In the hustle and bustle of south Kolkata’s busy Gariahat locality, a hawker in his mid-50s finds peace in poetry. He is a storyteller, a writer and a man willing to give up on worldly desires to live with his first love — literature.
“I may have pushed away a comfortable life. But as long as books and poetry are on my side, I think I can carry on,” said 54-year-old Mohan Das.
For over 40 years, Das has been selling books from a pavement stall at the busy junction of Golpark and Gariahat market. In his dainty, makeshift shop, he keeps his poetry journals close at hand.
When he isn’t tending to customers or leafing through a book himself, Das is often pen poised, lost in his thoughts.
If you visit his stall, make sure you have a conversation with Das. He will be more than happy to narrate his poems to you and talk about Bengali literature, society and life.
Das is more than happy to engage customers in conversation
From enduring evacuation threats during the 1996 Operation Sunshine to finding a tiny place of his own in this city, Das built his life brick by brick, leaning on his indomitable spirit and desire for knowledge.
“I started writing poems when I was 31 years old. All my life, I have made my struggles my companion. I struggled when I was a kid. I remember the time when we struggled as a family with my father’s meagre salary as a mishti maker.”
Das stepped in to help his father by selling thongas (paper bags) at the age of 12. Later, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Prafulla Chandra College in commerce, he also worked as a server at a public canteen.
Das’s stall at the junction of Golpark and Gariahat market
“We couldn’t even arrange for our basic weekly rations back then. Later, I decided to open a book stall on this pavement in the late 1980s,” he said.
His first rendezvous with poetry was a chance encounter.
“I have read plenty of books from this shop only. I prefer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay over Tagore. I even read English books like The Tale of Two Cities and War & Peace,” he said.
“I wrote my first poem in 2005. Back then, I usually wrote poems about my life and the people around me. My wife, Champa Das, has always been my backbone. She used to encourage me to write more poems. My pen name is MaaniMohan Das, which is dedicated to her,” Das added.
Some of his published poems are Abhiman, Bidhata and Shukh O’ Dukkho.
One of Das’s poems hang at the stall
Das had his first poem published in a local magazine in 2009 — a moment that only deepened his resolve to keep writing.
Since then, anything that sparks his curiosity has found its way into the pages of his worn-out diaries. From spiritual reflections to children’s fables, his words flow endlessly, and Das cannot recall a single day when he hasn’t written a poem. But he never cared for fame.
“I never told anyone that I write poems. Recently, due to social media, people are learning this hobby of mine.”
After years of writing poetry, Das has found interest in penning songs now. “I have a few friends who compose for my lyrics.”
Das’s first rendezvous with poetry was a chance encounter
Asked if he ever wrote about politics, Das said, “I generally skip that topic, but I couldn’t help but write a poem about the 2007 Nandigram land acquisition controversy. I titled it ‘Nandigram Bhalo Acho?’.”
Das’s daughter, Poulami Das, who is currently pursuing her post-graduation at Rabindra Bharati University, is one of his strongest cheerleaders.
“My daughter has adorned this shop with placards of my poetry. She has decent handwriting, so she designs the placards,” Das said with a laugh.
But business has dwindled. In the era of digital progress, people are reluctant to buy old books, he said. “Whoever visits my shop, I advise them not to read on a PDF, but paperbacks. One must not get trapped in digital space.”
