Chitpur Road or Pilgrim Road (which was previously known) is Kolkata’s oldest road. This is one of those historic streets which stretch up to Kalighat Temple in the south. At the time, this ‘old tale road’ was the hub of different kinds of trade. The age-old tram track carried different kinds of trade which included printmaking and publishing, jewelry making, wholesale markets, and many more. Close to that majestic Nakhoda Mosque, this road had one of the iconic landmarks one can ever imagine. It was a tiny, non-descript book shop. One would miss if you are not a bibliophile and in that case, it would be of little less chance to spot the quaint little shop-Gousia Library. We bet this tiny little shop would grab your attention to that shop. This place is more like a weary traveler’s safe heaven. The whiff of those rustic old stacked books, the garishly printed book covers seem to welcome the beholder silently.

What do we know about Gousia Library?

This tiny library is specialized in publishing Islamic literature. The century-old shop will mesmerize you with their one million collections. As Get Bengal’s story, books like Baro Huzurer Durbar, Laila-Majnoor Golap-anta Bhalobasha, Ghazi-Kalu Champabati, Yusuf Zulekha, Noornama, Hooliyanama along with religious texts like Adi O Ashol Chholemani Talenama, Karbalar Matam Jaari, and Bon Bibi Jahooranama are still in demand. No doubt, Gousia Library is part of our heritage which still holds a rare Islamic Book collection be it folk tales or Pulp fiction.  As a matter of fact, Abanindranath Tagore was so much fascinated by the beautiful calligraphy of the books and he kept coming back for more such books. No doubt time has changed with the changing times but Gousia Library continues to hold that bygone era. This library is more like ‘Frozen in Time’.