Shree Mahavir Text Book Centre

Our shop, Shree Mahavir Text Book Centre, is located in the K.D. Trade Centre. We are right by the HDFC ATM counter on Summair Club Road, which makes us easy to find if you know the area. The place is packed from floor to ceiling with stacks of books and old ledgers. It smells like old paper and ink in here, which I’ve grown to like over the years. We spend a lot of time climbing ladders to reach the high shelves when someone asks for a specific title. It’s usually a bit of a mess during the start of the school term when everyone is looking for the same things at once. We don't have a computer system that works half the time, so we mostly rely on memory and handwritten notes. The shop gets quite crowded, and we have to squeeze past each other in the narrow aisles. My brother and I run the front counter while a couple of boys help move the heavy bundles from the back. We close for a few hours in the afternoon when it gets too hot and the street goes quiet. It’s a simple life selling books to the local families and students who stop by. We just try to keep the shelves stocked and the dust off the covers as much as possible. It isn't much but it is our daily work and we like it.