<p>Suresh Shah, founder of Sapna Book House, rose from railway coolie to publishing colossus in the course of a remarkable life.</p>.<p>“He led the company like a visionary. When the online boom posed a challenge to the book industry, he instilled confidence in us,” says Nijesh Shah, Suresh’s grandson and Sapna’s group president.</p>.<p>“He told us how radio continued to thrive in a digital era by refreshing its content. He stressed we are not just publishers but also content creators,” Nijesh tells Metrolife. </p>.<p>The pandemic put a full stop to Suresh’s glorious journey. He tested positive on April 25, and was admitted to hospital on May 1. On Tuesday, he lost the battle. He was 83. </p>.<p>With 19 stores -- 16 in Karnataka and three in Tamil Nadu – the company covers a staggering five lakh square feet of retail space in India. Sapna has made it to the Limca Book of Records consecutively from 2007 to 2014 for being India’s largest book mall.</p>.<p><strong>Career as porter</strong></p>.<p>Suresh’s ascent was far from easy. Having started off as a porter at Dadar railway station in Mumbai, he managed to find a job at Pocket Book Distributing Company in that city.</p>.<p>With big entrepreneurial dreams, he moved to Bengaluru in 1963. Four years later, Sapna Book House was born. A 10x10 ft shop at Gandhinagar marked Suresh’s beginning. </p>.<p>“He was a smart businessman,” says Prakash Kambathalli of Ankita Pustaka, a Kannada literary publishing house that runs a popular bookstore in Basavanagudi.</p>.<p>“Decades ago, books were sold at people’s doorsteps. Suresh showed us how to reach more customers. What he did was revolutionary,” he says.</p>.<p>Being a Gujarati, Suresh did not know Kannada in the initial years. But he learnt many things, including the language, on the job.</p>.<p>He started championing the cause of Kannada literature, and re-published Jnanpith laureate Shivaram Karanth’s books. </p>.<p>Suresh also sensed an opportunity when IBH Prakashana, the well-known Kannada publication house, decided to shut down. Sapna bought the rights for 1,000 Kannada titles from IBH Prakashana. From the ’90s, Sapna began to publish Kannada works regularly. </p>.<p>“It was a big development as it not only promoted established authors but also opened the doors to young writers,” says A Ramesha Udupa, executive editor at Navakarnataka Publications, a long-running book business based in Gandhinagar. </p>.<p><strong>His philosophy</strong></p>.<p>Kannada was close to Suresh’s heart. As Nijesh puts it: “He always said, ‘If you want to connect with the land you are living in, do something for its people.’ In our school, Hindi was the second language. But he hired a tutor to teach us Kannada at home. Today we proudly call ourselves Kannadigas,” he says. </p>.<p>Suresh was still a guiding force when his sons Nitin, Deepak, Paresh and grandson Nijesh took over the business. From transforming itself to a chain to opening an online store, Sapna adapted to changing times.</p>.<p>“Sapna Express was his idea. It was basically setting up small (500-600 sq ft) stores in schools and colleges. The Sapna Kiosk you see across departmental stores was also suggested by him,” says a proud Nijesh. </p>.<p>Suresh was never perturbed by the rise of other book stores. “He wanted everyone to grow. He never considered other shops as competitors,” says Prakash, who is also the president of Karnataka Publishers Association. </p>.<p>For Dodde Gowda, head of the Kannada division of Sapna, Suresh was a man with a golden heart. “His success was defined by relentless hard work,” he says. </p>.<p><strong>Dream story</strong></p>.<p>Established in 1967, Sapna has 19 branches (16 in Karnataka, two in Coimbatore, and one in Erode)</p>.<p>The main branch is in Bengaluru on 3rd Main, Gandhinagar</p>.<p>As publisher, Sapna has 6,000 Kannada, 110 Tamil and 550 English titles. </p>.<p>The company enjoys 30-40 lakh active customers </p>.<p>Sapna’s turnover in 2019-20 was Rs 250 crore</p>
