At Mumbai’s Naaz Book Depot, old journals from Pakistan speak of a lost connect
Updated On: 30 April, 2022 12:49 PM IST | Mumbai | Sarasvati T
`Shelf Life` is a weekly series that explores the reading culture in Mumbai. In part five, Mid-Day visits Mohammed Ali Road’s Naaz Book Depot, known for its collection of multi-lingual Islamic religious texts and once a stop for readers to pick Pakistani newspapers and journals
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Naaz Book Depot is popular for its collection of multilingual Quran and other Islamic religious texts. Image credit: Sarasvati T
“After 2019, no one comes to enquire about Pakistani newspapers or magazines,” says Mohammed Asif, owner and manager of Naaz Book Depot at South Mumbai’s Mohammed Ali road. “It is for the better only. There is no ban, but we cannot afford to buy them anymore and there is no demand either,” he reasons. His bookshop had made news after the 2019 Pulwama attack, in the aftermath of which the Indian government hiked the import duty on goods from Pakistan by 200 percent, as per reports.
Established over 75 years ago by Haji Ali Mohammed, Asif’s grandfather, as a small newspaper and tape-recorder shop, the place grew into a full-fledged book depot when Asif’s father took over the management. Presently, the shop provides religious books, government textbooks for undergraduate students, school books and basic stationary materials. Prior to 2019, the shop was known for harbouring collections of Pakistani newspapers such as ‘Dawn’, ‘Jang’, digests like ‘Khawateen’, ‘Pakeeza’ and weekly magazine ‘Akbar-e-Jahaan’—otherwise only available at hotels like Taj and Oberoi for foreign visitors—cookbooks and Unani health books.
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