Bharti Pustak Sadan

You can find Bharti Pustak Sadan at Shop No. 1 in Rama Market. It is right by Ram Mandir Chowk. Being at number one means we are right at the edge of the market. It is a very busy spot. There is always noise from the chowk, with the bells from the temple and the horns from the cars. We are surrounded by books. They are stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Sometimes it feels like the shelves might give way, but they haven't yet. We have been here a long time. The paper smells like old dust and ink. It is a smell we have grown to love. People come in looking for all sorts of things. Sometimes we have to dig through a few piles to find what they want. It is a bit messy, but that’s a bookstore for you. Rama Market is a place where you can find almost anything, and we are glad to be the first shop people see. We don't have a computer to track everything. We just remember where most things are. The lighting is a bit dim in the back, so we use a torch sometimes. We don't have any fancy signs or big sales. People come here because they know we have what they need. It’s a simple life surrounded by pages. We open up early and stay until the market starts to quiet down. The old wooden counter has scratches from years of use. It feels like home to us.