With every second Indian now beginning to write a book, I often wonder what happened to the bookworms of Delhi.
The people who liked reading, not just writing about their IIT, IIM, Mica – experiences. And when it comes to places in Delhi where you can truly be a bookworm, read, browse, buy and sell is in one place you must visit on a sunday morning… Daryaganj!
Those who want to know what the Twilight is all about, those who want to buy a book recommended by a friend, but don’t have the closet space to keep the number of books they buy or those who want to get colouring books for their kids to play with’, those are the type of people you will find at Daryaganj – Sunday Morning Street Market.
Located near Asaf Ali Road, you can come to this market either by Auto, car (there is a car parking) and the closest metro from where you invariably have to take a rickshaw (either Chawri Bazar/ITO) This market is home to a lot of publishing houses and street vendors. These are people who might even have their own book stores, but come to this market on Sundays to possibly sell their old books, books that have been lying in their shops for a while or simply bulk orders for cheap prices.
Here you can find a book from Rs. 10 to Rs. 1000. A mills & boon sits next to a Mein Kamph, while the best of Jamie Oliver’s cooking can be found next to Picaso’s brush strokes. That’s the beauty of this place. You can find something regular, vintage, unique, rare and simply idiotic or exotic on the same path.
Comics, MBs, Art books, Children books, Harry Potters, Travel guides, MBBS books, Engineering guides, GRE manuals, Coffee table books, Magazines, NatGeo, Lonely planet guides, Self-help books, Weekend guides, New Books , Old Books, Used Books, even stationary, pens and the list goes on. One must visit this market just for a stroll and I guarantee you’ll pick up something.
A special attraction has always been medical and law books and the Guides for Graduation students. You know, the kind a books that one buys a month before the exams and are out of the window an hour after it !
Some Tips:
1. Make sure you carry cash – credit cards don’t really work here.
2. Be careful : not a safe place, pick pocketers may be around.
3. You can and must bargain here, even if the price is already 1/2 of the listed price.
4. If you have the patience, walk through the market, you’ll find a lot of the same books in better condition or at a lower price.
5. EnJoY !!