How this 'accidental' Matunga bookseller made it big in Mumbai

When Hitlar Nadar set up his book stall in Matunga East, little did the Mumbaikar know how successful he would be because of his name. The spelling may be slightly different but the name has shocked many people over the years and they continue to ask him not once but twice to be sure they heard it right. Now, his popularity precedes himself and has in fact even helped his business, he admits. However, Nadar is much more than his name.

Over the last 20 years, he has been a familiar face along the footpath in the central suburb near Cafe Madras at the Matunga Circle. The footpath leading to his stall houses more than five bookstalls next to each other. There are others that have mushroomed along the way, but Nadar has been a constant, only switching places twice over the years before finally settling near a tree he nurtured. However, after facing a brief issue from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation a few years ago, he now sits a few paces away near Anand Bhavan restaurant, alongside a jolly Tamil garland seller, who keeps him company during the day.

Like any other bookstall, Nadar's space is very colourful to look at with over 3,000 second-hand books. When it comes to orders, especially in the rain, he keeps them tucked away in the roof so that they don't get wet. After the Covid-19 pandemic, he has even adopted the digital route like many others. So, when he is not sitting at his stall between 5 pm to 9 pm every day, he is busy sourcing books for his stall and for orders in the city.

Tamil brotherhood
Nadar has come a long way. The 54-year-old Sion Koliwada resident came to Mumbai's Dharavi in the early 1990s to make money like many others. Initially, with the help of his fellow members from the Tamil community, of which the Dharavi area boasts of many, he made ends meet by doing odd jobs like delivering bread to shops, before eventually becoming a distributor for the bakery item in parts of the city.

He shares, "While doing these small jobs, I wanted to do something on my own. Being from the Nadar community, most of us have our own business. My father too was a vegetable seller all his life in Kerala, when he worked." Nadar says the origins of his name may lie there as his father must have heard the name in the southern state that loves discussing politics, and then decided to name his newborn after the infamous German dictator.

While his dreams were big, it was the Tamil community that came together to help him. Being surrounded by them, Nadar was eventually introduced by Prasad Chelliah, a Dharavi tailor and his close friend, to Matunga resident Harish, and one he fondly calls 'Annaji', whose goodwill actually helped him cement his place in the city. "Prasad made me meet Harish, who immediately told me to stay in his house in the initial days. I received a lot of support from both of them. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for me to survive in Mumbai because it was a very difficult time during those days. I have developed a very close bond with the family over the years."

Finding inspiration in Matunga
During one of his many travels in the city, Nadar passed by the Matunga Circle and saw how popular booksellers were because a lot of people visited them regularly. With a keen interest to do business, he saw the lucrative opportunity to become an independent bookseller. "I studied them every day to see how they were selling books, the places they were going to look for more books, and eventually set up the stall," adds Nadar, who came to Mumbai after passing his 10th grade and dropping out due to the lack of money.

It is this very keen interest that he has converted into his life's purpose by studying not only the business but also what readers want. While he has observed that the number of people who read have reduced over time, there are still others who have been taking books from him regularly. "I only take second-hand books because original books are always very expensive. So, I pay attention to the customer's needs and look for the books all over. I don't keep duplicates and look for the books at the local raddiwala." Such is Nadar's commitment that on one particular occasion when a Sion policeman came to him looking for a book but didn't get it because the bookseller didn't have it at the time. So, Nadar looked all over and actually gave him the book after eight months. "Since I had lost his phone number, I went to the junction and asked the police officers there to connect me with him and when I gave him the book, he was really happy and that I really liked," he adds.

This is only one of the many gestures that Nadar has made over the years. So, it is no surprise when we learn he is popular because he may have the name, but it is his hard work and commitment over the years that have brought people back to him. "I have an interest in books, and so I like looking for them and reading them. I don't have the heart to leave this business and want to continue in the field," concludes Nadar.




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