Most people won't ever be in Ludhiana except on business, but if you do land up here don't miss this bookshop. It must be one of the largest and most diversely stocked bookshops in India, and also the most eccentric!

It has been there for as long as anyone can remember and it looks it. The opening is pretty normal, in the middle of the bazaar, and then it just gets longer and longer and some terribly rickety stairs lead you to the upper floor stocking more books: if you trust the wood to hold you up that is.

They never throw any stock away, so if you dig around hard enough, you may come across "rarities" that have been unsold, lets say, since the 1950s and the owner will carefully convert the shillings and pence at the back to charge you (I picked up a cookery book for 2 Rs).

And if you are academically minded or just a university student, there is not a bookshop that I have seen that staggers under such a wide variety of books on any subject you may be pursuing, be it organic chemistry, engineering geology or vast amounts of English literature.

Staff are knowledgeable about their own section, and helpful (they go around switching fans on and off according to the section you are in) and no one cares if you spend hours browsing.

Warning: bring a duster, as they never seem to have got around to cleaning any but the most popular sections, and that is ususally limited to the top layer!

Lyall Book Depot
Chaura Bazaar
Ludhiana
Punjab

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