Food for the Book Hungry

Pragati maidan book fair - watercolour

It can’t be true that Delhi has NO nice book shops. Let us say that I have not yet walked into one. I miss the two tiered Strand book stall, good old Nagasri at Jayanagar, the whopping Landmark at the forum mall and Sapna Book House which I depended on for more kannada books for amma.

So the book fair at Pragathi Maidan is a blessing – heaven sent. Achu and I were there from 12 to 5 and had barely covered 2 halls. There are stalls by big time publishers like Harper Collins and Penguin and Rupa and smaller stalls by lesser known publications. There are stalls with a smattering of books catering to niche reader set and stalls with a deluge of books and book-lovers.

Aaah! The smell of new books, a heady mix of colourful spines, arrays of light blue and pink and brown covers of identical books piled up for sale, books that bring back memories of college days, books with strange names, books you wonder whether anyone will ever read and books you would love to possess if only….you could!!

It is equally fascinating to study the lovely people who visit the book fair.

A wise old man meticulously looks for books that he has pencilled down in his small diary. A spectacled lady, a teacher or librarian perhaps, copies names of books that interest her. A determined young boy has an arm load of books and his father patiently explains that he needs to make a selection of only three. There is also this guy who has obviously been dragged into the fair by his booklover friend and is forced to browse. Booklover-friend, with a shine of excitement in his eyes picks a paperback Don Quixote and thrusts it to our guy saying, “hey, you must read this yaar. Bahut accha hai”. Our guy looks at the book sceptically, opens it a few pages, and confidently returns it saying, “arre yaar, yeh to original nahi hai. Translated hai. Dekho, yahan likha hai. Main tho original loonga”.. (hey man, this is not the original. It says here - translated. For me only original will do) … the original Don Quixote by the way … is in Spanish!

We decide to buy an Asterix. I have read many and do not remember their names, I only recall incidents. The person at the stall is a true-blue Asterix lover… he tells me exactly which book to buy.

We come away glowing with two bags of books. Soon to be overtaken by a happy gentleman with a heavy jute bag slung on his shoulder and dragging behind him a loaded trolley bag, both full of books!
One day, I will publish my book and this man will walk away with one of mine.