TS Shanbhag of Bengaluru’s Premier Book Shop passes away, tributes pour in

The legendary Premier Book Shop, which closed down in 2009, had many famous clients like Ramachandra Guha, Girish Karnad and Vivek Shanbag.
TS Shanbhag
TS Shanbhag
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Tributes poured in for TS Shanbag, the owner of Bengaluru’s famous Premier Book Shop, after it was known that he recently passed away. It was reported that he died on Tuesday, May 4, after suffering from an infection and then testing positive for COVID-19.

Premier Book Shop, which was started in 1971, was an institution of sorts in Bengaluru and was a popular destination for an entire generation of readers in the city. As much as for the books, people visited the store to interact with TS Shanbag, who was known for his love for books and his generosity. Located on Church Street, the store had to close down in 2009 due to a massive increase in rent according to a report in the Hindu.

According to The New Indian Express, Premier Book Shop and Shanbhag had played host to several prominent people from literary and other fields. Some of these names include Jnanpith and Padma Bhushan awardee UR Ananthamurthy, writer and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad, historian Ramachandra Guha and restaurant owner Prem Koshy.

Ramachandra Guha expressed his condolences on Twitter and said, “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary Bangalore bookseller, TS Shanbhag. It was the virus that killed him. I owe much of my education (such as it is) to books bought at his Premier Bookshop. He was a wonderful man.”

TV Mohandas Pai, the Chairman of Manipal Global Education, tweeted saying, “Bought so many books from Mr Shanbhag! Such a great person! Very saddened at his demise! Bengaluru loses a great Star! Om Shanti.”

Another writer Sugata Srinivasaraju tweeted, “Deeply saddened to learn the passing away of TS Shanbhag the owner of the iconic Premier Book Shop that shut down in 2009. I was 04 when I was first taken to the shop which I continued to visit for 34 years after. Shanbhag knew my childhood, youth and early romances. RIP, Sir.”

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