The oldest surviving bookshop in Kolkata has finally opened a free reading library at its historic premises on College Street, attracting 30-40 visitors every day, including many foreigners.
While it’s common for many present day bookshops to allow customers the comfort of browsing through new releases and classics, Dasgupta and Co., which has been in the business since 1886, has made the rare gesture of transforming a part of it — the second floor of the heritage structure in which the shop is located — into a public library, mainly with the intention of benefiting students who can’t afford books.
