The book house. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Amid shelves packed tight with books, two men in white kurta-pajama are browsing intently, their bodies barely moving. In a darkened book-lined chamber within, a ladder is going up to an attic. The utmost silence is broken as a woman enters, enquiring for Jaun Eliya’s ghazal collection. Lifting his eyes, the shop’s longtime face instantly nods. He is the venerable Ali Khusro Zaidi. An A4 print of his beloved Faiz poem is neatly spread out along his desk, as it always has. Maktaba Jamia Limited is alive. A primary destination for Urdu books, the Book House (literal translation!) is teeming with customers this October afternoon. Weeks ago, news of its closure set off