KOZHIKODE: A young man riding around town on a green double-bell bicycle with a cloth bag full of books on either shoulder. He used to sell books by ignoring his hunger and drinking tap water from the roadside. This is how Balakrishna Marar, the owner of the Touring Book Stall (TBS) spread all over Kerala, started his journey in the world of letters and books. Today is his 90th birthday.

There won't be any special celebrations in his house at Puthiyara. Marar, a proud pillar of Malayalam book publishing, is the publisher of the first books written by writers such as Zacharia and Valsala Teacher.

Marar was born in the year 1932 in Kannur district as the son of Kunhikrishna Marar and Marasyar. His father died when Marar was one and a half years old. He spent his childhood and adolescence with his stepfather PV Raghava Marar, a communist. Raghava Marar, who came to Kozhikode after political imprisonment, became a distributor of Deshabhimani. He brought along Balakrishna Marar to sell newspapers to get out of poverty. Thus, Balakrishnan started his life in the big city of Kozhikode.

After finishing the newspaper delivery by the afternoon, he used to spend the rest of the time selling communist literature and Soviet works and magazines that were available at the newspaper office. Balakrishnan gradually switched from foot to bicycle, and from the sale of newspapers and books to publishing. He started TBS, which went on to become a brand in publishing.

In 1958, TBS Bookstore was in a one-room shop at Mittayi Theruvu, Kozhikode. In 1966, he started Poorna publications by publishing eight books.

In 1988, TBS was shifted to the building at Muthalakkulam. So far, TBS has published seven thousand books, including Marar's autobiography 'Kanneerinte Madhuryam'.

Wife: Sarojam. Children: NE Manohar, Dr. Anita.