The tale of how Bahrisons bookstore came to be is nothing less than an epic love story.
Balraj Bahri came to India as a refugee during the partition of British India in 1947. After 6 years of staying a refugee camp and doing odd-jobs, he opened a small bookstore in a shop he bought in a refugee market for Rs 200. That shop today is the Bahrisons Bookstore in the posh Khan Market.
Back in 1948, he met a young girl in the barracks of the Kingsway refugee camp, who later came to be known better as Mrs Bahri, but back then her actual name was Bhag Malhotra.
After a period of courtship, the two refugees separated from their homeland, and married in 1955 in an attempt to rebuild their lives, 2 years after the bookstore was established.
We speak to 3 generations of his family to see how India has changed around them.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)