Bengaluru rains: 5,000 books worth Rs 14 lakh destroyed as rainwater gushes into iconic BookWorm, video leaves many heartbroken

Bengaluru was slammed by heavy rain and squally thunderstorms on Wednesday, bringing the city to its knee. Not just the streets, but the rain also struck one of the city's beloved literary corners, known as Bookworm, an iconic bookshop. In a tragic turn of events, around 5,000 books worth Rs 14 lakh were washed away as the rainwater gushed into the shop within minutes.

The Bookworm suffered significant losses after the rainwater entered its premises. "Due to heavy rain in Bangalore, we lost 4000 to 5000 books,” the store posted on Instagram on Wednesday." The video shows heartbreaking images of books floating in the knee-deep water filling its narrow aisles.

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5,000 books washed away in Bengaluru

The heavy rain in Bengaluru turned deadly for 'The Bookworm' and as many as 4000 to 5,000 books were lost in the floods. "At around 4.45pm, it began raining, and within moments, it became a hailstorm unlike anything I've seen in years. The hailstones clogged the drainage outlets, and almost instantly, water started pouring in from all sides," he said. By 5.30pm, shelves that once held stories, ideas and memories were soaked, with thousands of books beyond repair," proprietor Krishna Gowda told TOI. He recounted the ordeal and said that the weather in Bengaluru turned without warning.

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The list of damaged collections includes Penguin Book Of Indian Poets, Cubbon Park by Roopa Pai and Percy Jackson & the Olympians. While the financial hit is estimated at Rs 14 lakh, Gowda says the real loss is immeasurable. "Books carry knowledge, emotion and years of effort. That's what hurts the most," he added.

Bookworm is a popular and well-known go-to destination for book lovers in the city. Over the past two decades, the iconic place has built a strong reputation for its wide collection of new and pre-loved titles across genres, attracting a loyal community of readers.

How social media reacted

The post by BookWorm quickly gained traction on social media with many users asking how they can help the book store. Many customers offered emotional support and offered support. “If at all there is any help any of us can do, please let us know,” one user commented. Another wrote, “We will help by buying more books than ever before from you.”

Multiple people also asked how they could contribute to helping the bookstore recover from the loss. "Please let me know if there anyway i can use my audience to help! Maybe we can donate whatever books we have to you!," wrote another.

"I'm so sorry. I'll keep an eye out for any help I and other readers can provide. Hope you and the team are safe," commented another.

Bengaluru rain update

As many as ten people were killed and many others were injured after a compound wall of Bowring Hospital collapsed during intense thunderstorms in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening. The heavy rain and hailstorms hit the Bengaluru relentlessly due to which Central Business District — the city's glitzy hub bore the brunt. The heavy rain provided the much-needed relief but also exposed the city's infrastructure.

Intense showers accompanied by hailstorms pounded the Central Business District. The situation worsened as gusts clocking 50kmph uprooted trees and snapped hundreds of branches, bringing traffic to a standstill. Rainfall was also witnessed in MG Road, Ashok Nagar, Richmond Town, Ulsoor, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Chickpet, Chamarajapet, VV Puram, Banashankari, parts of JP Nagar, BTM Layout and Bellandur, among other areas.

Waterlogging was reported in many areas, bringing the traffic to a standstill. The IMD has forecast intermittent thundershowers — with windspeed of 30-40kmph — in the next 48 hours, raising concerns of further disruption in an already-battered city.