Serendipity on the Metro: Check out these book stalls at the metro stretch

The board displaying the Rs 100 sign; (right) The book stall at Ghatkopar

We aren't regulars on the Mumbai Metro; but we hopped on it one fine day to save time. Ironically, it was to avoid the nightmarish traffic caused by multiple Metro line projects. We boarded at Andheri where we chanced upon a bookstore. Out of habit, we picked up two books, which, going by the MRP, should have cost roughly Rs 600. The storekeeper asked for Rs 200. We were puzzled. He pointed at the placard that read "Rs 100, any book".

We quickly flipped through the book expecting it to be a second-hand copy. It had the unmistakable whiff of freshly printed ink. Since we were in a rush, we paid and left, promising ourselves a leisurely date later.

A few days later, we were ready for our loot. The Rs 60-return ticket from Ghatkopar to Andheri - just for this trip - felt worth it. As we headed to the escalator at Ghatkopar Metro station, we spotted another Metro book stall. This was serendipity, multiplied by two. We stopped to scan the selection that impressed us. A 688-page hardcover of Joseph Conrad's works for just Rs 100 was quite the find. When we enquired with the stall attendant, he plainly replied that he was just an employee and couldn't explain the logic behind the bargain. However, he did reveal that they have a third outlet, at DN Nagar Metro station.

By now, we were curious if the collections in all three outlets were any good. The titles at the DN Road and Andheri outlets were similar; however, we noticed there was more desi fiction at the former - piles of Anuja Chauhan, Ravinder Singh, Durjoy Datta and Karan Johar's The Big Thoughts of Little Luv - perhaps to cater to the Lokhandwala crowd. There were also regional literature and business titles. We picked up Eric Berne's Games People Play; Jack and Suzy Welch's Real Life MBA; and The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar by Sunanda Mehta.

Next stop: Andheri Metro. Their collection included F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, George Orwell's 1984, Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Shobhaa De's Srilaaji. Kids' literature was well represented; we picked a colouring book from France with intricate patterns on mythical princesses, and another from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. On our return, we bought a title by Conrad at Ghatkopar. Others caught our eye too but we'll save those for another ride. With most titles priced at Rs 100, it is bound to be a win-win.

AT Ghatkopar, Andheri and DN Nagar Metro stations; 9 am to 9 pm
CALL 9892703644