During a visit to H-9 Sunday Bazaar, when this scribe asked the complementary question, how many types of readers are there? Saien Ditta- the old books-vendor remarked "some read only if they have to, others read anything they can get hold of, yet others search for challenges". Some like poetry while others enjoy non-fiction. Some readers start a book hesitantly until the writer casts a spell on them; others open books with great gusto but abandon them after leafing through a couple of pages.
Ditta, 47, sitting on a bench inside his Stalls No D-502 & D-503 while talking to Daily Times said that book reading habit no doubt was on the verge of decline because of rapidly growing computer technology where everyone could access anything at any time with spending a meager amount of money and that too without leaving their homes. "I have put up all sort of books ranging from Urdu and English literature to Persian, French, Italian, and German literature from all over the world. Besides a wide range of course books from matriculation levels to graduation, local and international magazines, cooking books, English novels and stationary unfortunately the customers are few," Ditta regretted.
There are around 5 old books stalls in H-9 Bazaar held under the banner of Capital Development Authority (CDA) selling various sorts of literature and academic books to visitors but it was witnessed during the visit that only students who were preparing for their exams were frequently visiting the stalls and asking for guess papers/ keys/ or guide books from the book vendors.
I have been doing this business as a labour of love. I am a book freak for the last 15 years. "I feel a sense of satisfaction while reading a book and this trait of mine pushed me to establish this business I started from G-9 Sunday Bazaar that was later shifted to H-9 Bazaar," Ditta said.
When asked why the habit of reading books was on the verge of extinct, Ditta smilingly remarked in Pakistan it was never on the rise. "Centuries ago, there was no Internet facility in Europe but the whole Europe experienced the intellectual revolution when philosophers and intellectuals brought prosperity to their respective countries," he said adding he had access to modern technology but still steal more pleasure reading a book rather than browsing internet.
Another reason that caused the downfall of reading habit is that everyone has become selective. "Students just pick the books for reading and getting good grades to pass the examination and later find a good job but hardly anyone grabs the literature books to enhance his knowledge," Ditta said adding 'now education is pretty common these days but knowledge is rare'.
The fundamental reason behind decline of reading culture is the ongoing inflation, he contended. Quoting an incident, he said a young kid came to his stall thrice as he was interested in a book but the mother took her to an adjacent stall of a food where they both had cold drinks and snacks," Ditta said smilingly.
He told 90 percent of his customers were students while just 10 percent of customers visited the stall for literature books, novels, magazines, or cooking books etc. "I am doing a government job as well and purchase books from Lahore and other jumbo book stalls at a cheap rates and offer my customers a 50 percent discount and sometime even lesser than that. "But still I find them reluctant to purchase books. Customers leave the stall saying price is too high," he added.
"There was a time when I used to sell a good amount of books every month but now I only manage (to sell) just few in a day, " he said. Daily Times, however, found that a few dedicated patrons for these shops still exist. Mahwish, a housewife, while purchasing a couple of Urdu novels said that she had been a vivacious reader eversince her childhood. "It has everything to give me guideline of settling the domestic issues, nurturing the kids and how to struck a balance between home and outside affairs," said Mahwish adding reading Urdu digest guided her understanding the child psychology.
Another English fiction lover, Rafea Manan, said there was a mustiness and familiarity to old bookshops that isn't always found in the glossiness of larger bookstores in the city. "I can have some unique centuries old books from here," she said. People like Mahwish and Rafea, however, are in minority. Many of us no longer have the time to be huddled-in with old books.
The prognosis for these old books stalls is not good; they are fighting an existential battle - when many believe they might very well already have lost.
