25 years ago, when Crossword Bookstores opened its doors, people came in looking to buy works of international authors like J K Rowling, Jeffery Archer, Dan Brown and more. The said authors have also visited the bookstore (except Rowling, who sent a thank you letter). In 2017 though, the sales say a different and encouraging story for Indian authors. This year, Indian authors like Sudha Murthy, Devadutt Pattanaik, Amitav Ghosh, Ravi Subramanian, Radhakrishnan Pillai have dominated the scene with 48% of the sales coming from their work. Celebrity authors like Twinkle Khanna and Shilpa Shetty have created their own market too.

The favourable curve towards Indian authors has inspired Crosswords to reach out to schools all over Mumbai. Students of Class 5 to Class 10 can submit their short stories to Crossword. They will be given a chance to interact with iconic authors of India and the shortlisted stories will be published by “The Write Place” the publishing arm of Crossword.

Here are some iconic photos that document Crosswords’ exceptional 25 years –

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Jeffery Archer

Jeffery Archer

JK Rowling's Thank You Note

JK Rowling’s Thank You Note

Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy

Zuni Chopra, Nita Ambani and Zahira Wasim

Zuni Chopra, Nita Ambani and Zahira Wasim

This is going to be pretty cool for the hidden writers in Mumbai’s talented children. #ReadingIsGood