Looking for a copy of the Quran, Urdu magazines on magic or French books, but also want to feast on beef kebabs as cheap as Rs 8 and hang around till 4 am? Well then, you need to ask your way to Urdu Bazaar, the oldest book market in Old Delhi
Looking for a copy of the Quran, Urdu magazines on magic or French books, but also want to feast on beef kebabs as cheap as Rs 8 and hang around till 4 am? Well then, you need to ask your way to Urdu Bazaar, the oldest book market in Old Delhi
Mohammad Ehsan-ul-Haq, 71, leans back in his armchair, watching his men go about their work in the oldest, most famous bookstore in Urdu Bazaar. He picks up his glasses that rest on his frail chest with care, and scribbles the day's accounts in chaste Urdu. This Aligarh Muslim University graduate is the owner of Rashid & Sons, a landmark in Urdu Bazaar, opposite Jama Masjid in old Delhi. 
71 year-old Mohammad Ehsan-ul-Haq rues the passing of the time when
water carriers and bird rearers would flock the entrance to the Jama Masjid.
Business may have slowed down, but he says bulk orders for the Quran
have not. Pics / Imtiyaz Khan
Random customers do not interest Ehsan. Nor do writers and anecdote-seekers, unless they come with a sense of purpose that is worth his time and attention. He ignores us and makes us wait while he wraps up his accounts. "What do you want? We only keep religious literature here," he snaps. Rashid & Sons deals in Islamic literature, primarily for Madrasa Islamia, a school in the locality, besides catering to walk-in customers, including foreign tourists looking for authentic Islamic literature. The shop looks like it's from another century, with its intriguing heavyu00a0 doors. Ehsan opens them to reveal Islamic texts in Urdu, Persian, English and Arabic that stand in neat piles.
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No more water carriers
Thirty five years ago, when Ehsan took over the management of the shop from his father, the Bazaar was a younger, livelier place. "I was a bachelor then. I saw the place grow out of its youth, just like a human being. It's saddening sometimes. A lot has changed. The charm and freshness have gone. There is no trace of culture left," he says, wiping his glasses with the border of his white kurta, pausing while he digs into memory.
The marketplace near the Masjid used to be a hub of interesting people, who gave the area its character. "There used to be a man selling pigeons, parrots and other birds at the Masjid gate. These days, you aren't even allowed entry through that gate. Just at the rear end of the Masjid, there was a playground where we'd play cricket. It's now used to dump trash."
In the '80s, the Bazaar and the lanes adjoining the Masjid had free water and Mushq-carriers (men carrying water bags on their shoulders). In Delhi's scorching summer, these men offered cold drinking water and were paid a nominal sum by the community. "You don't find anyone offering water these days, do you? It is a strange world." But it's books he deals in, and that's what he prefers to talk about.
"The love for religious books is dead, and sales have declined. Every book house in the Bazaar used to be crowded once. Though we get our regular clients, I don't see that craze anymore. The good part, though, is we still get bulk orders for the Quran," he says.
Picking phirni over books
And it's not just Urdu literature you can buy here. The scent of kebabs and phirni being churned out at a shack outside draws a steady crowd. Almost every customer who steps out of Rashid's, stops by for a meat snack.
Thirty nine year-old Abdul Qayub has sold traditional phirni to book and food lovers at the Bazaar for 17 years. "Some customers drop by just to have my phirni. They have no interest in books," he says with a faint snigger of pride.
Grab some biryani and a CD
A few steps ahead stands Rizwan Book Depot. Busy arranging a piles of books is owner Mohammed Farooq, who now mans this 100 year-old shop that his grandfather set up. Farooq has no life outside of Rizwan. The stand keeps Islamic texts and a mix of books on history, philosophy, politics, poetry and novels in Urdu, English and a few titles in Hindi. Its USP is a collection of CDs, with retro songs from films from a range of countries. CDs of dramas, comedy shows, qawwali concerts and films dating back decades lie here, and the treasure is priced at as little as Rs 30.
It's a tiny stall standing up to big stores, and it has a sizeable fan following, some of whom come only to browse through Urdu magazines like Tilasmati Duniya. The content of the magazine is about magic, super powers, and life after death. These copies come especially from Deoband in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The store is the only stall in the Bazaar that stocks these magazines.
Take a left from the stall, and a wide lane leads you to biryani corners and tea stalls. Once here, the evening grows on you. The lights, aroma and the aazan from the Masjid are best enjoyed over a cup of chai at tea stalls that are half a century old. Salim Tea stall and Haji Tea Point are filled with people chatting over home-made bread and rusks.
Order books by postcard
Unlike Ehsan and Rizwan, Shahid Ali Khan of Maktaba Jamia Limited, a 75 year-old bookstore, doesn't deal in religious literature. "We believe in secularism," says Ali Khusro, the sincere manager, who's been here for 35 years. More a library than a store, Maktaba Jamia Limited is where you find course books. In a quaint throwback to the past, the store delivers Urdu course material all over the country on orders placed through the telephone and postcards. They deliver books within two weeks of placing an order, even if you order from far flung places like Kerala and the Andaman & Nicobar islands.
Late night munchies?
Head here As you step out of the library, Lalu Kababee welcomes you. Lalu is famous for melt-in-the-mouth kebabs and the accompanying fiery chutney. Each kebab comes for Rs 5. Next door is Tajuddin Kebab and Tikkas. Amol Deshpandey, a 34 year-old banker is a regular here. Books and bites bring him to the Bazaar on weekends. As he munches on a beef roll, he says, "I come here alone, but never end up feeling lonely."
Ahmed Chicken Corner scores points for its delicious chicken legs and 'ishtu' (stew). Most kebab joints are open from 6 pm to 4 am. Next, we go in search of more books and arrive at Hafiz-Zulfiqar Ali Book Depot, in business since 1933. It stocks only the Quran (in all sizes) and books on languages -- even French. You can also find Islamic dictionaries here. From a pocket Quran for Rs 50 to a super-sized one for Rs 500, it's all on sale here. Even if the books come cheap, the experience at the Bazaar is priceless.
Type: Culture
Best from: Delhi
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