Old Delhi's Urdu Bazar: Devoured by A Gourmand Culture

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 10 September 2024 "Delhi’s Urdu Bazaar Is Dying. Mughlai Sells, Not Manto & Mirza Ghalib" The screaming headline in The Print shocked and saddened me. I read Almina Khatoon's entire article in one go. Kutub Khana Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu, one of Urdu Bazaar’s oldest bookstores, clings to life with its shutters often down, while a kebab-maker works outside | Photo: Almina Khatoon | ThePrint ------ Sad to know that more than 50 bookstores lined Urdu Bazaar in the 1970s, but just 5 are left, all struggling to survive. It’s the last throes of an era of Urdu printing, publishing, and poetry. That now it has become a gourmand's haunt is indeed a very sad 'development.' Juxtaposition of books and biryani is less said the better. They never gel. Raghupati Sahay 'Firaq' Gorakhpuri would often admonish, "Kabab Khate Hue Ghazal Ka Lutf Le Paana Naa-Mumkin Hai. Donon Mein Se Koi Ek Keejiye" (You cannot enjoy Ghazals, relishing kababs. Do either of the two). I remember with a sigh of nostalgia how frequently I'd visit Urdu Bazar whenever I visited Delhi. I stumbled upon many rare books in Urdu, Persian and Arabic at this place which has lost its relevance in these times when people hardly read. And when it comes to reading Urdu books, the declining familiarity with the Urdu script adds to the dismal scenario. People coming to Urdu Bazar to relish kababs and biryani is symbolical as well as symptomatic of our philistine times. Gourmands hardly care for books, though gourmets do. And unfortunately, nowadays, gourmands outnumber gourmets! That said, the general tenor that Urdu is the language of Muslims is also responsible for this apathy towards Urdu books at Urdu Bazar. I'd meet old Hindus and Sikhs at Urdu Bazar buying Urdu books. That generation has gone. Youngsters in all communities don't read at all. No wonder, if all the shops at Urdu Bazar stop selling Urdu books and start serving Kababs, Biryani and Paya instead. I'll be the saddest person not as a bibliophile but as a diehard lover of Urdu books and magazines. May that never happen. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/old-delhi-urdu-bazar-gourmand-culture/d/133162 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism