99 and Counting

The makeshift office of the webstore in Gulmohar Park is filled with rare and celebrated books,from a thread-stitched limited version of Jane Austen’s Emma to the sassy graphic novel,Embroidered by Marjane Satrapi,apart from the quirky The Hungover Cookbook,an English translation of Umberto Eco & Jean-Claude Carriere’s This Is Not The End Of The Book and Urvashi Bhutalia’s Speaking Peace,a non-fiction look on women’s experiences in Kashmir. “I’m very possessive about my books,” says Nivida,adding that she also recommends books to a select few. “When the bookshop was shutting down,I started to devour the books. I would write book reviews online and eventually people started emailing me,inquiring if they could buy them,” she says. That is how Page 99 started to function,with over 1,000 books at their disposal.

Rakesh,meanwhile,misses the warmth of a physical space. “When my family bought the Connaught Place store from a French couple in 1946,books were fewer in number. They would come by the sea and we would get them in bulk. We had to cultivate the interest and love for literature,” he says,pointing out that very few bookstores emotionally invest in their books. Nivida nods in agreement,adding that their future plans involve a physical space for Page 99. She urges us to browse through their collection and pick a book. “It’s almost like a blind date,” she says.