Sunday, August 16, 2009
Helpful or daft?
I've never liked the big bookstores whose staff knows nothing about their books, and whose gardening section has weird books about growing plants in Arizona, but NOTHING on indian plants and gardening or trees!
Now they're got into the music scene too, and only because I cant find this CD in the smaller stores, I called up Landmark in Pune to ask if they have Debu Chaudhuri's sitar recordings. I didnt want to tax their intelligence by specifying which raga, so I just mentioned his name. First I was put on hold, and then disconnected (standard operating procedure). I called again, was handed over to several different people, each asking "yes ma'am?" and then passing the phone on. The last guy who took it asked me the name twice, and then said, "It must be Debashish Bhattacharya". I said, er, no, Debu Chaudhuri. Earlier I would have lammed into him and said whadyoumean it must be debashish bhattacharya...you think they're all one and the same? im saying d-e-b-u c-h-a-u-d-h-u-r-i. But now i know better, and save my breath. Because this guy who took the phone was probably selling jeans or soemthing at some Mall before he joined this place. Jeez.
Anyway, while on the subject, on to much pleasanter things: do do listen to debu chaudhuri's kaunsi-kanhra if you can lay hands on it. one of the purest and most celestial pieces of music i have heard on the sitar.
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2 comments:
Strange, because I find the Landmark staff here very helpful and knowledgeable.
Some months back, I wanted Shiela Dhar's "Raga n Josh", but could neither remember her name nor the name of the book. Kept saying "Rag and something", which obviously threw up nothing because the Raga was misspelt - then suddenly, the guy perked up, asked if I was taking about the book that had been released a few months back.
He tried all kinds of combinations till he got it, found it was out of stock, ordered it for me, and called to tell me when it arrived.
Overall, a very pleasant experience (most unlike the one we had with certain people in the parent company)!
Strand Book Stall at P M Road is legendary. If Mr Shanbag was at the shop, he could rattle off the gist of almost any book you picked up. The rest of the staff is also very helpful. One can browse for hours on end without getting the feeling of anybody looking over your shoulder or making you uncomfortable for the time you spend and walking out without buying anything. Truly, the reader comes first there - something of a rarity in the bookshops of today.
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