You name it, he's got it. R K Azhwar can source books on subjects ranging from Elizabethan Tragedies to the latest edition of Visual Basic. His shop on the pavement is a 'Utopia' for that peculiar species we call 'bookworms'.

His customer list reads like the who's who of personalities who have been part of Chennai's history - Arignar Anna (Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu), Samaraja Udayar (Mysore Maharaja), V.K. Krishna Menon (renowned Statesman), Easwar Iyer (Proprietor of Royal Enfield), Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer (Indian Administrative Service), Elangovan (Indian Administrative Service) and Thilagavathy ( Indian Police Service).

He has been in the business for over half a century now. Starting out as an assistant in a bookshop run by one of his relatives, R K Azhwar set shop on his own with 50 books in 1950. Today, he has over 2, 000 books.

His shop was a landmark by itself for 15 years, at Mylapore's Luz Corner. Then came an order from the Corporation asking him to shift shop. He moved to Luz Church Road and has been there since.

The day starts early for R K Azhwar and his assistant. They open at 8 a.m. and close at around 8 p.m. Students of the nearby college and schools also patronize this pavement bookshop.

Approach: Opposite Kamadhenu Theatre, Luz Corner, Mylapore.