<p>Suresh Shah, founder of Sapna Book House, rose from railway coolie to publishing colossus in the course of a remarkable life.</p>.<p>“He led the company like a visionary. When the online boom posed a challenge to the book industry, he instilled confidence in us,” says Nijesh Shah, Suresh’s grandson and Sapna’s group president.</p>.<p>“He told us how radio continued to thrive in a digital era by refreshing its content. He stressed we are not just publishers but also content creators,” Nijesh tells Metrolife. </p>.<p>The pandemic put a full stop to Suresh’s glorious journey. He tested positive on April 25, and was admitted to hospital on May 1. On Tuesday, he lost the battle. He was 83. </p>.<p>With 19 stores -- 16 in Karnataka and three in Tamil Nadu – the company covers a staggering five lakh square feet of retail space in India. Sapna has made it to the Limca Book of Records consecutively from 2007 to 2014 for being India’s largest book mall.</p>.<p><strong>Career as porter</strong></p>.<p>Suresh’s ascent was far from easy. Having started off as a porter at Dadar railway station in Mumbai, he managed to find a job at Pocket Book Distributing Company in that city.</p>.<p>With big entrepreneurial dreams, he moved to Bengaluru in 1963. Four years later, Sapna Book House was born. A 10x10 ft shop at Gandhinagar marked Suresh’s beginning. </p>.<p>“He was a smart businessman,” says Prakash Kambathalli of Ankita Pustaka, a Kannada literary publishing house that runs a popular bookstore in Basavanagudi.</p>.<p>“Decades ago, books were sold at people’s doorsteps. Suresh showed us how to reach more customers. What he did was revolutionary,” he says.</p>.<p>Being a Gujarati, Suresh did not know Kannada in the initial years. But he learnt many things, including the language, on the job.</p>.<p>He started championing the cause of Kannada literature, and re-published Jnanpith laureate Shivaram Karanth’s books. </p>.<p>Suresh also sensed an opportunity when IBH Prakashana, the well-known Kannada publication house, decided to shut down. Sapna bought the rights for 1,000 Kannada titles from IBH Prakashana. From the ’90s, Sapna began to publish Kannada works regularly. </p>.<p>“It was a big development as it not only promoted established authors but also opened the doors to young writers,” says A Ramesha Udupa, executive editor at Navakarnataka Publications, a long-running book business based in Gandhinagar. </p>.<p><strong>His philosophy</strong></p>.<p>Kannada was close to Suresh’s heart. As Nijesh puts it: “He always said, ‘If you want to connect with the land you are living in, do something for its people.’ In our school, Hindi was the second language. But he hired a tutor to teach us Kannada at home. Today we proudly call ourselves Kannadigas,” he says. </p>.<p>Suresh was still a guiding force when his sons Nitin, Deepak, Paresh and grandson Nijesh took over the business. From transforming itself to a chain to opening an online store, Sapna adapted to changing times.</p>.<p>“Sapna Express was his idea. It was basically setting up small (500-600 sq ft) stores in schools and colleges. The Sapna Kiosk you see across departmental stores was also suggested by him,” says a proud Nijesh. </p>.<p>Suresh was never perturbed by the rise of other book stores. “He wanted everyone to grow. He never considered other shops as competitors,” says Prakash, who is also the president of Karnataka Publishers Association. </p>.<p>For Dodde Gowda, head of the Kannada division of Sapna, Suresh was a man with a golden heart. “His success was defined by relentless hard work,” he says. </p>.<p><strong>Dream story</strong></p>.<p>Established in 1967, Sapna has 19 branches (16 in Karnataka, two in Coimbatore, and one in Erode)</p>.<p>The main branch is in Bengaluru on 3rd Main, Gandhinagar</p>.<p>As publisher, Sapna has 6,000 Kannada, 110 Tamil and 550 English titles. </p>.<p>The company enjoys 30-40 lakh active customers </p>.<p>Sapna’s turnover in 2019-20 was Rs 250 crore</p>