After nearly five decades at the heart of Srinagar’s literary scene, the city’s oldest bookstore, Bestseller, has closed its doors for good. Nestled near the iconic Lal Chowk, the store wasn’t merely a shop—it was a cherished refuge for generations of readers.
The news came quietly, announced with a poignant illustration shared by owner Saniyasnain Chiloo: a lone bookseller standing among empty shelves and packed boxes. The image marked not just the end of a business, but the final page in a 45-year-long love story between Kashmir and its books.
Founded by the late Sanaullah Chiloo in 1980s, Bestseller began as a modest ground-floor store in Lal Chowk, stocking Urdu and Kashmiri books alongside Islamic literature and stationery. Over time, Sanaullah expanded the inventory to include books sourced both locally and internationally in Urdu and English.
In 2017, his son Saniyasnain—an MBA graduate from Pune—joined the family business and brought fresh energy. He turned the quiet corner shop into a vibrant cultural hub that bridged generations. By gathering feedback and researching popular literature in Srinagar, Saniyasnain expanded Bestseller’s collection to include global bestsellers, fiction, non-fiction, and Islamic philosophy, drawing in both young and old bibliophiles.
In fact, just last year in March 2024, Saniyasnain reintroduced the concept of selling books by kilo —a move aimed at making literature more accessible and affordable for Kashmiris. “Books are sold cheaper outside Kashmir or on platforms like Amazon,” he said at the time, “so people here are left out. This system makes reading more reachable, especially for students and those with limited means.”
The initiative had rekindled excitement around reading, especially among youth. Located just across from the historic Tyndale Biscoe School, the bookshop offered a rich blend of titles—40 percent of which were international bestsellers.
Yet despite these creative efforts, survival proved difficult. “It wasn’t competition from other shops that defeated us—we had loyal readers,” Sani reflected. “But when books started arriving at people’s doors with just a click, we couldn’t keep up. It’s not just business that’s ending—it’s an era, a whole way of being.”
As the last chapter closes on Bestseller, its shelves may be empty, but its legacy remains full—in the minds and memories of Kashmir’s readers.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
