City Landmark – St Paul International Book Center, Connaught Place

Jesus loves you.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Halleluyah. St Paul International Book Center is one of the very few shops in Delhi selling Bibles in all the 22 official languages of India.

Situated in an Outer Circle block of the colonial-era Connaught Place, the store was established in 1964 by the Society of St Paul, a religious congregation founded in Italy by Friar Giacomo Alberione, whose black & white photo hangs above the cashier’s desk. The friar faces St Paul; his framed portrait is above the shop’s entrance door. Between them are hundreds of books.

The shelves are divided into sections on catechism, spirituality, parenting, saints, and health. The cheapest Bible is priced at Rs 120; the most expensive is at Rs 3,000. The price range of Christmas cards extends from Rs 3 to Rs 45. For children, there are Bible Quizzes and Illustrated Stories from the Bible.

The bookstore’s sister establishment, just next door, is perhaps Delhi’s most richly stocked shop of Christmas gifts: candles, Santa Claus dolls, stars, and statues of Joseph and Mary. Also available: crucifixes of various sizes, posters of Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II, CDs of hymns and christmas carols in various languages including English, and DVDs of Solomon, Moses, Esther and other films inspired from the Bible. Shop here and Jesus will love you.

Where H-30 & 3, Outer Circle, Connaught Place Time 9.30 am to 6.30 pm, Sunday closed Ph 23320381

Step in for Christ’s sake