Giri Traders Mylapore
Last week, during our “walk-and-shop-around-Mada-Veedhis” routine, we saw a North Indian couple frenetically searching for a Pooja-mani (bell). They were obviously searching at a wrong place. Overhearing their talk, I wanted to be a Good Samaritan and directed them in Hindi to visit the Giri Trading Agency at the Sannadhi Street nearby. Shortly afterwards, we too ambled across to this GITAA and could see the couple there with a satisfied and happy look.This mail is about Giri Trading Agency, GITAA for short.
There was this TVS Giri Iyer living in Matunga, Bombay. Year around 1951. He wished to gift a Sandhya Vandanam book to a upanayanam-boy but couldn’t get one in Matunga of those days. He got a brain wave then – why don’t I start a bookshop in Matunga that would have Tamil religious books? Thus started the tradition of Giri Trading Agency, in 1951. They used to purchase books in Madras and get them by parcel in Bombay.The shop started growing and they felt the need for their own shop at Madras from where they can get these books at a lesser cost.
Thus, in 1976, 25 years after the Bombay shop, they opened GITAA at Mylapore. Mr. TVS Giri had nine children and all of them put in hard and sincere work and the shop started growing exponentially.You name anything in Pooja items – from A to Z – you would find it in GITAA. Pooja items from a simple poonool or saradu kayiru to large idols, books – religious, devotional, in Tamil / Sanskrit, Music – CDs, cassettes, Gift Items ---- the list is endless. Suffice it to say that you won’t get disappointed any and every time you enter this shop.
The shop’s floor-space couldn’t cope with its phenomenal popularity, and till recently, it was extremely congested. Last year, they demolished the old building and started constructing a modern structure. Two months ago, this new multi-storied edifice opened and is functioning since then. Four floors of construction, centralized AC, very brightly lit, the shop is indeed a treat to buyers. And a wonderful and most sublime shopping experience.
As you push open the large glass door and enter the shop, you get the feeling that you are in a divine place, a temple. Delicious fragrance emanates from various pooja items and percolates all over the shop. Wow. Vijaya and I don’t miss experiencing it whenever we are in South Mada Veedhi – and that is quite frequent.
Last week or so we entered this shop to purchase a couple of (the key word is “a couple of “ ) Tamil story books for Anand (Srikanth). We were deluged with books and books and books and we ended up buying a whole lorry-load (of course, a joke) of them. (Needless to say, we obtained prior permission from Srikanth to indulge ourselves, ha ha). The point I want to make is – no one can escape buying this or that item (not earlier planned), the variety and availability is like that, a huge magnet attracting.
Finally, I would like to “introduce” the senior-most sales lady there – an Iyer mami of 56 – 58 years – extremely thin physically, but wow, what a lady! I may be wrong but I would bet she must have been there since its inception. (Is she related to the late Giri Iyer, I wonder. Ramamurthy athimber or Sugavanam can throw more light on this remarkable lady). She knows each and every item in the shop – available or not, if yes where they are located, if not when that is expected etc etc. Even a latest computer can not compete with this Mami, efficiency personified. For each and every customer (and the rest of the Sales crew) she is simply M A M I.
Next time when you are in Chennai, do visit this GITAA – I hope I have given sufficient material to arouse your curiosity – and be enthralled.I pray Giri Trading Agency to have many more successes.
Rajappa
8-45PM on 16 March 2007
Last week, during our “walk-and-shop-around-Mada-Veedhis” routine, we saw a North Indian couple frenetically searching for a Pooja-mani (bell). They were obviously searching at a wrong place. Overhearing their talk, I wanted to be a Good Samaritan and directed them in Hindi to visit the Giri Trading Agency at the Sannadhi Street nearby. Shortly afterwards, we too ambled across to this GITAA and could see the couple there with a satisfied and happy look.This mail is about Giri Trading Agency, GITAA for short.
There was this TVS Giri Iyer living in Matunga, Bombay. Year around 1951. He wished to gift a Sandhya Vandanam book to a upanayanam-boy but couldn’t get one in Matunga of those days. He got a brain wave then – why don’t I start a bookshop in Matunga that would have Tamil religious books? Thus started the tradition of Giri Trading Agency, in 1951. They used to purchase books in Madras and get them by parcel in Bombay.The shop started growing and they felt the need for their own shop at Madras from where they can get these books at a lesser cost.
Thus, in 1976, 25 years after the Bombay shop, they opened GITAA at Mylapore. Mr. TVS Giri had nine children and all of them put in hard and sincere work and the shop started growing exponentially.You name anything in Pooja items – from A to Z – you would find it in GITAA. Pooja items from a simple poonool or saradu kayiru to large idols, books – religious, devotional, in Tamil / Sanskrit, Music – CDs, cassettes, Gift Items ---- the list is endless. Suffice it to say that you won’t get disappointed any and every time you enter this shop.
The shop’s floor-space couldn’t cope with its phenomenal popularity, and till recently, it was extremely congested. Last year, they demolished the old building and started constructing a modern structure. Two months ago, this new multi-storied edifice opened and is functioning since then. Four floors of construction, centralized AC, very brightly lit, the shop is indeed a treat to buyers. And a wonderful and most sublime shopping experience.
As you push open the large glass door and enter the shop, you get the feeling that you are in a divine place, a temple. Delicious fragrance emanates from various pooja items and percolates all over the shop. Wow. Vijaya and I don’t miss experiencing it whenever we are in South Mada Veedhi – and that is quite frequent.
Last week or so we entered this shop to purchase a couple of (the key word is “a couple of “ ) Tamil story books for Anand (Srikanth). We were deluged with books and books and books and we ended up buying a whole lorry-load (of course, a joke) of them. (Needless to say, we obtained prior permission from Srikanth to indulge ourselves, ha ha). The point I want to make is – no one can escape buying this or that item (not earlier planned), the variety and availability is like that, a huge magnet attracting.
Finally, I would like to “introduce” the senior-most sales lady there – an Iyer mami of 56 – 58 years – extremely thin physically, but wow, what a lady! I may be wrong but I would bet she must have been there since its inception. (Is she related to the late Giri Iyer, I wonder. Ramamurthy athimber or Sugavanam can throw more light on this remarkable lady). She knows each and every item in the shop – available or not, if yes where they are located, if not when that is expected etc etc. Even a latest computer can not compete with this Mami, efficiency personified. For each and every customer (and the rest of the Sales crew) she is simply M A M I.
Next time when you are in Chennai, do visit this GITAA – I hope I have given sufficient material to arouse your curiosity – and be enthralled.I pray Giri Trading Agency to have many more successes.
Rajappa
8-45PM on 16 March 2007
This is the best location to obtain books on our tradion and philosophy. One of the major attraction is that all the items are very reasonably priced within the reach of the common man.
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