R.K. Alwar did not want his books to be interred with his bones; and that was his final wish, not expressed on his deathbed but when he realised he was doddering towards it. Alwar’s daughters Ammu and Julie have honoured that wish against daunting odds, ensuring the iconic Alwar Book Shop stays rooted to the spot where it has always stood at Luz Church Road in Mylapore. Alwar passed on in 2018 and since then his daughters have witnessed a parade of reasons to go back on their promise. If they had, nobody could have faulted them for it. The pandemic tested their resolve and the ongoing Metro Rail work has done the same thing. But these events had only ended up playing the devil’s advocate, revealing to the world that this resolve comes with a cladding of steel.Around Luz Corner and on this section of Luz Church Road, multiple retail businesses have trotted away in disappointment, but the duo has held on bound by that promise. Metro Rail construction has made Alwar Book Shop difficult to access, barricades and route diversions have discouraged many regulars from visiting it, and the once bustling pavement book shop is marked by a conspicuous lull. And changing reading habits induced by digital technology is queering the pitch further. But get this right, the daughters bear Alwar’s legacy (which is their mother Mary’s too; she also passed on in 2018) not as a burden, but as believers in it. There are believers from outside the family too. For them, Alwar’s affable nature makes it compelling to believe in his legacy and dream, which began in 1939. Ammu points out there are still a good number of customers best described as “loyal patrons”; they continue visiting the book shop because of their affection for Alwar.