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For 52-year-old Amita Jain,life had to start afresh after being sucked into the world of selling law books at the Bombay High Court following her husbands unexpected death in 2002.
With nothing but the goodwill of her husbands business and a few helping hands from advocates and bar council members,Jain the only woman law book seller has managed to salvage the business as she had no options left being the sole earning member with a teenage son to support.
Now,seven years on,running her trade right next to courtroom number 40 on the second floor of the court,shes carried on the tag of the friendly bookseller by not only managing to gain the trust of her customers but garnering up the trust among the bigwigs of the lawyer/judge fraternity.
According to Jain,it has been a rough ride but they are sailing in calmer seas now. When I took over the business,I was clueless. My husband was very orthodox and in his 22 years of selling law books,he has never let me interfere or help with his business, says Jain,who also had a tough time conversing in English.
Trading books aside,Jain has managed to give her son quality education in Scotland,and now,after procuring a MBA,son Anshuman is helping with her business as well as mulling over the option of expanding their business outside the court.
Advocate Nita Parikh who has been practising in the high court for 25 years says,Amita is very hardworking and being a woman,shes doing her best. Being a housewife,its not easy to adjust sitting in front of the courtroom selling books. But she is doing it honestly and with dedication.
Jain travels to the court from Malad everyday and has similar work timing as that of a judge between 10.30 am to 5 pm,wherein she manages to sell around 10 books on topics varying from criminal justice to arbitration matters and cyber laws to foreign law books.
Heavyweights like Solicitor General of India Ghulam Vahanvati and Assistant Solicitor General Darius Khambatta are among her regular patrons.
The essence of books has been in her family since she could remember as her father too was in the trade of selling secondhand books till he was 95.
Her husband later joined her father to lend a helping hand,an opportunity which he used to slowly build up contacts and subsequently garnering a designated space inside the high court.
Lawyers also call up Jain for setting up libraries. One thing she sticks to is efficiency and speedy delivery of books ordered by her clients.
Even if its a book worth Rs 20,we make it sure its delivered in minimum time on a minimum profit, Anshuman chips in.
Anshumans wife Dhara,who is a fashion designer,also tries to lighten the workload for us,Jain says. We try to give best service and so far the response has been good.
Advocate Uma Shah who used to buy books from Amitas husband as well says,We used to know her husband also. Now she is devoting her time to continue the business and she always has the books ready.
Jain is forever thankful to members of the bar council for their support and guidance,without which it would have been an even more challenging endeavour for her.
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