Includes Arabic books .. Books in kg in a private market in Delhi

Shamshad Hussain-New Delhi

The New Delhi Old Books Market, known as the Sunday Market and now relocated to a new location, attracts reading lovers from all over the country where they buy expensive books in various disciplines and sciences in local and foreign languages, including Arabic and Islamic heritage books and translated texts from Arabic and other languages ​​at a price. Much cheaper, they also find rare postage stamps, coins, historical paintings, sculptures and Arabic and Persian manuscripts.

The market has been attracting book lovers since 1964 and is visited by thousands every week, especially students and teachers.

Market start
The old book market was part of the scrap market stretching from the Urdu Bazaar to the current Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, next to the historic Grand Mosque, where houses belonging to the wealthy, including books, were sold.

In its independent image, the market began at the exhibition of Mr. Noor Elahi in 1964, which ran a bookstore next to the Great Mosque of Old Delhi (India's largest mosque built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1658), where booksellers display the old inventory of publishing works alongside scrap. In 1978, the number of book exhibitors reached more than 30, while 276 exhibitors were formed by an association that cares for books and protects their economic and legal interests.

The market began with a vision to provide cheap books for poor students under the slogan "Learning and Progress for All," said Mr Spasch, 80, who started the business early in 1965 and is one of the oldest traders of the old market.

Famous journalist and writer Khushun Singh was visiting this market before his death in 2014.He said he had never found a market like him in the world where everyone would find what he wanted for a much cheaper price. Mr. Spash, a former president of the Society of Old Bookmakers, remembers his meetings in Khushnat Singh, and regrets his failure to implement his proposal to establish a public library for poor students with these old books.

Where do the books come from?
The old and old books from Indian publishers and scrap dealers were the first sources of this market since ancient times, and then the sea containers came from European countries and America four decades ago to inject new blood into the commercial market and make it a distinct international market. Thrift Recycle played an important role by importing old book containers from European countries and selling them in India at an attractive price.

Farid Anwar Siddiqui, who has been trading in old books for 25 years, especially children's books, said he buys old books from importers worth 40 to 50 rupees per kilogram. Just.

Asked about Arabic and Islamic books, Siddiqui told Al Jazeera that they are already arriving at his exhibition, but not from Arab countries but from European countries. "We have a large number of Arabic and Islamic books," he said.

The current president of the Association of old book dealers Qamar Said, responding to the challenges of e-reading and the digital age, they trade in books only, and adds to the island Net "We have nothing to do with the importance of any book and its contents and its advantage over other books, and because of our ignorance can not bear the costs and responsibilities for content, This was originally the publisher's work. "

Market visitors
Thousands of people visit the market every week, mostly teachers, professors, students, reading enthusiasts and book lovers, as well as librarians from distant cities to offer their students an affordable curriculum.

Meno Sharma, who came from Faridabad with her two daughters, says she has been visiting the market since her son was seven or eight years old, and that she buys her children the books of their choice "so that they get busy reading away from watching the idiot's box." You mean smartphones), which is a big obstacle to learning and to stay away from bad books, and they all improve their educational performance, focusing on their studies. ”

A group of female medical students at Hamdard University bought a large amount of medical books because the textbooks here are much cheaper and better, says Kayati, one of a group of female students who visited the old market.

Antiques and Coins
Ashok Kamar Sharma, who sells coins and medals to Al Jazeera Net, said: "We were participating in exhibitions of rare coins, rare medals of honor and old postage stamps, but their market is now declining."

Sharma refers to ancient medals from different countries, including medals of Arab countries.

The Old Book Market in New Delhi plays an important role in the exchange of knowledge and scientific research and the transmission of the heritage of science and art to future generations, as well as creating opportunities to learn about cultures, literature and ideas from other countries.