SISTERS’ OF THE PEOPLE - for comfort amongst books
Written by Treya Sinha, a 23-year-old who loves reading, talking and can’t help bouts of laughter at the most inappropriate times. She holds a lot of love for this bookstore.
Image Credit: Basit Gul Parray
Sisters of the People is exactly what the title claims; providing a sense of sisterhood to all those who visit, a sense of refuge. I first came across it through a friend of mine who had visited and gotten absolutely besotted with the place. “It’s the cosiest bookstore in the world! They have EVERYTHING. All fathomable genres!”, she’d said, leaving me itching to visit.
Once I did, the store superseded its reputation. The store is full of racks covered with books and has an old musty smell about them - not a single book in the shop has ever been purchased from a warehouse, they are all second-hand and pre-loved. The rooms at Sisters’ of the People are ripe with possibility, oozing out comfort and messages that lovers have written for their beloved in books, whilst thinking of the perfect gift to give them.
Established in 2002, the store has simultaneously been spreading love for pre-loved, vintage books, and helping underpriviledged children in Delhi. Located in Lajpat Bhawan, New Delhi, the store is run mostly by women volunteers who find a sense of home in the store. They visit, see people love literature, and life and talk about the questions we all occasionally cannot help but think about- about love, and meaning, or simply stories for the sake of stories.
The entrance of the bookstore. Image Credit: Basit Gul Parray
“I love this place”, Manisha Ji says simply. “I started coming here intending to buy books. Then I came in once a week to volunteer, then twice. When they started opening three times a week, I came in on all three days.” Manisha started volunteering 20 years ago, and has been a part of the organisation ever since.
The store is large, but cluttered - two dingy rooms, with books filled up to the ceilings; the first room solely comprising children' s literature, ranging from Enid Blyton to Mary Pope Osborne to Panchtantra and the second room, the world of adult literature including everything from steamy Danielle Steele to rare collectors’ editions of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov. It is one of the few stores in Delhi where the concept of high-art and low-art cease to exist, all that matters to the booksellers is that everyone has a love for reading.
“I love to make people read!” Manisha ji fondly tells a story about Himanshu, a 25 year old volunteer who helps her run the bookshop. “He never used to read. Now when he comes in (single and child-free) he collects Amar Chitra Kathas for the children he will have in the future!” She says, her eyes radiating happiness.
Manisha admiring her beloved collection. Image Credit: Basit Gul Parray
Her strategy is simple. She has anyone who is willing to volunteer on board whether or not they have previously read a book. Then, she suggests a story to them, hoping they take it home and read it. All she wants in return is their feedback- whether they liked the book or not. It seems like she wants everyone to simply be swallowed by a story.
Volunteers at Sisters of the People. Image Credit: Basit Gul Parray
The people who volunteer range from young curious school students who hope to learn about authors from the Brontes and Gaskell to women in their seventies who have devoured them all, and now take pleasure watching younger ones bloom whilst gossiping about their favourite murder mystery novels.
“We have rare editions, some of which are from the 1800s. We have The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde, PG Wodehouse and Emily Dickinson,” says a volunteer proudly. What is astounding is that the bookshop has never sourced a single copy of a book itself. All the texts in the store are donations, second-hand books, loved by someone else.
“People are reading, now more than ever” says another volunteer, making an astute observation. Customers in the store nod their heads unanimously. The post-Covid effect truly does seem to be real, at a time where people were locked into their houses, with little exposure to life, they turned to stories, to show them love and light and hope. “The pandemic was a terrible time for me. I became uncharacteristically upset, I used to avoid people. It is this place that got me out of my shell.” Coming to the store, being among books and working with volunteers- the palpable warmth of the store has kept many-a-volunteer going.
Probably Relevant Side Note: Although Covid 19 marked challenges for the book industry, book sales have soared since the pandemic. The Indian publishing industry valued at more than 500 billion INR in 2019 is expected to grow to 781 billion by the end of this year.
She handles the bookshop modestly, acting as an intermediary between the students and the elderly ladies who volunteer once a week. She looks for donors, keeps track of the titles, is involved with the social media page, does a majority of the leg-work and yet takes no credit at all which in a world hungry for validation - it seems almost bizarre! “I learn from everyone. The girls who come from LSR and Gargi, tell me that certain editions are easier to read than the rest and that is what I recommend to other customers.”
It’s fascinating to observe the workings of the store. When a frequent customer walks in, she gets seriously involved with a volunteer about the plot of a murder mystery novel. “I had to finish that book in the toilet, because my husband got annoyed that I wouldn’t sleep and left the light on!" the volunteer exclaims, and the customer laughs. In praise of the store’s star volunteer, the frequenter says “She messages me as soon as she thinks she has a novel I will like and come by promptly.”
Another granny walks in hoping to pick up some books. She is quizzical about Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, and eventually ends up taking a dilapidated New Directions paperback, upon finding out that New Directions is a lovely New York based publication house, with niche titles and lovely books. She thinks Rs. 549 is expensive for a second hand title and then decides the book definitely seems worth it and happily takes it home. All the volunteers seem to greatly enjoy meeting people, the atmosphere in all the rooms is one of wholeheartedness and good spirit.
Books and memories, key ingredients of comfort. Image Credit: Basit Gul Parray
“I meet lovely people here- old and young. A wonderful man named Mr. Grover used to visit the store, and he told me so much about so many books. I fell in love with some of those books and now recommend them to our customers.” The fondness for all customers is apparent, they remember the books they like, and suggest books that they are likely to love as soon as they step into the store. Manisha ji tells customers stories about other customers, and when they talk about their lives, she doesn’t hesitate to share vulnerable parts of her own.
Perhaps that is the joy of reading. The sisterhood of a connected experience. Before I stepped into Sisters’ of the People, I remember feeling wary and skeptical, thinking there couldn’t be a lot that is special about a tiny second handed bookstore- but the truth is, I left the bookshop radiating with warmth, and aching to return and get my hands on new books and speak to Manisha ji and all the other lovely volunteers as soon as I could.