar voluntarily shut down his successful I-T firm in 2005 to pursue his long time desire of being a full time writer. That’s when he realised how pathetic the publishing and distribution system was in India. “I could see the flaws in the system and I thought I could remedy this,” says Kurulkar. Granthayan is the result of eight months of planning. “I decided to sell books in a different manner,” Kurulkar says.

Books can now be procured after a quick browse at the Granthayan mobile books stores, one of which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh at Mantralaya on August 27 this year.

“We have purchased 10 trucks and converted them into mobile books shops which would be constantly touring the state,” says Kurulkar. Besides having the capacity to store and display 20,000 books, each Granthayan truck is a state-of-the-art space, equipped with a computerised sales counter and GPS.

The vehicle’s satellite link relays various data regarding the books shop, such as position of the vehicle on a map, whether it is stationary or in motion, sales of books along with their titles, authors’ names and publishers, in real time. Besides, Kurulkar can also check the position of each vehicle’s fuel tank from the comfort of his office at Mahim, he explains, showing on his laptop the position of one of the mobile stores, currently at Wai, in Satara district.

The popularity of the mobile book shops can be gauged by the fact on the very first day, Granthayan became the top vendor of Marathi titles, selling over 1,000 books in a day.

The mobile book stores also host hour-long cultural activities on Saturdays. “Eminent people engage the crowd with short story recitations, poetry, comedy, psychiatry and counselling. Besides it would also be a platform for local artistes to showcase their talents,” says Kurulkar.

He has already set himself targets of growth – 100 mobile book shops in a year and 1,000 in three years, covering a majority of the states in the country.

To order books in English and Marathi, call the toll free number 1800 209 8074.

To avail this facility, one has to place an order worth a minimum of Rs 250. The books will be delivered at your doorstep at no extra cost.