PVPF 2024

Iconic British Book Depository in Lucknow to Close After 90 Years

British Book Depot began in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, as a military headquarters. The shop in MP was opened in collaboration with a partner.
on Apr 06, 2023

Hazratganj, Lucknow's high-fashion strip, is about to lose another icon, the famed British Book Depository, about 90 years old.

This is the second bookshop in Hazratganj to shut, following the famed Ram Advani Booksellers.

Books were more than simply a source of income for owner Suraj Prakash Kakkar, 83. He was fondly referred to as the "dealer of wisdom." Yet time has passed, and so have the conditions.

Shanti Prakash Kakkar, Kakkar's father, founded the store in 1930, according to Kakkar. Former Prime Minister, late Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, former President late Shankar Dayal Sharma, various governors, and significant political personalities used to attend his bookstore to buy books.

Dr. Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, a well-known British academic with extensive knowledge of the city, had frequented the shop for reference work.

Kakkar and his family chose to close the iconic bookstore in the city's core for various reasons: For starters, it suffered significant losses due to the protracted shutdown during Covid times. Second, the online book industry has had a negative impact on the retail sector since customers may buy books at lower costs than what is offered in stores. The book trade is no longer a successful enterprise.

Third, the proprietor has three girls but no boy. "My eldest daughter has established herself in the United States."

The other two are in Mumbai and Bengaluru, respectively.

They have no desire to operate the bookshop because they are content with their current occupations. Unfortunately, since every wonderful thing must end, this beloved bookstore of mine must also close," remarked an emotional Kakkar, whose wife Uma Kakkar died on August 31, 2022.

British Book Depot began in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, as a military headquarters. The shop in MP was opened in collaboration with a partner.

Subsequently, Shanti Prakash Kakkar chose to leave MP and move in Lucknow, where he opened the book business in a leased shop. The choice to call the business British Book Depot was not difficult because governors and Indian intellectuals were avid readers before independence. As a result, the family chose to call it British Book Store.

"The store captivated several medical and engineering students." Due to the high cost of medical books, students would borrow them for an hour and have crucial pages photocopied for their reference work.

We admire the student body and their thirst for education. "We let them browse through books for hours without getting in trouble," remembered Kakkar, a postgraduate from Lucknow University who took over the business in the 1960s.

But, the former order has altered. "A number of large book stores began to close throughout the world." Universal Book Stall, a large bookshop in Kanpur, closed some years ago. The book industry has the greatest rates of mortality and infancy of any trade or occupation. People have stopped going to bookstores since books are now available online. "They are delighted to read them on their portable devices," Kakkar remarked.

When Kakkar opted to end the family company, his Park Road home is strewn with unsold books in bundles. "The publishers who were paid refused to accept the unsold volumes." We've brought all of the unsold books to our house, and Dad will sort them. "Maybe these books will be handed to schools or other needy people," said Shilpi Kakkar, his daughter who visits him from Bombay monthly.

On the reverse of Kakkar's business card, it says, "A house without books is a room without a window." A bookstore is a learning temple. The finest kind of philanthropy is to spread knowledge to others. When you teach a guy, you are also educating an individual. But, educating a woman educates the entire family.

"We have a lengthy connection despite being in the same company," said Chander Prakash of Universal Booksellers. We were coworkers in a very competitive industry. The closure of British Book Depot and many other stores around the country demonstrates the impact of Internet sales on the business. We must recognize that booksellers are barometers of a city's intellectual capital, and a city having a thriving bookstore is also a sign of the city's cultural space. The closure of bookstores is not a good indication for society."

Dr. Arup Chakraborty of Lucknow University stated that he passed the bookstore a few days ago and spotted the proprietor, Suraj Prakash Kakkar, sitting there with his workers. "I have many happy recollections." I've known British Book Depot since I was a student at Loreto Convent (at a time when boys were also given admission). I used to go to the bookstore at Colvin Taluqdars' College and Lucknow University. I traveled with my mentor, the late Prof SN Qanungo. I have many fond recollections of British Book Store, which catered to our requirements."