Saturday, June 24, 2006
DANGLING CONVERSATIONS & SUPERFICIAL SIGHS
R Sriram, MD & CEO of Crossword Bookstores resigned this week. Easily the most visible face of the reading fraternity, if there is indeed one,his immediate plans are of now unannounced and there are faint rumours of his joining a prominent firm of the retail industry.
"Crossword was founded in 1992 by Mr R. Sriram and Ms K. Anita along with a young team for India Book House Limited and the first Crossword store opened on 15th October 1992 at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai.
The current promoters Shoppers' Stop Limited, India's leading department store chain and ICICI Ventures, part of India's leading financial services group, took over the Company on 31st March 2000. "
Some of the measures that Crossword has tried out with varying success in the forlorn hope of making reading a lifestyle statement are layouts of capacious reading space and furniture in stores, ubiquitous voucher and gifting options, annual literary awards and The CEO recommends series. My surmise is that the existing business model itself is also now perhaps seen as open to question-my past digs notwithstanding.
Sriram had made himself accessible to most media and was consulted on topical issues including during the Harry Pottery show. Seen as a genial and gentle sort who had found his calling in his role and successfully blending what may have been a personal interest with business elements, I cannot help feeling that somewhere somehow this is the beginning of the end. And if he does indeed change sectors, a few bibliophiles would at least consider themselves betrayed now that Davidar’s blue mangoes are splayed across icy Canadian contours.
And I guess we always knew that commerce would trump idealism anyday, so why am I even bothering ?
PS- The world’s most talented legspinner submits his apologies as being temporarily inconvenienced and his consequent inability to impart his legendary skills of bowling a googly to admiring acolytes.During a recent office vaccination drive, he, ever the smooth operator, was dragged kicking and screaming to the doctor who duly inj(f)ected him with the mandatory immunity shot thus rendering him unwilling to rotate his shoulder as needed for a googly, as aspiring leggies would know.
The current promoters Shoppers' Stop Limited, India's leading department store chain and ICICI Ventures, part of India's leading financial services group, took over the Company on 31st March 2000. "
Some of the measures that Crossword has tried out with varying success in the forlorn hope of making reading a lifestyle statement are layouts of capacious reading space and furniture in stores, ubiquitous voucher and gifting options, annual literary awards and The CEO recommends series. My surmise is that the existing business model itself is also now perhaps seen as open to question-my past digs notwithstanding.
Sriram had made himself accessible to most media and was consulted on topical issues including during the Harry Pottery show. Seen as a genial and gentle sort who had found his calling in his role and successfully blending what may have been a personal interest with business elements, I cannot help feeling that somewhere somehow this is the beginning of the end. And if he does indeed change sectors, a few bibliophiles would at least consider themselves betrayed now that Davidar’s blue mangoes are splayed across icy Canadian contours.
And I guess we always knew that commerce would trump idealism anyday, so why am I even bothering ?
PS- The world’s most talented legspinner submits his apologies as being temporarily inconvenienced and his consequent inability to impart his legendary skills of bowling a googly to admiring acolytes.During a recent office vaccination drive, he, ever the smooth operator, was dragged kicking and screaming to the doctor who duly inj(f)ected him with the mandatory immunity shot thus rendering him unwilling to rotate his shoulder as needed for a googly, as aspiring leggies would know.
