Advertisements can be deceptive. Repeated advertisements can be more deceptive. Yes, I am referring to Strand Book Stall's annual sale advertisement on the local FM radio. "See it to believe it. This year we have arranged the sale in Chinnaswamy stadium" shouts the radio perhaps five to ten times a day, and one may be easily attracted towards the stadium.
In my case, whether I heard this campaign on the radio or didn't, I was going for it anyway. And so did I yesterday. The first week-end of the sale is always special. Although they claim that they add thousands of new titles every single day, on the first week-end one can expect to find more rare books.
I had pictured the book-stalls on the big cricket field of the stadium, and I was punished for such naive imagination. Or I was a bit disappointed I should say.
The exhibition was in one of the spacious halls underneath one of the stadium stands. And there were scores of book lovers (turned fools) like me crowding the relatively small space. The number of books was the same as I had found the last year. Yet, it seemed on the lower side. There was hardly any room to walk and continue browsing. People were busy reading pages, standing along the tables. And to move a metre or so, one needed a couple of 'Xcuse me's.
Only the concept of having a book exhibition and discount sale in a cricket stadium sounds good, doesn't it? And on radio channel advertisements, it sure does.
I bought the following three books :
In my case, whether I heard this campaign on the radio or didn't, I was going for it anyway. And so did I yesterday. The first week-end of the sale is always special. Although they claim that they add thousands of new titles every single day, on the first week-end one can expect to find more rare books.
I had pictured the book-stalls on the big cricket field of the stadium, and I was punished for such naive imagination. Or I was a bit disappointed I should say.
The exhibition was in one of the spacious halls underneath one of the stadium stands. And there were scores of book lovers (turned fools) like me crowding the relatively small space. The number of books was the same as I had found the last year. Yet, it seemed on the lower side. There was hardly any room to walk and continue browsing. People were busy reading pages, standing along the tables. And to move a metre or so, one needed a couple of 'Xcuse me's.
Only the concept of having a book exhibition and discount sale in a cricket stadium sounds good, doesn't it? And on radio channel advertisements, it sure does.
I bought the following three books :
- Something Like An Autobiography, Akira Kurosawa
- Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Lexus and the Olive Tree, Thomas Friedman
No comments:
Post a Comment