Pune’s Express Book Service Wins ‘Best Book Store 2025’ Award
Pune, 4th February 2025: Express Book Service—Pune’s iconic bookstore on East Street, Camp, which has been running for over seven decades—has won the Best Book Store 2025 award at the recently concluded 7th IRO Literary Festival held in Hyderabad.
The award was presented to Express Book Service’s proprietor, Rohit Jerajani, on 1st February 2025 at the 7th India Reading Olympiad (IRO) Awards ceremony. The event was part of IRO Lit Fest 2025, held in Hyderabad on 18th January.
Organized by the Food 4 Thought Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting reading habits, the award winners were selected by an independent jury comprising prominent personalities from the corporate, academic, government, and NGO sectors.
The India Reading Olympiad (IRO) and its awards celebrate the power of reading and encourage people to cultivate a reading habit.
While receiving the award, Rohit Jerajani shared insights into the rich legacy of Express Book Service. The bookstore was originally established by his grandfather, the late Jamnadas Jerajani. In 1972, his father, the late Manubhai Jerajani, took charge of the Pune bookstore, which has been visited by notable dignitaries, including Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, J.R.D. Tata, and others.
“My father had such close relations with his customers that J.R.D. Tata and his wife, along with the Maharaja of Baroda, attended his wedding,” Rohit Jerajani recalled.
Interestingly, the bookstore features a ‘Murthy’s Corner’, dedicated to Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and his wife, Sudha Murthy, in memory of their frequent visits when they were courting before marriage.
Jerajani has expanded the bookstore’s activities beyond selling books. His initiatives include:
‘Books on Wheels’, bringing books to various companies in Pune Hosting author events in Pune and abroad Organizing literary festivals Conducting speed reading workshops for school children
“Today, I conduct more than 20 author sessions in Pune every month,” Jerajani said, highlighting the growing popularity of these initiatives.
However, he also raised concerns about the serious challenges facing booksellers in India, citing mobile phone addiction among children and rampant book piracy, both offline and online, as major threats to the industry.
Established in 2015, the Food 4 Thought Foundation is dedicated to promoting reading habits and increasing access to books across India. The foundation operates 657+ libraries across 21 states and 92 cities, with a collection of 180,000+ books serving over 100,000 beneficiaries.
From setting up libraries in jails, hospitals, public parks, war zones, and underprivileged schools, the foundation has made a significant impact. Their work was recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 116th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
In 2022, the organization also received the “Most Trusted and Transparent NGO” Award from the Asian Leadership Awards, further cementing its credibility and commitment to promoting literacy.
