In a city that prides itself on its reading culture, even damaged pages are finding new meaning. A day after heavy rain flooded the iconic Bookworm bookstore on Church Street, Bengalureans are quite literally turning the page, by buying soaked, soiled books to help the store recover.
The idea? A ‘wet book fair’, where books that have survived the store flooding, albeit with wrinkled pages and stained covers, are put up for sale. And readers are showing up, not despite the damage, but because of it.
When rainwater gushed into the store earlier this week, nearly 4,000 to 5,000 books were affected, with losses running into lakhs. As reported by Deccan Herald, the damage included everything from beloved children’s series like Percy Jackson to popular non-fiction and comics, a reminder that the loss wasn’t just financial, but deeply personal.
But what followed was something of a plot twist.
Within hours of the bookstore sharing visuals online, the city’s reading community rallied. Social media was flooded, this time with messages of support. Readers suggested buying damaged books, donating titles, and even organising a community-led sale to offset losses.
One suggestion quickly gained traction: a ‘wet book fair’. The concept is simple — sell the damaged books at discounted prices and turn what could have been waste into a collective act of support.
As one social media user put it, urging others to step in, buying a soiled book doesn’t just help the store recover — it also gives the book a second life, and the reader “a little more wisdom”. This sentiment was echoed widely in reactions to the incident.
Bookworm’s proprietor Krishna Gowda said he was “overwhelmed by the support” and is now considering hosting such a fair. The store, long seen as a cultural hub for readers in Bengaluru, has hosted events, read-alongs and even celebrated World Book Day with giveaways, making it more than just a retail space.
That emotional connection is now translating into action.
Across platforms, users are urging people to skip online marketplaces and instead support local bookstores like Bookworm. Some have even called it a moment for the community to “keep good things alive” — a sentiment that’s resonating widely.
In Bengaluru, it seems, even a flood can’t wash away the love for books — it only rewrites the story.
Source:- News18
