'Pratiwandi' writer Shankar calls for 'book spa'

On the lines of the world art and music hub Paris, where readers can 'sleep, eat and breah literature', there should be 'reading chambers' in the city of joy, award winning 'Chowringhee' penner Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay says.
"Recalling how he was amazed to find the invigorating 'book spa' in the world culture capital," the writer of 'Sarga Martya Patal', better known as 'Shankar', said "Kolkata has moved way ahead ever since that visit. We have now lounges in book stores where one can browse through the title and pages for hours."
"But we miss such places where one can check-in, put up for hours just for being immersed in the thousand printed words. This is called celebration of literature. Kolkata, as always, can show the way by having such places for the first time in the country," Shankar, whose 'Protiwandi' was filmed by Ray in the early 70s, said at a Starmark book store event here.

Percussionist Bickram Ghosh said despite having e-books and 'you tube', the Gen Y is again hooked to music and printed matter as virtual can never replace the physicality of art.
Industrlialist Sanjeeb Goenka talked about music and book merging in modern book stores at the launch of the fifth Star Mark store in the city.