Shahzaib Khan: "If they don't understand me in Catalan, I'll tell them to find a translator."

BanyolesAt the Dictum bookstore, which Shahzaib Khan (known to everyone as Miquel) opened five years ago, where the large warehouses of the Banyoles industrial estate border the town's stately old quarter, the shelves full of books take the Pakistani-born bookseller back to his childhood in Kashmir, where he was born. The son of a teacher and a police chief, Shahzaib remembers his house being full of books and being surprised that at his friends' houses the shelves only contained decorative objects. "Don't they read in this house?" he would ask his mother, to whom he owes his love of literature. Instead of taking him and his siblings to the park to play, my mother took them to book clubs, to the movies, or to see a show.

Always in Catalan

The Dictum bookstore is also an example of Shahzaib breaking stereotypes, not only because, as he says, he must be "the only immigrant of Pakistani origin who has opened a bookstore instead of a grocery store," but also because, despite his origins, in his establishment – as in any area of his daily life – he always speaks "an immigrant must learn the language of the place that welcomes him," because he believes that no Catalan should switch to Spanish when addressed in that language. "Why should they give up speaking their language in their home, in their country?" he asks.

If he has to speak to suppliers in Madrid or Bilbao, he speaks to them in Catalan. "If they don't understand me, I tell them to find a translator," he says, adding: "My mother tongue, Kashmiri, is in a similar situation to Catalan, undervalued in the rest of Pakistan. That's why I've learned to defend the language as a property you have from birth and that no one has the right to take from you."

The Process

Shahzaib came to Catalonia in 2017 as a tourist. From a very young age, he had a business manufacturing and exporting fabrics to Turkey with other partners and traveled frequently. Attracted by FC Barcelona, ​​he and one of his partners traveled to the Catalan capital, where, as he explains, they discovered they weren't in Spain, "but in a place with its own language and identity." During his three-week vacation in Catalonia, Shahzaib experienced the Process demonstrations, immediately connected with the independence demands, and met Marta, who would later become his wife. She is a librarian at the Banyoles Library, with whom he now shares a life and passion for books in the capital of the Pla de l'Estany region.

The Feast of the Lamb and Christmas

Of what is now his city, he especially values one of its scenic gems, the pond, which offers him relaxing walks, as well as its people, the cultural activities, and the traditional festivals celebrated there. His Muslim origins do not prevent him from participating as a page in the Banyoles Three Kings' Parade or as a stonemason's extra in the Living Nativity scene in the neighboring town of Fontcoberta. "I celebrate the Feast of the Lamb and Christmas," says Shahzaib, who laments that the vast majority of Banyoles citizens of immigrant origin, including those who have learned Catalan, "do not participate in any of the festivals or traditions typical here, such as St. George's Day or the Three Kings' Parade." With 19.32% of the population of foreign origin, mostly from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa, Banyoles stands out for the intense activity promoting integration carried out by the City Council and, especially, by the social fabric, with numerous organizations dedicated to this purpose. However, Shahzaib regrets that in Banyoles, as in other municipalities with high immigration rates, she has seen "many more women veiled than in their countries of origin." "When they come here, they become radicalized; they find themselves having to prove they are Muslim due to pressure from their community," she notes.

From Banyoles, the bookseller also highlights the great generosity of numerous neighbors who have reached out to him. Among them are his wife and Josep Alsius, owner of the Fòrum bookstore. "When I decided to open the Dictum bookstore, even though it represented competition for his business, he came to me to offer his unconditional support. If I had any questions or difficulties, he was always there to lend a hand. I'm grateful to him for everything he's taught me about the world of bookselling and for all the doors he's opened."

For Shahzaib, watching the bookstore grow is a dream come true. He says he's happy among books and can't see himself doing anything else. His social media presence, which Greta, the young woman who works at the bookstore, is responsible for ensuring, has helped the bookstore gain customers and business, with book launches by writers such as Jair Domínguez and Xavier Pla.

Rodoreda, Casasses and Raimon

With the same dedication and speed with which he learned Catalan, Shahzaib has immersed himself in Catalan literature. He has also included Adora Mercè Rodoreda, whom he calls "the best writer in Catalonia and the world"; the poet Enric Casasses, whose verses "give goosebumps"; and fellow poet Miquel Martí i Pol. He asserts that he is moved listening to Raimon because he, too, comes "from an ancient and very long silence" and because he also believes that "whoever loses their origins loses their identity."