AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Shri L.D.Dewan, son of Shri Mool Chand.
The Late Shri Narain Dass was a resident of Jampur, a sub-division of District Dera Gazi Khan in Punjab (now Pakistan). He had resigned from a Government Job in Lahore and started his bookshop, THE ENGLISH BOOK DEPOT, in Ferozepore Cantt in 1923. He worked very hard and soon became one of the few leading Booksellers in India.
Indians did not read books during those days. However, British soldiers of all ranks were fond of reading books. So, a bookshop was only possible in Cantonments and big cities where British soldiers were deployed.
His native town, Jampur, was a small town with no industries. So he did not use his shop to earn a living for his family only but also made it a training centre to impart training to the youth of his native town so that they could run a bookshop. Thus, he rendered outstanding service to the youth of his town, who are now leading respectable and financially sound lives at various stations all over India.
He used to invite youth from his native town. He got them a room to rent. He stood as a guarantee with the hotel owner for payment of his dues by those trainees for the food they took. He also paid the trainees an allowance every month to cover their expenses. Thus, they were not a financial burden on their parents during their training period. He trained them to converse with British soldiers in English and to correspond with suppliers in English only.
Books and Magazines in the English language used to be imported from the U.K. Thus, he provided the trainees with the addresses of the suppliers in the U.K. He also guaranteed the suppliers of books and magazines that they would pay their dues to those trainees whenever they opened their shops anywhere in India.
He would have enjoyed incredible financial benefits by treating the shops opened by his trainees as branches of his shop in so many cities. But he did not do that. He helped his trainees run those shops as their proprietors and enjoy the full benefits of their labour.
There was scope for such a bookshop in Cantonments and big cities, but only where British soldiers were deployed. He helped the trainees choose a suitable city/cantonment for opening their bookshop. He ensured that only one of his trainees opened his shop in one city. This was done to avoid competition against each other. Thus, every bookseller enjoyed being the sole bookseller at each station.
His trainees run their bookshops at the following stations and many more: Dehra Dun, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Cawnpore, Jabalpur, Bhopal, Mhow, Jahansi, Ambala Cantt, Amritsar Cantt, and many more.
There must be many stations in India where members of the third generation are running their bookshops, which were found by their elders who had received their training at The English Book Depot Ferozepore Cantt.
His trainees ran bookshops in many cities in present-day Pakistan. All of them were Hindus, so they migrated to India and opened their shops in various stations in this country.
I was the last trainee to graduate in book trade from that training centre. Muslims were demanding Pakistan, and as such, Hindus were worried about their lives rather than business.
I passed my 10th class examination. Since our town had no college, I was admitted to a college in Multan.
The Late Shri Narain Dass was my Massan Jee (Uncle). He ran one of the leading bookshops in India in Ferozepore Cantt. On his request, my father sent me to Ferozepore Cantt to stay with them for two months of summer vacation at my college.
After breakfast, I started going to their shop with my cousins. My Massan ji helped me find employment as a clerk in an Army Workshop within a few days of my arrival in Ferozepore Cantt. I worked in that office from 0900 A.M. to 02.00 p.m. I worked with him and my cousins at his shop. Their residence was near a shop. e went there turn by turn to have dinner. Customers were British soldiers only. h used to come to our shop to purchase books and stationery after a show at the cinema hall ended at 0900 p.m. as we had to keep our shop open till 10.00/11.00 p.m.
My Massan Ji turned down my father’s repeated requests to allow me to leave his house to live in a rented room and take my meals from a hotel as I was now employed and getting a salary.
The terms of my service were during the war or after that, provided your services would be required. I was sure that our services would not be needed after the war. I’ll be dismissed from service after the war ends, as soldiers returning from various theatres of war will be available.
Massan Ji’s success inspired me to run his bookshop. I also learned about his trainees running their shops in various cities. Since the terms of my service were temporary, I decided to follow in his footsteps during my service and open a bookshop somewhere after my discharge. However, I continued living in Ferozepore Cantt after being dismissed from my service in 1948.
India was divided into India and Pakistan on August 15, 1947, while I was living in Ferozepore Cantt. My two younger brothers and a sister lived with me at Ferozepore Cantt. However, my father lived in our native town, Jampur, during those days. I came to India in December 1947 with other residents of Jampur to Bhiwani. Along with all my family members, I shifted to Bhiwani to stay with other residents of Jampur in a refugee camp.
The partition had changed all my planning. Experienced, financially sound booksellers from Pakistan who had come to India were choosing stations to open their bookshops. I needed more finance and experience to open a shop in a big city. I was considering a suitable station where I could start a bookshop with my limited finances. I had been corresponding with a soldier clerk, Shri Ram Bhaj, who was posted from Ferozepore to Pathankot then. On receipt of his suggestion, I went to Pathankot. I surveyed the whole town for a few days while staying with him. I found that no shopkeeper sold superior quality stationery items that Army officers purchased. All the booksellers dealt with textbooks for school students. No one had books suitable for Army and school libraries. There was one person only handling agencies of newspapers and Magazines in all the languages. I saw a chance to get agencies for a few newspapers. So I decided to open my bookshop in that town.
I went to Ferozepur Cantt from there to seek advice and blessings from my Massan Ji. He said, “It is an excellent idea. Pathankot is the most suitable station for opening a bookshop. However, settling down in that city is also a risk. There was a war going on between India and Pakistan. No one knew the result of that war. However, there is a saying. There is no gain if one does not dare to take a risk. Now it is up to you to decide. I said to him. I see your green signal in my view, so I have opened my bookshop there. He said, “We all wish you great success.”
My eldest cousin, the late Shri Rattan Lal, son of my Massan Ji, was in Ferozepore Cantt those days. He was going to open his bookshop in Dehra Dun. So we will send books from The English Book Depot Ferozepore Cantt to our respective shops on the same day. Those books were packed into two parcels. We booked a train to send the parcels to their stations the next day.
Thus, The English Book Depot Dehra Dun and Krishna Book Depot Pathankot’s foundation stones were laid down the same day. Both the shops enjoy their Birthday on the same day.
I knew that a shop named The English Book Depot Pathankot would have benefited me, and my Massan Ji would have granted me his permission if I had made my request. However, I had some reason for not doing that. My younger brother Radha Krishan enrolled in the Army. Thus, he would remain separately from us during his service for an extended period. So, I named my shop Krishna Book Depot to always keep his name with us. He has since left for his heavenly abode, but his name will remain alive for as long as the shop functions.
I went to Bhiwani and had to come back. God was kind to me and granted me great success in my business. I was the only bookseller at Pathankot to serve Army Units stationed there and nearby stations where Army units were deployed.
God had mercy on me. With time, he granted me sole agency for all the English-language newspapers published in Delhi and the leading newspapers, Tribune and Hind Samachar, published in Punjab.
However, I failed to go to Ferozepore to thank my Massan Ji and Massi Ji (Uncle and Auntie).
I now repent, having committed a Blunder.
I did not go to Ferozepore to offer my
thanks with some Gifts to present to
my Massanji and Massi ji.
L.D.Dewan
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