The Books are back
The historical Daryaganj book market is back at a new location and the bibliophiles of Delhi are relieved and ecstatic.
When we say Daryaganj, the first thing that comes to our mind is the erstwhile famous Sunday book market that used to offer numerous second-hand books by authors such as Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe, at dirt cheap prices. Set up amidst the historical location of Chandni Chowk, the book market had a significance of its own, with people not only from Delhi but other states coming to visit it. But recently 276 vendors running their book business were evicted from the area on the grounds of traffic regulations.
But hold up, there’s good news: After being missed by Delhiites for two months, the market has finally made a re-appearance at Mahila Haat near Delhi Gate metro station on Asaf Ali Road. So bibliophiles, rejoice!
City resident Aayush Kishore says that he had been visiting the Daryaganj book market for a very long time and, in total, purchased more than 100 books including his 12th grade CBSE textbooks. He says, “I remember when I was in 6th grade and started visiting the book market. It had been almost 15 years since I’d been going to the place and it came as a complete shock to me when I got to know that the market was shutting down, but the recent news about the reopening has me absolutely riveted.”
And Aayush is not the only one with this sentiment. Shashank Singh, a Delhi based college student says, “I bought most of my law books from the market. They were half the price of the originals and saved me a lot of my money.” Heaving a sigh of relief, he adds, “Finally the relocation of the market is going to make it easy for me to continue getting my books at a reasonable price.”
Even though the iconic Daryaganj location has been foregone, people are mostly happy that it will be back again. One of those people who don’t mind going the extra mile is Nandini Agarwal. She shares, “As a kid, my mother used to take me to this market. It was her favourite place in the city, and now I can say the same. So I’m glad that the market has once again opened at a new location. It’s always a delight to find all kinds of books at affordable prices.”