Nehru News Mart
Baskar Seshadri
Paramasivam was a devoted Congress Man in those days well before the Independence era and when he started a small book shop, he remembered to Name it as Nehru News mart. He started a small book shop in forties and little did he thought he will be successful.
But his innovative idea of an exclusive newspaper shop was an immediate hit in those days and any journal/ Newspaper of south will be available in his shop.
It was a privilege to mylaporeans to get their hot edition from This mart. A Mumbai edition of the day’s paper will be there in the evening. With no idiot box and colorful channels, the one and only entertainment and pass time habit was Reading and Reading alone.
You name a weekly or a daily of any Language. it used to be there on time every time.
With the ageing problem Paramasivam passed away in early 1990 and from there on It was his son Kamaraj who had been handling the same activity with the best tempo. He was an agent of many newspapers and Suddenly Kamaraj also passed away eight years ago.
It’s his family which is now looking after the Business. This Mart had come across from the days of swadesamitran, Manjari and Kalaimagal to the recently Launched booklets on various topics. And this shop is also famous for the Race book as it is called.
The Brand Original Vel is the most wanted book of those days before the races were banned in Chennai. Now the mart had survived almost seventy years Plus with the heads changing. But the landmark of Nehru News Mart and Luz always goes together.
Oldies may well remember this point and a visit to the shop was a must for them. There are still a group or two who goes into fascination of the Nostalgic memories even today. I too can be counted on this.
