FOOTPATH BARGAINS | Feature

SHASHANK SHRESTHA

The streets around New Road Gate are a bewildering place at five in the evening, crowded with street vendors selling everything from cheap clothes and plastic toys to food, and watches submerged in water to show that they are, indeed, waterproof.

The book vendors stand out from the rest, with titles displayed in neat rows. Like the others, they take up valuable footpath space, but Ramesh Amgain, a second year student at Trichandra Campus who has paused to browse through what's on offer says he doesn't mind at all, adding, "Besides, it's more worthwhile than other piles of junk that people sell."

A quick scan of what these vendors have to offer reveals an eclectic selection of everything from tattered old Indian comics and bulky guides for Windows 95 to glamour magazines. But the vendors say that in this business, the real bestsellers are second-hand course books. "Business is brisk around the start of the new academic year," says Raja Ram Chaudhary, and describes having crowds of students rifling through his supplies (April through July), hoping to find a bargain. Although the second-hand offerings are worn and are often an edition or two behind the course's prescribed readings, most shoppers don't mind. "What if it's already dog-eared? It's certainly content over glossy finish," says Rajesh Shrestha, another student.

Still, while course book sales are reliable, most of the sidewalk booksellers have been in the business for years and know that it takes a knack to survive. Manik Man Tuladhar has sold books for eight years now, and specialises in cheap Indian novels which, as he says, are of no great literary value. Like others, he says that you just have to go with what sells. "You have to understand what the market demands. I don't have the luxury to ignore them, and as long there is a demand, I'll stick with this business," he says. On a good day, Tuladhar's sales can go as high as Rs 1000 a day, but other booksellers say their average sale hovers around Rs 400 or 500 most days.

Booksellers like Tuladhar are cagey about talking about where their supplies come from. Some of the books are marked with library stamps or the names of previous owners, and there are allegations that many of them have been stolen. However, Tuladhar says, "We get most of our books from scrap dealers, although sometimes people come and sell us their old books themselves. We're not encouraging people to sell us stolen goods, we're merely trying to promote a reading culture." And whatever his sources, it seems to work. Sanjog Gurung, a student of RR campus, stops to pick up a few old magazines to add to his library. He says they make for interesting reading and help improve his English, and adds "You can't beat the prices here, it's literally like old is gold."

Book bargains
The Story of Mahajanak by His Highness King Bhumibol for Rs 90
The Life of Marpa the Translator for Rs 300
Oprah's O magazine for Rs 80
Archie Comics for Rs 20 each
The Adventures of Tintin for Rs 100 (if you're lucky)
Rober Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for Rs 250
Indian Airline's in-flight magazine Swagat for Rs 50
National Geographic magazines for Rs 70-150
FHM magazines for Rs 250
Femina magazines for Rs 30-50