On a scorching Sunday morning , Mohammad Sabir (53) sets up his stall of books in Mahila Haat, an open sky market near Delhi Gate, that attracts a huge crowd every Sunday. As he leans back waiting for customers, people start trooping in, making their way through stalls put up by 70 other booksellers.
Sabir has been a part of Delhi’s famed book bazaar for 30 years. “I work solely with books, and it is my only way of living,” he says wiping the dust off the books lying in a pile in front of him.
Busy Sunday morning with book lovers at Mahila Haat near Delhi Gate | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Inside the Mahila Haat compound on Pt.Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, the booksellers have put up tarpaulin sheets over their stalls to protect themselves from the blazing heat and to offer some shade to customers.
Inside the world of books
Walk into the bazaar to find a diverse collection of books in multiple languages including English, Hindi and Urdu; from popular romances to classics, besides stationery , posters and maps, everything at pocket-friendly rates. Visitors pause to browse through books, hop stalls and move around in search of the titles they have in mind. At the end of the day, many leave with bundled stacks of books.
The city’s Sunday book bazaar has had a long history of locations and re-locations. It came into existence sporadically, first behind the Jama Masjid near Kasturba Gandhi Hospital and then shifted to Asaf Ali Road in Daryaganj. “It’s a historic 70-year-old bazaar that has survived our fathers and forefathers,” says Kamar Syed (60), president of the Daryaganj Patri Sunday Book Bazaar Welfare Association, selling books for 48 years.
Busy Sunday morning with book lovers at Mahila Haat near Delhi Gate | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
There have been few disruptions too. In 2010, when India hosted the Commonwealth Games, the pavements were cleared of the booksellers. In 2019, the Traffic Police and Municipal Corporation of Delhi got the entire Daryaganj pavement vacated, following which a case was filed in the Delhi High Court and the new space at Mahila Haat was allotted.
Many booksellers are unhappy in the new address as they feel there is not enough space to move around freely or accommodate more stalls. The book sellers buy the books from kabadiwallahs and also generous people who donate their books. “This unique bazaar has many rare titles given at throwaway prices. From senior citizens to young children, everybody comes here to celebrate their love for books,” says Kamar.
Busy Sunday morning with book lovers at Mahila Haat near Delhi Gate | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In the trade for more than four decades, Mahesh Kumar (60) talks about how technology and the internet has affected the book business over the years. “My livelihood is dependent on this bazaar. I have invested lot of my time, money and energy into this. But it is becoming hard to survive as the new generation prefers to read on mobile phones now,” he rues and recalls old times when Khushwant Singh used to be among his regular customers, besides few other known writers and poets.
“I have been coming to the book bazaar for years because I like to spend my time here, it is a wonderful space,” says Utpal (69) as he stops by to flip through the pages of a history book. “I found many books on the freedom struggle and Indian history here after searching for them elsewhere, such as Hindustan Ki Kahani by Nehru in Hindi,” he recalls.
The bazaar attracts people from Delhi and neighbouring States too. Ravi Kumar (21) and Aditya Singh (22) have come from Jaipur to the book bazaar for the first time, after learning about the place through Instagram reels. “We got many books for UPSC exam and a kilo of novels for just ₹20,” they say.
Busy Sunday morning with book lovers at Mahila Haat near Delhi Gate | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A PhD from SOAS, University of London, Kanupriya Dhingra did her research on the history of the bazaar and as an alternate space for book lovers. She spent nine months during her research understanding the organic growth of the place. “I have bought rare and good titles here, like an out-of-print copy of Arun Kolatkar’s first collection of poems titled Jejuri which won him the 1977 Commonwealth Poetry Prize, Amrita Pritam’s collection in Hindi and poetry titles of Eunice Dsouza, Vivek Narayanan and Vijay Seshadri,” she says.
Amrita Pritam's books bought by Kanupriya at the Sunday Book Bazaar | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
For over a quarter century A.L Verma has been selling books for children. “The bazaar has aged with me. We have to protect this bazaar because people benefit hugely,” says the 65-year-old, as he packs up for the day. The sun sets and the crowd begins to recede and the day’s noisy bazaar retreats into silence. “I will be back next Sunday,” smiles Verma.
(Mahila Haat is roughly 400 metres away from Delhi Gate Metro Station; Open from 8am to 7pm)
