Book merchandising machines at two railway stations in metropolis pique curiosity

Two newly-installed merchandising machines — one on platform 6 of the Central railway station, and the opposite on the west entrance of Tambaram railway station — are usually not meting out espresso, chips or chilly drinks, however one thing extra on your prepare journey. They catch the attention of a reader dashing previous, for these dispense tales: fiction, non-fiction, and youngsters’s exercise books.

Book merchandising machines aren’t any novelty — they’re seen in Exeter, Tokyo, Changi, and different corners of the world, A couple of exist in India too, however Tamil Nadu witnesses its first, curated by 26-year-old literature graduate Mayawathi G.V.

Holding 23 totally different titles and 200 books at a time, this perpetually open kiosk carries bestsellers of Khaled Hosseini, Evelyn Hugo, and English to Tamil translated books at a retail worth and accepts UPI cost.

“Bringing a e book merchandising machine to Chennai has at all times been my dream, and right here, trains and books go hand-in-hand. Southern Railways have been supportive all through,” Ms. Mayawathi mentioned.

“We realise that studying habits are dipping in cities, and we have to do one thing about it. So far, kids’s exercise books have been promoting properly,” she added. As books are additionally being purchased previous midnight, she plans to rotate titles and introduce genres to the tome trove.

“You know that thrill whenever you end a e book and need to counsel it to others? That’s the sensation I had whereas curating the merchandising machine. But since readers can’t linger over blurbs or flick thru pages like they might in a bookstore, I loaded the machine with worldwide bestsellers underneath ₹300,” she mentioned.

Corporate staff and bestfriends Jashwanth and Teja had been on the Chennai Central when the e book dispenser made the inquisitive travellers pause. “Honestly, we hadn’t considered carrying a e book on a prepare journey, however this initiative is gently nudging us to.