Passing of a familiar face

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Reet Bahadur Simkhada, a long-time staffer in Khan Market’s Bahrisons Booksellers, died on Wednesday, following a brief illness. He was 66, and is survived by wife Jana Kumari and children Ranjana and Raju. A native of Nepal, Reet Bahadur had been a part of the shop since 2006. He would commute daily to work from his Zamrudpur home on a bicycle, lunchbox included.

The tony Khan Market has a great number of loyalists. Many of them frequent the 70-year-old bookstore. Their first human encounter in the brick-and-mortar store would be with the friendly Reet Bahadur. He was always stationed by the door— but he was not a doorman. He was a guard, emphasises bookstore owner Anuj Bahri.

Reet Bahadur was an extremely observant bookstore guard, and not only vigilant about potential book thieves. If a customer fumbled while lifting one of the hefty coffee table volumes stacked up near the shop’s door, he would appear djinn-like behind the customer, helping with the book.

Some years ago, a browser would daily enter the bookshop, pluck out one of the many expensive coffee table volumes on photography from the shelves, and diligently browse through every glossy page, studying each photo in seemingly great detail. And each time the browser would sheepishly leave the shop without buying any book. This went on for weeks. Reet Bahadur would nevertheless greet the browser as warmly as he would any of the richie-rich Delhi VIPs who frequent the bookstore. One evening, the browser finally purchased a coffee table volume, prompting Reet Bahadur to look at the browser with visible joy. “Aaj khareed li!,” he whispered comradely, his face dissolving into a smile.

Friendliness notwithstanding, the man was a thorough professional. He would expect the customer to show him the purchase receipt while exiting the door, along with the book in hand, so that he could confirm that the book was indeed the one that was listed in the receipt. He would dole out the same treatment to the bookstore’s owners.

Two years ago, while manning the door, Reet Bahadur was sighted fondly gazing at a young woman’s passport-size photo. She was his daughter who had recently died. Earlier this year, he was sighted reading a book. See top photo.

His place in the world

1. (bookstore’s Rajni Malhotra offering flowers at Reet Bahadur Simkhada’s portrait the morning after his passing)

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