Bibliophiles find rare books on footpaths

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Bibliophiles need not go far or spend much to obtain the books they want because both ordinary and rare books are available on the footpaths of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Every Sunday, a large bazaar of old and new books is organised on the footpaths of Rawalpindi cantonment. Sunday is a holiday and most shops are closed. The footpaths in front of the closed shops are used to display books.

Thousands of books can be found on the footpaths on any given Sunday. The book bazaar is frequently visited by readers of every age group, including students, professionals, teachers and collectors. Even housewives can be found browsing the selection as they search for books with recipes, interior decoration tips and floral craft.

A variety of books are available on topics including: science, fiction, literature, textbooks, dictionaries, thesaurus, computer skills, medicine and law. The list is exhaustive and even includes books on illicit topics.

“The beauty of this bazaar is that you can find books on every topic. This panoramic display is very fascinating for book lovers. That is why I like to come here on Sundays,” said Shahid Hasan, a retired teacher. Ghufran Ahmed, another visitor at the bazaar said, “Visiting this place is a fascinating opportunity for book worms like me”. “I come here to see books, even if I do not purchase any of them,” said Mr Ahmed, a masters degree student, who said he had been visiting the bazaar since he was in secondary level.

Most of the vendors who display books are wholesale book dealers. They have regular shops in different bazaars during the week. Only on Sunday do they open makeshift stalls on the city sidewalks.

“We have been holding this bazaar here for at least the last 22 years. Generally, this experience proves very fruitful because we get good returns on our investments. But, the number of buyers is slumping daily,” said bookseller Muhammad Rafiq. He complained that the book bazaar attracts many visitors, but few buyers. Another bookseller observed that the spread of information via the Internet had reduced the number of people interested in buying books.

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