Another Gem of Books in the City

 Sometimes it is better that you do something for yourself and treat yourself. I used to do this long ago but this time I really felt like doing it and I did. As usual, after my classes got over, I was planning to head back home but then I felt like I should do something for myself which can make me feel good and the weather was extremely pleasant with cold winds and grey clouds. There is a bookshop in the city which was on my radar for a very long time and I asked a few people in the past to accompany me to that bookshop but the plan could never be materialized. So on this fateful day, I decided to accompany myself and explore like old days. The name of the bookshop is "The Bookshop" in Jor Bagh. They have an intriguing  Instagram page that drew my attention to this bookshop and they recommend exotic books with their descriptions on their insta stories. 

Location

It is situated in Jor Bagh and the nearest metro station is also the Jor Bagh metro station which falls on the yellow line. It is hardly 700-800 meters of walking distance from the metro station. I personally love the route from the metro to the bookshop because it is covered with lush green trees of magnificent bungalows throughout. You have a quiet footpath and you will not find any rush at all, you can simply walk enjoying the views of gardens and trees while stalking luxury cars (if you are a petrolhead) outside the bungalows.

The Market

As soon as you step in the market zone, it reminds you of the socialist era planned market where all the shops are in aligned together with the same colors on outside walls. I am obsessed with quiet places and that was the best part I found about this place, a beautiful market with no crowd rush. 

There is a spacious corridor to walk and explore shops. And I was surprised to find some very luxury shops out there. While I was walking and observing I came across a shop which was smelling very delicious from far away and when I reached outside the shop, it gave me a feeling of some sort of old-age bakery. I thought I would have something from this shop while going back like a patty or some croissant. It was smelling really good and there were a couple of old customers waiting for their orders. I tried looking for a menu from the outside of the shop only as I was assuming that they must have hanged it somewhere considering the age of the shop but to no avail and then I continued walking for a while and meanwhile I searched the name of the shop on Google. There was a big board outside the shop which mentioned in red font on a cream metallic background "P I G P O", now when I searched this name on the Google, it turned out to be a meat shop. Lol.... It was an immediate dissatisfaction but it is okay, I loved the smell regardless. :)

When I walked ahead I came across to another interesting shop and it was a barbershop. The only thing about that shop about which I was awestricken was the barber pole outside the shop which I have never seen before in India outside any barber shop. And the next thing I saw when I turned to my right was a red Ferrari parked outside the shop. I fell in love with that place man. A socialist market, with old shops and an exotic barber shop with a Ferrari. It was an amazing feeling.

The Bookshop

So finally, at the last corner of the market, there was this bookshop. There was only one customer inside the bookshop which I could see from the outside, its owner who was assisting him with his British English accent to find a book. The doorkeeper opened the glass door for me to enter and I felt like I entered a Hogwarts-era bookshop. It has a theme of yellow bulb lights inside it with very slow and mediocre music in the background and a mirrored ceiling that is tilted as if to give you a feeling of the hut. When you look above, you can see yourself surrounded by books. 

It is a small bookshop but I must say the collection it has is not something normal or usual like other markets. They have exotic book collections from around the world of various international authors. If you have a very specific taste in books and it is hard to find, this place is definitely for you. I came across many interesting books and authors and I must admit I was extremely tempted. But light pockets makes you realize your place :). I spent around two hours there, going through various books of different genres. Just in case, you want your eyes off the books for a while, there are two cats and they reside permanently inside the bookstore. Unfortunately, both were sleeping when I went there. 

So, after I was done, I started heading towards the metro station and again I crossed that "P I G P O" meat shop and its smell made me more hungry. Since there was nice weather, I thought of going to Safdarjung tomb too, but then I checked on Google that it gets shut by 5:00 pm and it was already 4:45 pm by the time I left. So, Safdarjung tomb some other time. Till then, let me just cherish the day I had and the treat I gave to myself. Well, after reading this, in case you plan to visit this place in the future, you might find Roma parked outside the barber shop, don't be surprised if the owner turns out to be the author of this blog someday. (I know I am flaunting, but it's my blog, and let me flaunt :P) 

So to my dear readers, thank you so much for reading my blog, I will be back with another interesting blog, till then keep loving me ❤️.