Amazon's closure of Westland Books came as a shock to readers and authors, who voiced their sadness online. With Feb 15 being the last day to place orders with the publisher, educator Sowmya Swaminathan, fellow bibliophiles have spent weeks coaxing neighbourhood libraries to buy its children’s titles, for the sake of students who can’t afford them
Sowmya Swaminathan was concerned about children, who can’t afford to buy them. It is a thought that came to her because of her experience as an educator teaching lower-income under-resourced students. Image for representational purpose only. Photo: istock
Two days after Sowmya Swaminathan heard about the closure of Westland Books, the Chennai-based educator decided to do something about it. The 28-year-old put out a call on social media asking fellow book lovers to help her urge local libraries and institutions to stock children’s books by the publisher before they get pulped. “When I heard the news, I was genuinely in shock because Westland is a big publishing house that has published many big Indian authors. I couldn’t just sit and watch because I thought about how many people are really going to be able to buy the books at such short notice,” she explains.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
