A Parel-based bookshop has been the guiding light to medical students and doctors spanning three generations
(From left) Co-owners of the bookshop Rajendra Shah and Vaidehi Shah attend to customers. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
As you explore the inner streets of old Parel, you are bound to come across some of the city’s biggest hospitals and medical institutes, such as KEM Hospital, Tata Memorial Centre, and Wadia Hospital. Naturally, the area is home to many shops selling medical instruments, natal care items, and medical books. Tucked in the bylanes of Acharya Donde Marg, opposite Wadia Hospital, Parel East, we stumble upon a 70-year-old bookshop that has been catering to doctors and students for three generations.
Early chapters
National Book Depot of Parel was started on April 24 in 1955 at Rakhangi Mahal by Padamshibhai Saubhayachand Shah. The bookstore was in this address till 1991, after which they shifted to a shop in the same neighbourhood. As a result of its proximity to significant public health institutes, the 70-year-old space is a favourite among medical students, teachers, and doctors. It is run by the third generation of the Shah family, Vaidehi Shah, who, along with her father,
Rajendra Shah, guide customers to buy the most relevant and suitable books for their specific needs. They act as suppliers, distributors, as well as publishers of medical books, as this writer notices while at the bookstore.
The bookshop stands tall in Parel; (right) Forensic Medicine & Jurisprudence, one of the bestselling books
Vaidehi recalls how the bookstore had played a major role in the professional lives of medical students and doctors for decades. “We can say that we make doctors. There are customers my grandfather attended to, then, the next generation was attended by my father, and now I attend to the needs of their children, who are also in the same field.”
Challenges galore
On an average, the store’s footfalls were between 80 and 100 customers a day, but the numbers were hit in the COVID-19 years. Another connecting factor has been the increase in information and material available online leading to students’ and doctors’ relying on online purchases. Vaidehi explains the consequences and how they are dealing with it. She says, “There is a drastic drop in sales of books because of the pandemic as people have been ordering books online. There is also the issue of piracy. Paper quality is sometimes bad, and images are not clear. In some cases, you order a four-volume book and you end up receiving only three. Due to these problems, readers approach us. They don’t feel cheated here, which has always been our unique selling point.”
The father-daughter duo at the 70-year-old bookshop
Way forward
Talking about reading trends, he says, “Earlier, people would come to browse the book, read it, and if they liked they would buy it. That pattern has changed. They are not interested in knowledge. Students, in particular, want to merely pass their exams. For example, if you have a headache, earlier there would be an entire description as to why it is happening. But now they just tell you what medicines you need to take.”
The father-daughter duo is positive that the bookshop will still play an important role in encouraging future generations of doctors. “Although there’s an impact due to online platforms, many still prefer reading physical books, and enjoy the experience of a real copy as well as the feel of paper. This could also be due to screen fatigue. Traditional reading is always better than reading on a screen,” Vaidehi reassures us before getting back to her guiding a customer.
AT Rakhangi Mahal, Acharya Donde Marg, opposite Wadia Children’s Hospital, Parel East.
TIME 11 am to 7 pm
Did you know
Dr CB Purandare, the famous gynaecologist, once visited the store with his grandson. He had such faith in owner Rajendra Shah that whichever book Shah recommended, he picked. He believed that Shah knew the latest books because he interacted with doctors, teachers, and students
Top finds
1. PJ Mehta’s Practical Medicine by Dr Nihar Mehta
2. Satish Khadilkar: Neurology Simplified
3. Singhal’s Forensic Medicine, Jurisprudence & Toxicology
4. Patel General Practice and Prescriber
5. Jagadish Sunkum: Manual of ENT
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