Books that I once sold for about Rs 20 are now being traded for Rs 5,000. "These days, vintage magazines and comics are sold for thousands of rupees. However, he also affirms that the market is in transition and the trend of collecting such books is on the rise. There has been a declining readership of comic books, says Ansari. "I have sold most of the books I had to major comic book collectors in the country and abroad," he says. Currently, he owns about 25,000 comic books a mere 10 per cent of the collection he once owned. By 1980, his collection increased significantly and he began selling them. However, comics continued to be dear to him. It was a limited edition comic, and was my favourite," he mentions.Īs an ardent reader, Ansari's reading list expanded from novels to newspapers. "There used to be a comic called Mahabali Shera, which was published in Gandhinagar. Recounting his childhood favourites, Ansari shares that he grew up reading comics such as Deewana, Manoj, Cheenu-Meenu, Indrajal, Diamond, Vikram, among others. This friendly banter of hers became a prayer and these have become a source of employment for us now," shares Shabnam. His mother would tell him and his brother, who also loved reading, 'I will give you books for dinner'. "He wouldn't eat without a book in his hand. "The shops in the market would have thousands of books and they would cost about 20 to 25 paise which was pretty economical for us," he adds. "I wouldn’t eat till I had a book in hand," he reminisces.Īs a child, Ansari and his brother would buy books from Gandhi Market - it is within a 15-minute walking distance from his house - where there used to be a lot of bookstores. This encouraged Ansari to pick up the book. His brother would read Chandamama, an Indian children’s magazine. "My family would say 'we will throw your books out of this house'." His wife, Shabnam Ansari (50) smiles in agreement.Īnsari's fascination with comic books dates from his childhood, when he was just 11. He also rents a facility to accommodate his vast collection that has expanded over the years to incorporate newspapers, photographs, albums, among other vintage items. Now a comic bookseller, Ansari has been collecting comic books all his life. It is also part of his entire collection, stored in more than 20 cardboard boxes that are tucked away in different corners of his home.
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