Library lane: The forgotten bookshops of New Market

Nilkhet, Mirpur, Banglabazar -- many destinations are well known amongst bookworms of Dhaka. However, nestled within the bustling New Market lies a lesser-known, historical book market. What happened to Library Lane, this once vibrant hub of knowledge? Today, the future of the place hangs in the balance, its rich history fading into memory.

The forgotten lane

It used to fashion an apt moniker. Library Lane -- they used to call it. And fittingly so.

Once upon a time, there used to be more than 50 bookstores here. This fabled lane is on the left of the Gate-1 of New Market. Shopkeepers here say the bookstores used to expand from Gate-1, all the way to Gate-2.

Photo: Shadab Shahrokh Hai

One could find all sorts of books here. Novels, self-help, classic literature, books on religion and law -- you name it. It was also a major hub for academic and reference books. The books sold here are original, either collected directly from the publisher or imported. However, their collections have been fading, much like the lane itself, which has been dissipating for years.

From more than 50 to 40, at the moment, barely 10-12 shops remain. Some of them have yielded to the market demand and given up their identity, making room for stationary products. Iconic bookshops such as Zeenat Book Supply, which had been a popular go-to place for book lovers since 1963, closed its business in 2023.  Others stubbornly stand, but barely so under the pressure of the present market.

What happened?

It's a good question to ask. What drove such a popular section of the market into the present sorry state? The answer is: a lot happened over the last few decades!

Firstly, reading habits changed. Md Jumma, the owner of one of the older shops in the market called Aligarh Library, which has been here since the '70s, holds a very strong opinion about this.

"Ever since passing became easy, reading habits went down. Nowadays, you can just write anything in the exam and still pass. There is no desire for knowledge, no desire to read. This has been one of the biggest issues that caused the decline in business. Of course, then came Covid," he said.

Md Reazul Hakim owns "Book Syndicate", one of the oldest bookstores in the market. He inherited the business from his father, who started the business back in 1954 when New Market was first opened.

"We sell original books and as you can imagine, they can be costly. Piracy has taken the market off balance by printing and photocopying books whenever they feel like it. And of course, they can sell at less than half price because of this," he said, referring to the declining state of the library lane.

The bleak future

At midday, when the Nilkhet book market is abuzz, the Library Lane feels desolate. Standing on the pavement in the middle of the clearing, one can feel how much this place has witnessed and now it's a decaying history of Dhaka itself. Whatever buzz you find here is less because of the bookstores and more because of the stationary, crockeries, and accessories shops.

Since 2019, six bookstores have bidden farewell to their business here. The past year alone has witnessed the fall of four of those. At this rate, the lane will be nothing more than a memory in a few years.

Whatever remains of this once popular hangout of bibliophiles is now a skeleton of its older self.  Whether or not this place can be revived, remains to be seen. But don't miss your chance to visit this place if you have a soft spot for books.