Archive · 4 Sep 2026
India’s Bookshops Turn Partition Survival Into Living Legacies
Two famous bookshops in Delhi have stories connected to Partition.
Bahrisons began in 1953.
Its founder was Balraj Bahri Malhotra, a young refugee.
He used money from selling his mother’s gold bangles to start the shop.
Faqir Chand and Sons began nearby in 1951.
Its founders were also a family that crossed the border with very little.
Both families built bookshops after being displaced.
Their descendants still run the shops today.
Anuj Bahri often helps customers choose books at Bahrisons.
Bahrisons was founded in Delhi’s Khan Market in 1953 by Balraj Bahri Malhotra.
Malhotra, a young Partition refugee, raised his first capital by selling his mother’s gold bangles.
Faqir Chand and Sons opened nearby in 1951, founded by another family displaced across the Partition border.
Both bookshops transformed displacement into businesses and remain operated by succeeding generations.
Anuj Bahri, the founder’s son, is often seen recommending books to customers at Bahrisons.
- Who
- Balraj Bahri Malhotra founded Bahrisons; Faqir Chand and Sons was founded by another family displaced during Partition; Anuj Bahri is Malhotra’s son.
- What
- The article describes two Indian bookshops whose origins lie in Partition-era displacement and whose later generations continue to operate them.
- When
- Faqir Chand and Sons opened in 1951, and Bahrisons was founded in 1953; Anuj Bahri is present on many evenings.
- Where
- Both bookshops are in or near Delhi’s Khan Market.
- Why
- They were established as families rebuilt their lives after displacement during Partition.
- Bahrisons founding year
- 1953
- Bahrisons founder
- Balraj Bahri Malhotra
- Bahrisons location
- Khan Market, Delhi
- Initial capital
- Balraj Bahri Malhotra sold his mother’s gold bangles to raise his first capital.
- Faqir Chand and Sons founding year
- 1951
- Ownership across generations
- Both bookshops are still run by succeeding generations of their founding families.
- Customer service
- Anuj Bahri is often seen pressing books into customers’ hands at Bahrisons.