This tiny shop in Delhi stocks donated books to spread the joy of reading

Established in 2002, a quaint little bookshop in Delhi stocks some of the finest donated books, and helps slum children read and write by raising funds from the sales, writes Sneha Bhattacharjee

Somewhere in the dusty lanes of the Moolchand metro station in New Delhi there is a tiny book shop tucked in the corner of Lajpat Bhawan. The Book Shop as it calls itself, is run by a group of woman, in their 50-70s known as “Sisters of the People” and was established in 2002 by a lady called Satyanand who loved to do social service and was also part of Rotary Club. 

The shop is neither glamorous nor sophisticated but the aura and the warmth with which you are welcomed by its members is endearing. Patricia Gupta is over 70 and one of the members who runs the shop. She readily shares the number and variety of books in the shop. Gupta and another member (who doesn’t wish to be named) are happy to see a “journalist” visit their shop because now at least, “people will get to know about their shop”. That through their piles and piles of books they are helping raise funds for underprivileged children is something that both the members prefer to keep in their background. Instead what they  want people to focus upon is, how through their tiny little shop they want to bring back the “joy of reading” in everyone life. 

“I want to tell people to please come and spend some time at this shop. We aren’t a library. We are a shop where you can bring any book — almost anything under the sun — to donate, and take away a book that starts from as low as Rs 10,” says Gupta. The one-room shop is all set to get an extension to accommodate their increasing number of book and set up a reading room on the premises. “The extension should be complete in the next couple of days,” says Gupta rummaging through the stacks of books that lie scattered all around the shop. 

Though all that will be added to the one-room shop is another room, the ladies are absolutely delighted at the expansion. They explain how important the expansion is: They will be able to procure more books, invite people to donate books, and encourage all – young and old — to inculcate the habit of reading. “My son has gifted me an e-reader recently but I told him: ‘Please let me be with my books’. There is sheer joy in holding a hardcover or paperback. The smell of a book... ” says the other member present at the shop. 

You name it, and the shop has it. Books ranging from children’s classics to encyclopedia, cookbooks to coffee-table books, thrillers to historical, non-fiction and fiction — the shop has it all. The paucity of space has not deterred volunteers from stocking everything that they receive from people. Some books are second-hand, some are almost new as if they were just bought and donated. Arranged in shelf after shelf, some even get hidden away behind the first row. “Once we have more space, we will be able to give them a good display,” says Gupta. 

In the initial days, they started with selling and donating the books they had in their homes. Soon, they reached out to friends, well-wishers and bookstores for donations. The condition of the books didn’t matter - as long as they were donated. The members  then segregated the books under respective genres, and arranged them on shelves and gave price tags. Consequently, they were able to receive donations from all across the country. 

The money from the sales helps the beneficiary balwadis fund their mid-day meals, uniforms, teacher’s fees and kids health check-ups.

The shop has college-going students, freelancers and other women as volunteers who keep coming and help arrange the books at the shop, look for donors, raise funds, etc. The shop is open four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday). Through their WhatsApp and Instagram account (@sistersofthepeople), they even send books across India to all bibliophiles. 

The size of the shop hasn’t really deterred curious people — from teens to septuagenarians — from paying a visit in search of that one treasure that they had been eyeing for long. As far donation is concerned, you can donate almost anything. From old books and magazines to even your raddi — anything that can help them raise money.