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Imagine a bookshelf that you tin clasp successful 1 hand, somewhat bigger than your palm. Inside it are 40 of your favourite books successful miniature signifier — a small idiosyncratic library.
My Little Library is conscionable that: a diminutive bookcase filled with miniature books, the benignant you tin transportation with you, spot connected your workspace, oregon hole it connected a wall! Prabin C, a Kuttipuram-based bundle developer, combined his 2 loves — of speechmaking and creating miniatures — erstwhile helium struck upon the thought of creating miniature libraries lined with his favourite books.
He says, “We whitethorn not each person the books we person work oregon privation to read. For example, if you borrowed them from the library. This way, though you cannot work them, the books volition beryllium with you always.” Prabin is the co-founder of a start-up successful Kuttipuram which develops e-commerce websites and products for clients.
Prabin C | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“When I archetypal made the product, I had nary volition of monetising it. But then, erstwhile I started posting connected Instagram, I started getting customisation enquiries,” helium says.
The bookshelf thought came to him a mates of years ago. “ It is not an casual thought to execute due to the fact that it is hard to make the product, which took time,” helium says. First came the bookshelf and its door, for which helium initially utilized wood and glass, but aft breakage during shipping helium switched to MDF expanse and an alternate to glass.
Prabin has a ‘collection’ of much than 600 titles, including Malayalam and English titles. The smallest support is 5x3 inches and tin acceptable 50 books, portion the largest is 12x8 inches and tin acceptable much than 400 miniature books. It tin beryllium customised to acceptable Malayalam, English oregon books that are a operation of some languages. The covers are nonstop replicas of the original.
He says, “Chances are that I would person the books, due to the fact that I person astir books which the mean scholar would beryllium acquainted with. Sometimes radical take the books they privation connected their ‘shelf’, and if I person them I ‘put’ them connected the shelf. I don’t marque books that I don’t person successful my postulation due to the fact that making 1 miniature is simply a batch of work.” This room tin beryllium a wishlist of books you privation to read.
There person been occasions erstwhile helium has bent this rule. “We get requests to marque a support for an writer arsenic a acquisition for them. Obviously, their titles would request to beryllium connected it. Then we bash marque circumstantial books by that author,” Prabin says. However, helium adds, chances are we whitethorn already person the books successful our collection. He makes the miniature books and shelves, and has assistance arsenic well.
In the past year-and-a-half of its existence, helium has already sold much than 3,000 small libraries. He has been getting enquiries successful different languages similar Tamil, Telugu and Hindi connected My Little Library’s Instagram page. “I person not delved into those due to the fact that I americium not acquainted with the lit of those languages. That volition person to wait, I mightiness bash thing on the lines successful the future,” helium adds.
The libraries are priced from ₹1299 for the smallest to ₹4899 for the largest.
Content creator Afeefa VP says of her ‘little library’, “This is my tiny satellite comprising [Vaikkom Muhmmad] Basheer, Madhavikutty [Kamala Das], and Benyamin. Certain things are peculiar not due to the fact that of their size but due to the fact that of what they encompass!”
My Little Library is connected Instagram @my_little_library_
