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Hindustan Times

A silent reading group takes it to the next level

How did your love for reading develop? I've been an avid reader all my life. A teacher once told me that everyone is a reader – they just haven't found that one book that gets them hooked yet. For me, it was Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne. I remember picking it up randomly from our home library and finishing it during our train ride to Delhi. I must have been in the fifth or sixth grade. My parents wanted both their children to be readers, so we were fortunate to have access to many comics, children's books, and encyclopaedias. That's where my love for books began. How was 'Versova Reads' founded? The community was founded in February 2024. My brother, Ujjwal, helped out during the initial two months, but I've taken sole charge since then. I had just returned from Bangalore with a knee injury that severely restricted my movement and didn't have many like-minded friends around. One random Saturday, I limped my way to the park, and ended up reading there for hours. It was a wonderful experience – being lost in a book in a park, surrounded by the tranquillity of nature with the cool early morning February breeze. I remember excitedly telling my brother about the experience and asking if he knew of any community that did this. He suggested that I start one myself. Initially, I was very nervous and wondered if anyone would show up, but we're about 60 editions in now, and every edition, many have turned up. What do you like to read? What are you reading now and what do you wish to read next? I've realised that I enjoy dystopian science fiction as it challenges me to imagine a world that never existed, giving me space to get creative and get lost in these alternate realities. I'm currently reading Wool by Hugh Howey, the first book in the Silo Series (a three-part series). It's post-apocalyptic science fiction about a community living in a giant underground silo. It's fascinating to imagine a world 144 stories beneath the surface! I was previously reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, another favourite that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. I have several books on my to-read list after I finish this series, including classics like The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, 1984 by George Orwell, and Japanese books translated into English like Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Tell us about your relationship with reading. As a young adult, I enjoyed reading series like The Hunger Games, Divergent Trilogy, and tons of novels on Wattpad (it was just a phase!). In college, I focused on business books and biographies, particularly those about women in corporate – I aspired to be like them. After that, though, I lost touch with reading, 'Versova Reads' has helped me fall in love with books again. I'm proud to say I finished 12 books last year thanks to our consistent Sunday morning reading sessions. It's been a lovely and refreshing achievement compared to the hours of doom-scrolling I totalled in before. How has the reading group nourished you as a person? My experience is slightly more nuanced than being just a reader. Being the curator requires you to put yourself out there to interact with different people, and the biggest task, in my opinion, is making everyone feel welcomed. Though, looking at myself simply as a reader, being in a reading group has helped me stay extremely consistent throughout the year. It has given me space to make memories, laugh and cry while reading. It has allowed me to have thoughtful and introspective discussions and brought me closer to reading. It has helped me overcome my inhibitions about speaking publicly and helped me form clearer thoughts. How has the group informed your reading choices? After reading every Sunday, we stack our books and discuss what we've read. While this activity is voluntary, it helps everyone learn about different authors, genres, and books that exist beyond our knowledge. I've also read a few books that fellow readers have suggested. We've had organic book exchanges among readers, which has been a delightful experience. One reader in the group would only read poetry, and he motivated me to explore more poetry myself. Do you notice any trends in what's being read at present in the group? Conversations have revealed a trend toward reading books promoted on Instagram by book influencers (if that's the appropriate term). Apart from that, I've noticed a lot of Japanese fiction being picked up by readers of all age groups. How many meetings have you had so far? How many members does the group have? We've had 61 meetings so far, every Sunday morning at 9:30. I feel the need to mention that particular time because I truly believe getting up early on a Sunday morning is a commitment that must be acknowledged and appreciated. On average, we see about 10-12 readers on a given Sunday. However, for our 60th meeting, we had a large group of 21 readers, with a mix of regular readers and new faces. On Instagram, we have a small and growing community of 1050+ followers. Have the group's activities extended beyond silent reading? Yes, we have started playing board games after our reading sessions. Someone who was reading Just Play! by Vinita Siddhartha spoke about how the author believes in the importance of play and how deeply ingrained traditional games were in our culture. He mentioned how games serve as tools for community bonding and intergenerational interaction. That's when we decided to have at least one round of a game after reading. Setting up a library is rare among reading groups. How did it happen at 'Versova Reads'? One of our readers, Ram Parsani, had a very dear friend who was also an avid reader. After his sudden demise, the family was at a loss about what to do with his collection of books. Mr. Ram took these books under his care and tried to promote reading in his building society to keep his friend's memory alive. Unfortunately, it didn't take off as he had hoped. After attending a few sessions at 'Versova Reads', he spoke to me about this collection. That's when I thought of incorporating it as part of 'Versova Reads', giving our readers access to this lovely collection of books. Which genres appear in the library, and how many books are kept currently? The broad genre categories include a mix of classic literature, thriller/crime, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, biography/autobiography, self-help, and contemporary books. We currently have about 120 books in total. Where is the library housed at present, who can access it and what are the charges? The library is currently housed in a small cupboard in Rajdoot Society at Versova. It can be accessed after our reading sessions at the park from 11:30 AM to 11:45 AM every Sunday morning. The library is open to the entire community. We charge a nominal fee of ₹20 while issuing a book, which goes to the society manager for maintaining the space and keeping it clean. How did you get space for the library? When Mr Ram acquired the books from his friend's family, he wanted them to be accessible to everyone in his society. He spoke to the society secretary, who enjoys reading herself, and she was happy to allow a small cabinet near the society office to house the books. What are your wishes or aspirations for the collection? While, at the moment, there are many books and many people willing to donate, I hope that the 'Versova Reads' library becomes a fully functioning side project of the community where readers actively borrow books. There is a plethora of untold stories in that cupboard, and I wish more people would read and share these books in our discussions after reading. Suhit Bombaywala's factual and fictive writing appears in India and abroad. He tweets @suhitbombaywala.