The reading refuge

A Bookstore That Turns Pages Into Purpose

Anushka Manoj, XII D &, Noor Chawla, X E, AIS Noida

Alot of shops sell paper and ink. Only a few manage to sell meaning. Sisters of the People Bookstore, tucked inside Lajpat Bhawan near Moolchand metro station, is one of those rare gems. Founded by the Servants of the People Society, a non-profit established in 1921 by freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, the bookstore carries forward his belief that education and service go hand-in-hand.

 Foreword: Looking beyond self
True to its name, the store was started by a group of women and it continues to be run  with the same spirit. Founded in 2000 by the late Krishna Satyanand, the bookstore began as more than just a place to buy books. She had one simple belief: to give back to society because she had received so much from it. From this belief came the idea of Balwadis - preschools for underprivileged children aged three to five. Each Balwadi accommodates around 40 to 50 children and provides them with uniforms, shoes, books, and a safe learning space. “Our entire proceeds are a small part of the contributions towards running twelve Balwadis,” explains Sreelata Rudra, the head of department of Sisters of the People. “Each school costs around four to five lakh rupees per year. The kids are trained to join mainstream schools, with many going on to complete graduation.”

Prologue: Cherished chronicles
Forgotten first editions, rare signed copies, and stories that have travelled across generations find a home here. “We have had signed copies of Khushwant Singh, Ruskin Bond and many others,” says Manisha Bedi, a volunteer for over two decades. What makes the store truly exceptional is that every book here has been donated. “Our collection comes from personal libraries - the books people truly loved and preserved. Unlike commercial stores that stock current bestsellers, our shelves reflect what people cherished enough to pass on,” she shares. A completely non-profit space, the bookstore is run entirely by volunteers, including professors, IIT students, and PhD scholars.

Turning pages: Reviving reading
In an age of swipes and screens, Sisters of the People has quietly rekindled the pleasure of unhurried reading. “Reading was almost extinct, like dinosaurs,” says Bedi. “But after COVID, people rediscovered the joy of holding a book again.” The store now hosts silent reading sessions, open-air meet-ups, and college society discussions with students of Lady Shri Ram, Gargi, Jamia, and many more. Their Instagram page has further amplified their presence, drawing new visitors every week. “Once a person visits us, they never leave,” she laughs.

Footnotes: More than a retail space
Over time, the bookstore has turned into a home. Readers range from three-year-olds to eighty-year-olds. Volunteers and visitors form an ever-growing circle of friends, each contributing in their own special way. College students collect donations, professors send in their library collections, and locals drop by just to talk about books. “It’s become very personal. We’ve made a family here,” says Jitin Jose, a student volunteer. Within these shelves, people didn’t just discover stories - they discovered each other.

Epilogue: Message for Amitians
“Give what you’ve been given” says Bedi. Her message for Amitians is just as timeless. “Read. And gift reading even if it’s just to one person.” At Sisters of the People, every book finds two homes: one on a reader’s shelf, and one in the life it helps change.