THE BOOK STORE LOVE STORY: BAHRISONS
As an avid reader, the art of locating bookstores will always be my favourite thing to do. Today, I will share the history and journey of one of my favourite bookstores in Delhi- The Bahrisons Bookstore.
When I was a kid, I used to play with my father. Let’s remove the physical aspects of games and playing from this equation because I was lazy. Yet, my father ensured that my mind and brain never settled. Hence, he filled my evenings with matches of crossword, confusing sudoku, and tricks of Uno. Until one Sunday when we traveled to Karol Bagh and went inside a small bookshop at the corner of the lane.
Fairy tales intrigued me. The power of human minds that were capable of creating a fictitious world out of thin air was something that mesmerized me. So, I took my first step into the rustic bookstore. The wooden shelves were filled with millions of worlds by millions of writers. I picked up the first installment of Famous Five by Enid Blyton. Before I knew I was drawn to the world of a mystic island with peculiar situations and a group of kids ready to make the most out of it.
Since then, books surround me. Either physically or mentally, running a scene from one of my favorite reads. It is always there with me. And more than reading, the art of stumbling across independent bookstores with a one-of-a-kind aesthetic and the fragrance of old and new books creating a love concoction became a new hobby. A bookstore is more than just a place where you buy bound printed pages. It is a place where you meet people who are as madly in love with books as you.
You meet the owner who had a reason to begin his journey as a bookseller, a journey that is as real and interesting as we make a fictitious world for us. Hence, today I bring you the story of one such beloved bookstore in one of the most adored shopping complexes of Delhi- The Bahrisons Bookstore in Khan Market.
The Partition of India had not only divided the geographical land of the Indian subcontinent but also divided people, separating them from their families and houses where they grew up. Such was the story of a 19-year-old boy who fled the native land of Malakwal and reached across the border to a new India. A family of six decided to board the next train that would lead them away from this havoc. Balraj Bahri along with his family travelled from Amritsar and finally settled in the Kingsway Refugee Camp in Delhi.
No job was deemed inferior for Balraj and his brothers. Any opportunity to earn and survive was like Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. Eventually, with their father’s assistance, Balraj and his family got a tender to print and distribute government publications. Do you know the name of this first printing establishment? It was named the Bahri Brothers by the eldest brother. It was named after their clan and is situated in Lajpat Rai Market.
Trying to make ends meet as the brothers sold fountain pens in a shop near the lanes of Chandini Chowk, they dreamt of something bigger. A shop that could be called their own, an identity that somehow got lost during the years of Partition. In 1953, they saw an opening to their dream. The government had allotted a region in South Delhi for the refugees from NWFP. The area was called Khan Market, named after Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity that could not be missed. Gathering the courage to ask his employer, an influential Congressman to help him acquire a shop in this newly developed Khan Market. His resilience and consistent hard work made a spot in the employer’s heart and helped him with the capital and establishment of his dream. His mother extended her warm maternal hand and sold her bangles to ensure that her son fulfils his dream.
From minuscule loans from friends to arranging furniture for the store, Balraj Bahri set up his dream at a prime spot in the U-shaped Khan Market. The Bahrisons we see today is a combination of three different stores turned into one.
While Balraj fulfilled his dream, his heart wanted to fulfil its dream as well. Met through a mutual friend at Kingsway Camp, Saubhagya became the apple of Balraj’s eyes the day he saw her. Unable to forget her, he pursued his love and married her later.
Establishing his shop was the first step toward his dream. He wanted to see people happy as they bought the books they wanted. The satisfied smile of a customer was his dream. Initially, he kept a smaller collection of reads that were popular. He started to make notes on the kinds of books customers preferred and what type of books they looked for.
However, he had no means to ensure a bulk order of books for his shop. That is when, Prem Sagar, the owner of Lakshmi Bookstore situated in Janpath assisted Balraj to make the right choices and investments. Prem regularly looked at Balraj’s notes and helped him acquire books that were necessary for his store. Even if that meant giving away the stock he had for his store.
This love story between Bharisons and Lakshmi Bookstore is nothing less than a scene from a Bollywood movie. An affectionate and helpful friend who does everything in his power to ensure his friend succeeds in life. Today, after opening up multiple stores in Delhi, and becoming the first love of many readers, Bahrisons found their calling due to the perseverance of Lakshmi Bookstore.
Balraj Bahri left the legacy he built for his coming generations in 2016. Today, his son looks after the rustic walls of Khan Market’s most popular destination, where authors find themselves signing their latest release, book readers meeting their lovers for the first time, and a kid like me entering the world of printed pages for the first time. Just like Lakshmi, Bahrisons holds the hand of many such kids and lead them to a life of utmost happiness.