Das Gupta and Company, a 137-year-old bookshop on College Street, will house a mini-auditorium for book launches and an archive space with a free reading library soon.
Founded by Girish Chandra Das Gupta in 1886, the shop is a go-to destination for students of all ages as well as bibliophiles. Girish Chandra had migrated from Kalia in Jessore, now in Bangladesh, to Kolkata to set up this shop, one of the oldest functioning bookstores on College Street.
In its new avatar, Das Gupta and Company, a heritage bookshop, will function not just as a bookstore but also as a venue for book launches and discussions. The address will also house an archive-cum-museum and a free reading library for needy students, said the present owner, Arabinda, a fifth-generation Das Gupta.
The museum-cum-archive will have on display artefacts and knick-knacks used by the past proprietors, including a vintage weighing machine from London and a 100-year-old postal franking machine.
The museum-cum-archive will also house old books, records, a Swiss wall clock, a 1941 telephone and various other things.
“Many of these things belonged to my father, Amulya Chandra Das Gupta. He had a rich collection of clocks. The 1941 telephone had been used in the shop till it no longer could be repaired,” said Arabinda.
The bookshop mainly operates from the ground floor with the first floor being used as a back office and storage. Books in vernacular languages are sold from the first floor.
“The new facilities will come up on the rooftop, a 2,500sq ft space that is being re-purposed,” said the current owner. “The mini-auditorium will be used for book launches, discussions and even classes. We have planned a history book launch and some special maths classes for students.”
The front of the bookshop has been painted.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has given Dasgupta and Company a blue heritage plaque declaring it a Grade II heritage structure. The owner is planning to instal the plaque on July 24.
Das Gupta and Company, in its 137th year, is re-inventing itself to attract a wider audience and retain its trusted clientele of academics and students while addressing the needs of the socio-economically challenged.
