<p>Thanks to the pandemic, bookstores in the city have taken a huge hit, seeing no footfalls for nearly three months. Most independent bookstores are teetering on the edge. </p>.<p>Located in JP Nagar, Funky Rainbow, however, is working hard to keep the love of reading alive in children. The bookstore doubles up as book consultancy firm. With more than 7,500 Indian children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction, for ages one to 18 years, handpicked by the vibrant team, many schools are clamouring for their book recommendations.</p>.<p>“What makes Funky Rainbow unique from other indie bookstores is that we are a travelling one. We don’t wait for children and adults to come to us, instead, we go to them with our colourful collection of children’s and young adult books,” says Vidya Mani, editor, writer and one of the four brains behind the bookstore. </p>.<p>“We were locked down for sixty days and the wheels of our book truck came to a grinding halt. With public and school events getting cancelled, we knew we had to continue reaching out to people in other ways. Using social media was our best bet,” says Vidya. They started with a prepaid book voucher campaign through an online quiz called ‘The locked down but not out quiz’ which featured questions from children’s and YA books in which characters had been locked down.</p>.<p>The response was overwhelming, making it one of their most successful online campaigns. The ‘Book buzzaar’, an online book shopping experience, was an offshoot of that campaign. During the event, people visit the bookstore live on video through their social media channels. The team responds by pulling out the books from their shelves and showing the book covers. They even make personalised recommendations. </p>.<p>Books can be purchased easily by clicking on a link provided. The orders are sent by Speedpost and for those wanting a faster delivery, through Dunzo. The huge success of the first Book Buzzaar has now made it a weekly affair, with it being held every Saturday (11 am to 1 pm). Each week sees a different theme. </p>.<p>Their next Buzzaar on June 27 will be on chapter books. </p>.<p>For more details, contact 9900495665 or bookshop@funkyrainbow.com or visit www.funkyrainbow.com</p>
<p>Thanks to the pandemic, bookstores in the city have taken a huge hit, seeing no footfalls for nearly three months. Most independent bookstores are teetering on the edge. </p>.<p>Located in JP Nagar, Funky Rainbow, however, is working hard to keep the love of reading alive in children. The bookstore doubles up as book consultancy firm. With more than 7,500 Indian children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction, for ages one to 18 years, handpicked by the vibrant team, many schools are clamouring for their book recommendations.</p>.<p>“What makes Funky Rainbow unique from other indie bookstores is that we are a travelling one. We don’t wait for children and adults to come to us, instead, we go to them with our colourful collection of children’s and young adult books,” says Vidya Mani, editor, writer and one of the four brains behind the bookstore. </p>.<p>“We were locked down for sixty days and the wheels of our book truck came to a grinding halt. With public and school events getting cancelled, we knew we had to continue reaching out to people in other ways. Using social media was our best bet,” says Vidya. They started with a prepaid book voucher campaign through an online quiz called ‘The locked down but not out quiz’ which featured questions from children’s and YA books in which characters had been locked down.</p>.<p>The response was overwhelming, making it one of their most successful online campaigns. The ‘Book buzzaar’, an online book shopping experience, was an offshoot of that campaign. During the event, people visit the bookstore live on video through their social media channels. The team responds by pulling out the books from their shelves and showing the book covers. They even make personalised recommendations. </p>.<p>Books can be purchased easily by clicking on a link provided. The orders are sent by Speedpost and for those wanting a faster delivery, through Dunzo. The huge success of the first Book Buzzaar has now made it a weekly affair, with it being held every Saturday (11 am to 1 pm). Each week sees a different theme. </p>.<p>Their next Buzzaar on June 27 will be on chapter books. </p>.<p>For more details, contact 9900495665 or bookshop@funkyrainbow.com or visit www.funkyrainbow.com</p>