CHENNAI: In Salim Yusufji’s ‘Ambedkar: The Attendant Details’, companions of Dr BR Ambedkar recall his love for fountain pens and thirst for books. Beyond being the writer of The Constitution of India, Ambedkar believed “everyone should invest at least 10 percent of their income in purchasing books.” He amassed thousands of books at his residence ‘Rajgruha’ in Mumbai, now a public library. Miles away from Mumbai, the recently-opened Neelam Bookstore and Cultural Space has Babasaheb’s philosophy at heart and is carving out a space for anti-caste literature.
Visitors, after climbing to the first floor of Thiru Complex in Egmore, immediately notice a framed photograph of a beaming Ambedkar playing the violin, a departure from the usual serious images of the man inside government offices.
“Follow an ambition and to achieve it, work hard,” urges the Tamil inscription below. Neelam’s collection includes many of Ambedkar’s works apart from Bama’s ‘Karukku’, EV Ramsamy’s scathing essay ‘Penn Yaen Adimai Aanaal?’, and graphic novels like ‘Bhimayana’ published by Navayana. These works—majorly Tamil paperbacks — are not found in the Odysseys and Crosswords of the city and are conveniently written out of history textbooks.
The room — painted an earthy red colour — is malleable, equipped with movable shelves and ones that double up as seats. Re-imagining the idea of a classic bookstore, the space transforms from a concert reverberating with gaana music, to an academic discussion on the Tamil Nadu budget or an exhibition on ‘Why Dalit History Month’.
“We want to hold events to bring change. More than social, political, or electoral change, cultural politics plays an important role. We found a big vacuum in the working of culture…Whether food, dress, or art, there is hierarchy and discrimination with which one makes it to the mainstream and gets a platform. We aim to remove that discrimination... We will speak our politics in whatever space we get,” explains Vasugi Bhaskar, editor of Neelam Magazine.
“The collection is pegged at affordable prices. We could sell a 310-page book — currently priced at `350 — for `150 but that would compromise on quality. If it’s subaltern politics, there’s nothing that says it should appear on cheap quality paper. A book should have aesthetic sense and value. Our rates don’t cover production costs but we are keen that content reaches people,” he says, adding that not profit but sharing knowledge is their focus.
“Whatever books are sold and read in Neelam will bring a change in your life,” says film director Pa Ranjith, who spearheads Neelam, during the inauguration of the space, He mentions his questions of ‘Who am I?’ were answered when he began reading Ambedkar and “these answers are my books, films, and various forms of Neelam Cultural Centre. I see writing as a more powerful medium than the visual medium.”
Politics of publication
Neelam has inherited lines of a cultural revolution that Dalits have initiated over the few years, argues academic V Geetha, who runs Tara Books in Thiruvanmiyur. There have been magazines Rettamalai Srinivasan’s ‘Pariyan’ in the 1890s to the more recent MP Ravikumar’s ‘Nirappikirai’, or Punitha Pandian’s ‘Dalit Murasu’.
“Neelam is probably the only publishing house in Tamil Nadu which has self-consciously announced itself to be an Ambedkarite anti-caste publisher... What is distinctive is how they have pulled it all together, made it relevant to the present, and attracted a lot of young non-Dalits to address questions. In Ambedkar’s time, that’s what he sought to do — he wanted people to start thinking about these things,” she adds. Geetha estimates it takes around 40 years for any bookstore to grow but points out that the cultural space is critically aesthetic.
Neelam Publications, established four years ago and currently managed by a team of seven, aims to collate all anti-caste writing and carve a space for writers. “Ever since the Neelam publications started, we have been having challenges. We don’t talk about this outside because we didn’t want to project ourselves as victims…But from birth, and with how we express our identity, there is discrimination. We can’t sit back because of that...we are fighting,” says Vasugi.
Contemporary writers, translated works
In a world where contemporary Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi writers are sidelined by mainstream publishing, this publisher encourages young people to express themselves with art. “If we spot a writer, we try to improve his or her talent. Many first-timers receive training and then, they start writing very well,” he mentions.
He adds this year, they roped in new writers including Balasingam Rajendran. Author Tamil Prabha, who has penned two books ‘Kogasalai’ and ‘Pettai’, argues Neelam is not a counter-culture movement but gives space to a culture that rarely finds a place on stage.
“When you begin a work of art, there’s existing criticism that it should be a certain way, but we are trying to say just put down your art. There is no standard. We tell them to stay true to their art.” He adds that often, readers return to the publication “because of the exclusive connection Neelam has with them,” he says.
The shelves also bring works of writers like Malcolm X or Wangari Maathai translated into Tamil. The publisher also has an eye out for books that have gone out of print. “For example, (politician and activist) MC Rajah died and publications stopped too. We bought the copyrights from his wife and reprinted his books. There is no second thought on the content reaching out to the public,” says Vasugi.
