Bengaluru: 5,000 books destroyed by rainwater. This is what photos show
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Around 5,000 books damaged due to flood in Bengaluru Photograph: (Instagram)
Bengaluru’s independent bookstore, The Bookworm, lost 5,000 books to severe flooding on April 29. Supporters are rallying to purchase salvaged, water-damaged titles to help the iconic shop recover financially.
A well-known independent bookshop in Bengaluru has suffered heavy losses after intense rainfall led to severe flooding, damaging thousands of books overnight. The bookstore, The Bookworm, said between 4,000 and 5,000 books were destroyed when rainwater entered the premises on Wednesday (April 29). Photographs shared by the shop on Instagram showed books floating in murky water inside the store, while hailstones were seen blanketing the street outside.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, the shop’s proprietor, Krishna, said the timing of the flooding had worsened the impact. The store had recently stocked up on additional titles ahead of the summer holiday season, typically a peak period for sales. Much of this newly arrived inventory was among the items damaged.
Krishna said efforts were underway to salvage some of the affected books by drying them in sunlight, with plans to sell these at discounted prices. However, a large number of books were too badly damaged to be recovered and would have to be discarded.
He also pointed to changes in modern publishing as a contributing factor to the scale of the loss. According to Krishna, many publishers now use recycled paper, which is less durable and offers minimal resistance to water damage. Certain titles, including illustrated comics such as Asterix and Obelix, printed on oil-based paper, were particularly vulnerable and could not be salvaged.
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The incident triggered an outpouring of support on social media, with readers expressing concern and urging others to help the store recover. Several users called on the reading community to purchase water-damaged books as a gesture of solidarity.
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One commenter drew comparisons with similar flooding in Kolkata last year, which affected the iconic College Street booksellers. That episode led to the organisation of a “Wet Book Fair”, where large crowds gathered to buy damaged books in support of local vendors. Many supporters of the Bengaluru shop echoed similar sentiments, with some saying they were willing to buy soiled books regardless of condition to help sustain a store that serves a wide community of readers.
