Brewing Knowledge for 100 years

The year 2023 is exceptional, as it is not often that a bookstore celebrates 100 years.

Our first monthly newsletter issue shares the story of The English Book Depot, our benefactor and a family-run enterprise brewing knowledge since 1923.

The story opens at Ferozepur on the Indo-Pak border; the family finally moved to Dehradun to set up the iconic bookstore in the city's heart in 1948.

Women-led enterprise

Snehlata has been at the helm of the affairs for over 50 years; today, the store has transformed into a Book Cafe and offers the heartwarming experience of books, coffee and more.

Musings from Lila Dhar Dewan (mentee of Lala Narian Dass, the founder) to Sandeep Dutt (third-generation entrepreneur, now at the helm of affairs).

Your eldest uncle and my eldest cousin, the late Sh. Rattan Lal and I had decided to open our book shops in Dehradun and Pathankot, respectively. So we both selected books for our shops in 1948 from The English Book Depot Ferozepur Cantt on the same day. Both the parcels were booked by train the next day. My younger brother Radha Krishna had joined Army and, as such, was to stay far away from us. I wanted to name my shop The English Book Depot as that would have benefited me financially. However, I sacrificed my financial benefits by calling my shop Krisna Book Depot so that his name remained with us throughout our lives.

Narain Dass, the founder of The English Book Depot, was a native of Jampur District Dera Gazi Khan, situated in the southwest end of Punjab (now in Pakistan) on the other river bank Sindh. A vegetarian wearing a simple dress of kameez pyjamas and enjoying a simple life. He was fond of taking fruits. Always baskets full of various kinds of fruits were there in his house. He was not only the founder of The English Book Depot Ferozepur Cantt and ran the shop to earn but made it a training centre in BOOK TRADE. He used to call youth from his native town and get a room on hire for their stay. He stood guaranty with the hotel for payment of their bills for the food taken by the trainees.

There was a small sale of school textbooks only at that time. Very few Indians read other kinds of books, such as novels etc. The customers of general types of books in English language only were British soldiers stationed at various cantonments all over India. Hence scope and demand for bookshops to sell such kinds of books were in Cantonments only.

Late L. Narain Dass used to select a cantonment for his trainee. He should have done so to earn money permanently from them by importing books from the U.K. to supply those to bookshops. But he was providing them with the supplier's addresses. He stood as a guarantee with the suppliers for the payment of their dues. Thus natives of Jampur spread all over India and established their bookshops. Later, such shops were opened in cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur etc.

All of them are financially sound and enjoying respectful life in their cities. The members of the third generation of the founders of those shops are running all those bookshops. I am skipping names of towns and cantonments for want of space. I was his last student learning book trade under him at his shop. Not only that. He kept me in his house, showering his (and my Massi jee) blessings, love and affection at par with their children. I opened my shop at Pathankot in December 1948 when The English Book Depot at Dehradun was also opened.

I knew Massan ji resigned from his Govt job in Lahore and founded The English Book Depot Ferozepur Cantt in 1923. However, I need to find out the name of the book depot. He learnt the art of book trade and got addresses of suppliers of these in U. K. as I needed help finding the name of any bookshop in North India during those days.

He during his later age engaged himself in the service of humanity through Arya Samaj. He was honoured as the permanent President of Arya Samaj Ferozepur Cantt and Manager of Arya School Ferozepur Cantt.

The English Book Depot (EBD) was established in 1923 and is India's premier book retailer, with a maiden bookstore at Dehradun. EBD acquired the brand Book Cafe 0n 2010. You can follow the blog https://www.bookspro.com/ and connect with them.