Geetha remarks the need of the hour in the publishing world is focusing on quality translations. For any movement, whether the anti-caste, Left or feminist movement, pro bono and volunteer work is critical, she adds.
While leaving the bookstore, one does not leave without a long new reading list and the unmistakable scrawl on a wall, near the staircase, a clarion call of Jai Bhim!
Democratic designs to assemble accessibility
Architect Iraianbu Murugavel discusses the behind-the-scenes of Neelam Bookstore and Cultural Space, the need for accessible spaces, and breaking the idea that rich architecture belongs to elite groups.
As a child, buildings were a part of my life since my father was a civil engineer though he doesn’t practice anymore. I didn’t know architecture could be seen politically. When I was young. But I knew I wanted to become an architect and design environments.
Later, when I was pursuing architecture, I was inspired by the Jewish Museum in Berlin designed by Daniel Libeskind. He translated all his emotions into a space that narrates the pain and agony of Jews during World War II. My journey comprising learning and unlearning ended with how architecture is not simply the size of concrete, but the emotions and the questions that it instigates.
As a student, it was really interesting for me to work on competition projects which opened up new possibilities not just within the confines of architecture but also in urban studies. This introduction to urban studies helped me understand various urban realities. During my final semesters, I worked on projects which dealt with spatial injustice in cities.
After graduating in 2021 and finishing a few projects, director Pa Ranjith sir asked me to design a bookstore and a coffee shop that transforms into a cultural space. When I saw the space for the first time, I had the initial design idea of a bigger coffee shop within a library (bookstore). After a week, Pa Ranjith sir visited the site — he wanted the space to be majorly a bookstore.
When he mentioned the space was to be democratic and accessed by all, I stuck to the idea of doing a library because it’s not just a store where you buy books but you can come together to read, debate and explore.
The space was designed with the help of my team of college juniors from the Department of Architecture, Thiagaraja College of Engineering, Madurai (Mansi JK, Abinaya Somasundaram, Rajendra Rao, Nikita, and Shiv Surya). With time constraints, we planned to finish it in 2-3 months but it took around 4-5 months. At every stage, Anitha Ranjith played a major role; they were clear on what type of space they needed.
They gave me all the freedom and then they brought their ideas. Ranjith sir never says no at first, and if he does, he explains why. Everything you see in the bookstore is based on Neelam’s ideology of the need for space for everyone to read and access. I don’t want anyone to feel alienated in this space. Right from the design, it was all from a user perspective and had to be sensory.
Transformable space
There were many ideas from a Buddha statue with a light above for ‘enlightenment’ to further the portal idea and maybe metal (bookshelves) as a statement. But it wasn’t put in. We also had time constraints, the idea of the coffee shop dissolved, and the kitchen became a kid’s book corner!
With the aim for multiple transformable spaces, the entry portal should teleport people into the world of books. A transformable space means that the furniture and bookshelves are not fixed but were all movable. The furniture also doubles up as seaters. There are also hooks around the bookstore for art exhibitions; it could have at least 20-25 artworks.
Another portion of the bookstore contains offices for the Neelam Social YouTube channel and publication office. While the office area is green-walled, Ranjith sir and Anitha ma’am decided on this specific red colour, based on a reference from French artist Paul Gauguin. We thought this works better when working with different ideologies and backgrounds. The library’s inspiration for movable bookshelves were based on the design of a library in France by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaus’ The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), which has been made in acrylic.
From the initial stage to the colours of the walls, we thought we should break the thought that rich architecture can come only from elite, privileged, Brahminical order.
Representation still a question
Over the past decade, in this digital period, book reading habits in youngsters have seen a decline. With this bookstore with multiple cultural activities, many youngsters will be introduced to the world of books. They will have exposure to ideologies. Suppose the bookstore is hosting an exhibition for Dalit History Month, the space attracts media and youngsters. It’ll be an eye-opener.
After Independence and in the past 60-70 years, Tamil Nadu has harboured a strong social justice movement and these things have been happening since then with Iyothee Thass. There were many institutions and libraries but the amount of Dalit representation during that time remains a question mark.
Neelam Bookstore and Cultural Space is not seen as profitable but it is a space to discuss perspectives and for all to create cultural unity, and beyond that, it will be useful to bring about a transformation. Whether it is Margazhiyil Makkalisai or Vaanam, the space will bring different perspectives. It might be small now, but it will be an example for future spaces.
As a part of the organising committee for the 2022 Makkalisai, I could see how access to public spaces is restricted to a certain group of people. We even approached government auditoriums like the Kalaivanar Arangam and the Anna Centenary Library where we were denied access. Beyond social justice and democracy, a space needs to be accessible.