Visitors browse through books at the mobile store in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, June 2: National Book Trust (NBT) has given book lovers a shop-on-wheels this summer.

The NBT?s mobile bookstore, which began its journey from Delhi, arrived here last evening from Jamshedpur. It will halt in the capital till June 6 after which it will leave for Hazaribagh, Bokaro and Dhanbad.

The mobile store contains books on a variety of topics and the initial response has been encouraging. ?It has been a great start for us. One of the possible reasons could be the absence of an exclusive NBT outlet in the capital. NBT books are not only based on interesting topics but are also reasonably priced. Besides, we provide a discount of 10 per cent on every book,? said Narender Singh, owner of the vehicle. More than 50 books have been sold so far.

The vehicle can be easily recognised from a distance, thanks to the display on either side. It has a banner on the side, which says Jharkhand Pustak Parikrama, the name of the campaign.

The minibus, parked near the Old Commissioner?s Compound, has enough space inside for visitors to relax and take a look at the books.

?About 18 people can take a look at the books at a time. There are different rows for different sections. There are sections on children, science, health, great personalities of India, the country?s history, wildlife and English and Hindi literature, including poetry,? Singh said.

There are more than 610 titles, including 323 in Hindi and 290 in English and the books cost between Rs 7 and Rs 360. The well-lit vehicle draws power from a generator.

?Besides the Constitution, the most popular books are those on the freedom struggle, AIDS and diabetes. We wanted to target the schools but they are closed at present. The schools and the areas around them are the best sites for doing business,? Singh said.

Some of the other titles available are Bharat ki Lok Kathayein, biographies of BR Ambedkar, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Lokmanya Tilak and Birsa Munda. The 50-page book on Munda, written by Shyam Singh Shashi, costs about Rs 30 after discount.

Children can look forward to Tales from Panchatantra, Songs of the Freedom Struggle, Koyal ka Sitar and The Lost Ant. The NBT is also offering a lifetime subscription scheme, which allows readers to avail of a discount of 20 per cent from any outlet in the country or book fair.

?This is the first time I saw a mobile bookstore. I am not aware of any NBT bookstore here. Besides, we cannot browse through books in most of the stores and have to depend on the whims of the owners. I have bought three books and they cost me only Rs 150. While one book is on Hindi poetry, the others are the Constitution of India and an autobiography,? said Swapnil Singh a student of St Xavier?s School.