CHENNAI: Books, undoubtedly, take us on a ride — either into the deep-rooted reality of society or far beyond into a dream state and often everything in between. Dreams are mysterious and sometimes meaningful — they send signals, boost confidence, and motivate people to visualise goals that can be brought to life. Even before finding the means to achieve the target, our mind sees the end result. In other words, dreams pave the way for us to be ambitious and enjoy the fruit of our labour. Well, this resonates with the dreams of Vediyappan M, whose dream was to become a writer.
The city, for Vediyappan, gave a space for interactions with fellow writers and also writing short stories and screenplays in Tamil. Building conversations and observing the people in his midst, he noticed a dearth in reading habits, particularly in Tamil literary works. So, he envisioned starting a bookstore where literature is celebrated and promoted. Discovery Book Palace. was the byproduct of his dreams.
A space for art to shine
The bookstore was started in 2009. “This was the time when Discovery channel broadcasted shows dubbed in Tamil. Inspired by that (the name), Discovery Book Palace came into existence,” shares Vediyappan, now the managing director of Discovery Book Palace Pvt Ltd. Located on Munnusamy Salai, KK Nagar, the business soared in the next 11 years. The bookstore is also a publishing house and has till date published 550 Tamil language books.
Vediyappan’s dream did not stop at opening the bookstore. He wanted to create a space where vaasipalars (readers) could meet, interact, and read. “I was looking for a space that could accommodate a cafe for visitors to grab a bite and chat, a hall where book launch events and talks can be held, and a room where plays, short movies, or documentaries can be screened,” he shares.
Thus, the bookstore was relocated to the same road in KK Nagar in 2022. Spread across 4,800 sq ft, Discovery Book Palace is now a two-storeyed building. On the ground floor, as you enter, there is a vehicle parking lot on the left and a cafe on the right. Literature lovers get together to munch, and share recommendations. Walk past this, and you enter the bookstore.
On the first step towards the left is the neatly stacked English books from crime to romance genres. Walking further in, there are boards highlighting genres like ‘Ariviyal’ (Science), ‘Sarithiram’ (History), ‘Vazhkai Varalaru’ (Biography), Modern Literature, International Classics, Classics, and more. “Our motive is to take Tamil literature to an international level. The upcoming generation studies Tamil as an optional language in their schools but does not read literary works. Through this space, I want to promote reading regional books because living in Tamil Nadu, one must know the Tamil language,” he says.
After going through each section of books on the ground floor, a staircase leads readers to the first floor. On this floor is Jeyakanthan Kudil. “It is an open hall where discussion and book launches take place. At any given time, 50-80 members can be seated. This is an area where the audience gets to know writers and their works. Upcoming authors meet each other and share ideas and learnings. This encourages and motivates them,” shares Vediyappan, adding that as Discovery Books publishes any book, it is launched here in this hall. Over the last weekend, Kavipithan’s books — Nevanadhi and Jikitti were launched.
The other space is the Pirapanchan Hall with a 150-member seating capacity, and supports audio-visual media. “Corporate events or budding cinematographers and actors display their work here. This hall is almost always booked and more youngsters come in as an audience,” he explains. Vediyappan's dream of establishing a setup to support the flourishing art and art forms is becoming a reality. As many as 15 members are involved in the store's maintenance and smooth flow of work.
Chasing dreams
Mostly, children and those aged 30 years and above frequent this bookstore. Vediyappan opines, “Eighteen to 30 is an age group where people try to figure out their life and settle down. Hence, the reading habits of these groups are less. I want them to pick a book and when you do that you will want to read more. When curiosity develops, habits are created.”As habits are formed, resources should be at hand for them to consistently follow the practice. “We live in a time when books are read based on the recommendations on social media. When that kind of marketing is high, the availability of the books should be easy. So my next dream is to open 100 bookstores in the next few years,” hints Vediyappan.
He predicts reading habits will reach a pinnacle in the next five years and he wants to be prepared for that. “The plans are in motion. I am looking for investors. Once the finance rolls in, plans can be set in action and my dream will, yet again, come to life.”