FOUR MAJOR ROADS meet at Bombay’s Hutatma Chowk. In the middle of this extensive piazza, there is one of the city’s much-loved landmarks: the Flora Fountain. This fountain was constructed in 1864 and is surmounted by a statue depicting the Roman goddess Flora. Originally intended for the Victoria Gardens, it was placed in its present position instead. It stands where the Church Gate, one of the gates of Bombay’s Fort, which was demolished in 1860, was located.

Within a few feet of Flora, there are several places where books can be purchased. For new books and the latest releases, head for Kitab Khana, which is about 73 yards southeast of Flora. This is a well-stocked, pleasantly arranged bookshop with its own (rather pricey) café.  Books are sold at their marked prices less ten percent. It is a fine bookshop but not a patch on The Bookworm and Blossom Book House in Bangalore. Both of these Bangalorian booksellers offer a far more extensive stock (both new and second-hand) than Kitab Khana.

Just over 70 yards north of Flora Fountain, there is a corner where Dadabhai Naoroji Road meets Mahatma Gandhi Road. Several pavement booksellers display their vast stocks of books around this corner. Each seller has a bewildering number of books, mostly arranged as tall columns from which removing a book can be quite difficult to achieve without causing all the books to topple over. Some of the books are new, some are pirated editions of recent books, and the rest are used books. I do not know how they do it, but the booksellers have a good knowledge of what they have in their stock, and where to find a particular title if they have it.

Whenever we visit Bombay, we spend time at the pavement booksellers. Over the years, I have managed to find several rare, out of print books here. Prices are reasonable and the vendors are prepared to discuss the price (i.e., ‘haggle’). At the end of 2025 and the start of 2026, we were in Bombay, and as usual, haunted the pavement booksellers. Whereas on previous visits, I have found what I was looking for as well as some interesting surprises, on our most recent trip, most of the well-stocked stalls were devoid of the kind of books I was hoping to find. Only one of the several stores had a good selection of out-of-print books. It was here that I acquired a copy of “Road to the Stars” by the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin: the first man in space. Although newer softcover versions of this book are available, I bought a slightly battered copy of the original hardback edition published in the USSR in 1960 by The Foreign Languages Publishing House (Moscow). I paid considerably less than I would have for one of the newer (often facsimile) editions.

My other find, which I obtained in late 2025, is extremely rare. It is not listed on the very comprehensive bookfinder.com website. The book in question is “The Bohras” by Asghar Ali Engineer. Several of his other books are listed for sale on the website but not this one. Although I have yet to read the book, I can tell you that the Bohras are members of a denomination within the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. The bookseller told me that the book is rare and refused to drop his (not unreasonable) starting price. While buying the book, neither the seller nor I knew how truly difficult it is to find a copy of this volume.

Whereas Flora Fountain is a sight that tourists feel they must see, the bookshops around it are, for me, the greater attraction when in Hutatma Chowk.