Skip to main content

SHopping books in delhi-1

Once, few years ago,i was going to Noida,with my cousin, my sis and mom. As it happens very regularly In Delhi,
you meet heavy traffic en route and have to navigate through many red lights.
The special thing i saw this time, was that the goodies sold by poor people had changed in past years.Now there were little kids,selling pirated books and not same beggars or women selling some weird car accessories or food items.
I remember in the midst of hot,long drive i found this very intriguing. here were some illiterate kids selling John Grisham,archers,dan brown's books.Even Shoba De. They knew each title and author well.The quoted high prices signaling that they were ready for bargaining.And if you don't find the book of your choice,pat comes the reply..."Woh doosre ladke ke paas hai,abhi laata hun"
[Its with the other guy,i will just get it.]
As someone who spreads awareness about books,who motivates people to read good books,wants to create a library one day and also is a wannabe author I don't generally recommend pirated books.But that sunny afternoon i reflected and i still remember that these children are so smart, they are illiterate and they are selling me books of authors whose name they wouldn't have heard in their entire life.They are not above 16 even.If we buy some of these books from them, wouldn't it be of some help to them???
But if we buy these books aren't we encouraging piracy????
___________________
Here is somewhat similar article if you wish to browse through.
____________________
In Delhi you can also get pirated books from
near Gaffar Market
JD Block Market,Pitampura [after 7 usually]
Basant Lok market [ I think thats the actual name of what we fondly call The priya's market or place.]
These are the places where i have browsed and seen pirated books being sold.
A friend informed me that in Brahmaputra enclave market also such books are sold,though i never been there.
Connaught place market and surrounding areas have lot of people sitting on the floor,and selling books and posters.One such location was where Nirula's The old one,the famous ice cream parlor used to be situated.It was a corner shop and had people sitting on floor on both sides near the shop, selling loads of books and posters.Made Ice cream eating affair more fun then ever.For those who never been to Delhi, C.P. as it is fondly called,has one of the largest clusters of bookstores in Delhi.
________________
I am not advocating buying of pirated books, just passing on some information. DO write in if you can share some more knowledge with us.
___________
Jai Sri Ram !!!

Comments

Tshhar Mangal said…
Oh sir, you are so excited.
I reply to all comments on my musings
and all the other blogs,i am part of.
rest assured,all your queries will be taken care of.
And you too have my email id.
Thanks for visiting the reader's paradise. Hope you liked our work here

Also read

Did You Ever Love Me? Book Review: Can Rithvik singh turn heartbreak into a homecoming?

Did You Ever Love Me? by Rithvik Singh is a tender contemporary poetry collection about love, heartbreak, longing, self worth and learning to let go. Its greatest strength is emotional accessibility: Singh writes directly to readers who feel intensely and care deeply. The collection offers comfort without pretending heartbreak is simple, though its simplicity may occasionally feel familiar to seasoned poetry readers. Did you Ever Love Me? Have you ever loved someone so completely that, after they left, you were left wondering whether they had ever understood what they had been given? Not merely whether they loved you, but whether they ever noticed how much you loved them, how much patience you offered, how many small things you remembered, or how often you chose to stay when leaving might have been easier. There is a particular loneliness in that question because it rarely arrives at a dramatic moment. More often, it finds you while you are doing something completely ordinary. Yo...

Toddy to Tequila Review: How Does Alcohol Tell the Story of India?

What if the history of India could be read through a glass? In Toddy to Tequila , Sandhya Mulchandani turns alcohol into an unexpected historical guide, moving from Vedic rituals and indigenous brews to Mughal courts, colonial trade and modern distilleries. Her subject is never simply drinking. It is faith, pleasure, prohibition, commerce, class, power and the people caught between them. Have you ever wondered what your drink says about the country you live in? Perhaps you are sitting somewhere with a drink in front of you. Nothing dramatic. No Mughal durbar. No colonial club with men in linen suits pretending the weather is not trying to kill them. You might be holding whisky. Or feni. Or beer. Perhaps a cocktail with a name that requires three attempts before you can pronounce it without embarrassing yourself. Perhaps it is toddy, poured from a humble container that has travelled a very long distance from the fashionable cocktail menus of modern India. Now ask yourself a sligh...

Debate : Do the ends justify the means...

Note : Give it all a fair thought before you jot down... Flaming and religion-bashing will not be tolerated. Your participation is gladly appreciated. I dunno if you folks remember this incident; a couple of yrs back, the UPSC exam had a question where the emainee had to assert his views on *revolutionary terrorism* initiated by Bhagat Singh. As is typical of the government, hue and cry was not far behind... Anyway, let us look at some facts -   Bhagat Singh was an atheist, considered to be one of the earliest Marxist in India and in line with hi thinking, he renamed the Hindustan Republican Party and called it the Hindustan Socialist Revolutionary Party. Bhagat Finally, awaiting his own execution for the murder of Saunders, Bhagat Singh at the young age of 24 studied Marxism thoroughly and wrote a profound pamphlet “Why I am an Atheist.” which is an ideological statement in itself. The circumstances of his death and execution are worth recounting. Although, Bhagat Singh had a...