Shelf Life with Mid-day: How this Bandra bookstore combats hate speech with the power of positive discourse

Pauline Book and Media Centre aims to address the evils of hate speech by responding with positive reading material spanning unique genres

 A quaint pastel corner is the kind of escape this writer sought on a sweltering day. Nestled within the bustling Waterfield Road of Bandra West, rests a tranquil bookstore run by the ‘Pauline Sisters.’ As you make your way into the store, a gentle fragrance embraces you, almost like a warm hug from within. The shop boasts an array of approximately 10,000 books from off-beat genres. 

Known as Pauline Books and Media Centre, the initiative was started by the Italian priest – Father James Alberione, in 1915, to combat propaganda that was spreading through print media in those days. A century later, the problem has multiplied tenfold as hate speech seeps deep into the minds and threatens to ruin the social fabric of India. 

However, the Sisters at the bookstore are determined to fight bigoted media through constructive speech and doing good in silos. In today’s Shelf Life with Midday, we speak to consecrated Sisters who believe that words have the power to move mountains.

Combat bad press with good press
The bookstore is run by a team of four consecrated Sisters who reside at the Convent within the society. Their purpose at work is driven by principles encompassing two distinct segments. At the micro level, they are focused on establishing a positive discourse as a response to hate speech that is trending within print and broadcast media. 

“We want to combat bad press with good press,” shares Sister Rosy, our host who heads the team and curates the collection at the bookstore. She reminisces how the store imbibed its vision. “Back in the early 1900s, the use of print and communication media was being exploited to propagate divisive feelings amongst fellow Indians.”

Father Alberoine, who was then a young lad, took notice of how the misuse of the press led to social damage and promoted hateful sentiments. At that tender age, he realised that he could not stop people from drafting negative copies – so he came up with a counter plan. He began populating negative writings with literature that celebrated humanity and civic values, informs Sister Rosy.

Additionally, he promptly embraced technology and started an in-house printing press to gain a competitive edge over his peers. The printing press has thus become the epicentre of producing mass media on genres like spirituality, health, nutrition, self-help, personality development, youth and other uplifting literature.

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