DP:

Mr Srivastava, I am impressed with your initiative of starting such a book club in Dwarka and selection of books in the portfolio of your library. Dwarka Parichay wants to publish your interview.

SCS:

You are most welcome sir. I know Dwarka Parichay and I am regular visitor to your website.

DP:

What was driving force behind your initiative?

SCS:

I am myself avid reader of best seller books; books which have potential to change the very attitude towards our life, potential to redefine the perceptions of all things we see around us and potential to bring clarity of thoughts masked due to various preconditioning of our minds You know the feeling you get after reading such books. They speak to you; they touch your heart and they generate feelings that you want to share them with someone else. The idea of sharing these feelings was main driving force behind my initiative to start this book club.

DP:

We think this is noble idea and there is no parallel of such book club in Dwarka. How this idea came to you?

SCS:

My son, Ashutosh Anand, runs his bookshop by name of Chitransh Book Depot and I used to visit his shop in the evenings. I had already very good collection of books in my personal library. The facility of bookshop gave birth to the idea of book club as natural extension of his activities where I can contribute in my free time.

DP:

How did you choose books in the portfolio of the club?

SCS:

I had clarity of my desire about kinds of book to be kept in the club. I wanted to have bestseller books in non-fiction categories, fiction books of world famous authors, Autobiographies of world famous personalities and useful books for children to read during their vacations. My next exercise was to read book reviews from various magazines and websites. The list of books was prepared by me with this exercise, which has taken almost two months.

DP:

How do you find such books?

SCS:

These books are not available from any single source. I surveyed several online and offline book stores and procured the books from at least 20 such sources.

DP:

What is business model of the book club?

SCS:

Though profit was not motive of the book club but to sustain the running of the club, a nominal fees, as low as Rs. 1/- per day is charged from members. All the financial assets, liabilities, profits and losses are vested with Chitransh Book Depot, owned by my son. My role is limited to contribute in the book club as member as well as an administrator of the club.

DP:

How do you plan to give publicity to this unique concept?

SCS:

I will depend only on word of mouth publicity and I am sure that will generate enough membership to sustain the operation.

DP:

Do you get any feedback from your club members?

SCS:

We have formed an online group on yahoo website and each member will be granted membership in this group. This online group is closed group not accessible to public. Access is given only to the members. Members can post their book reviews, questions, poll and discussion topics where each member will contribute and thus share their feelings with other members.

DP:

A noble idea indeed. I wish people of Dwarka to know about your book club.  I will contribute in this field by publishing this interview.

SCS:

Thank you very much.

DP:

Wish you all the best Mr Srivastava.