Binding force: These groups in Mumbai are bringing reading enthusiasts together

‘A space for discussing books' is one common thought that inspired the founders of reading clubs and groups in the city to create a community of people who love to read or are interested in developing the habit of reading. At a time when the pandemic caused many old bookstores and local circulating libraries to shut shop, these groups continued to encourage readers through online and, wherever possible, offline gatherings and activities.

Such interactions have continued to keep the reading culture alive in little spaces, public and private, across the city. Here are some of the active groups in Mumbai, which are fostering conversations about literature through intriguing ideas and methods:

Mumbai Bookstagram

Created as an Instagram page in 2018 by two young friends, who are also book bloggers, Mumbai Bookstagram is now a community of 52 members aged between 18 and 35 and has more than 1,500 followers on the social platform. The group met at Bandra's Titlewaves after two years of online sessions during the pandemic.

With a focus on ‘free-flowing conversations', the group believes in not sticking to the traditional methods of organising planned book discussions and encourages members to bring in any book of their choice during the meet and initiate a dialogue about it. "The readers should enjoy the process, which is why we do not restrict their reading pace and choice. This is what all the members agree to," says co-founder Vidhya Thakkar. To add to the fun, the members regularly conduct activities such as blind book dates, book bingo, author meets, Diwali book treats and Secret Santa during Christmas among other events across hangout places in the city. These have helped expand the scope of interactions among the participants, who have now become friends socialising beyond books.

"Our group has encouraged people to try new books, explore diverse genres through our activities and add to their wish list. One can meet us and talk all about books or any subjects that interest them and help us learn too," adds Thakkar.

To join the group, one can simply send a direct message (DM) on their Instagram page @mumbaibookstagram

Bound Together Bombay

BTB members from one of their meets in late 2021. Image credit: Piyush Chourasia

BTB was formed in 2010 and has been in the book club scene of Mumbai for about 12 years now. Essentially an offline group with around 6-12 attendees for every meet, the group shifted to online sessions during the pandemic, which did not receive an encouraging response from the members. With 1,500 members on Facebook and 500 members for their mailing list, the group mainly has people between 25 and 40 years of age, most of whom are voracious readers.

With the objective of bringing bookworms together, the group believes in an organised manner of conducting meetings by selecting one book together for every session. "We have a very democratic process of planning things. None of the members prefer a random discussion because it's a good way to socialise, but not to discuss books. Similarly, we don't do author meets because we do not want the author to explain the book to us, instead we will discuss it," says Piyush Chourasia, who took over the reins of the book club in 2011 after the founder quit.

The members have two main ways of selecting a book to read. Sometimes they focus on region-based books such as Russian, Japanese, African literature, etc., while others are based on themes like public relationships during Valentine's Day. With members from the city and even those who have moved out of Mumbai, but still prefer staying in touch, the group actively posts book updates on their Facebook page and mailing list. These then nudge the readers to pick that book and get back to reading.

"I don't think we get a lot of people who don't read at all. But, there are many who have given up reading and they join the club to get back into the habit and to create that discipline. Sometimes there are younger people who join during vacations and leave once college starts. The basic idea is to inculcate the discipline of reading," says Chourasia.

Point of interest: The book selected for the next meet is ‘Samarkand', a 1988 novel written by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf and is based on the theme ‘Historical Fiction'.

To join the group and for meeting updates, one can send a message on BTB's Facebook or Instagram page @bound_together_bombay

Merrative

Merrative is essentially an online community of readers, writers, publishers, creators and communities, which provides a one-stop platform for creation and discussion of all forms of literature. A start-up idea that birthed during the pandemic, Merrative is founded by Harshala Chavan, who was growing weary of mainstream book meet-ups, where not many would have reading tastes which matched hers.

"The reading habit has shifted to online platforms and we don't have dedicated space/platforms for readers to come together, talk, engage and interact, which is why we feel the culture is on the decline. One can have a healthy discussion for hours on a book they have read, without any hate. That is what has inspired me to continue working on it," says city-based Chavan.

With 2,914 readers, the community has been instrumental in hosting discussions, where people do not just discuss books but also news articles on contemporary issues, research papers and even reading play scenes. The group has a newsletter, ‘Readtreats', for sharing interesting books, podcasts and video recommendations with registered members.

The group hosts all discussions online which are attended mainly by people aged 18-35 years and senior adults. If one wishes to host a book meet-up, they can sign up on the website merrative.com, create their profile and add the details of the book, date and time. For offline meets, one can add links to google maps.

The Book Fairies Mumbai

Image credit: Kadambari Mehta

"There is something thrilling about unexpectedly finding a book at a park, bus stop or a restaurant for you to take home and devour," says Kadambari Mehta, official at Book Fairy India and founder of Baby Book Babbles in Mumbai. Started on Women's Day in 2017, book fairies are anonymous book lovers who go about dropping books in public places for people to find, read and share with the next reader. The idea is to connect people who like to read and share the books they read, rather than keeping it to themselves.

According to Mehta, globally, there are about 9,000 book fairies spanning over 100 countries. In Mumbai, the number of book fairies dropped from 13 in the pre-pandemic years to three at present, which is expected to grow gradually. Though the pandemic hit the movement of books across the city, the group ensured they are connected to the readers through social media interactions and giveaways, wherein books were shipped to readers in the city and across India.

Founded on the principle of sharing what you read, the group's main motto is to enable the transporting of stories, which can be a point of connection for many individuals. "The innate human need to have shared experiences and connecting with others is what drives readers who find books we have left behind to complete it and get a chance to become a book fairy themselves, even if it may be for that one single drop they make," says Mehta.

For updates about the book drops, one can check the group's Instagram page @bookfairies_mumbai

The Readers' Tribe

Image credit: Divya Mehta

What started in 2019 as a book club for adults grew into a community catering to curious readers across age groups by 2022. Founded by Divya Mehta, who wanted to discuss books with people, The Readers' Tribe (TRT) with 200 members aims to foster conversations on literature with experts and young readers alike.

"I actually believe a conversation can be the start of magic - it can be the start of a new hobby, of a new friendship, of a new state of mind and so much more! I hope we have reached as many people as possible and I hope they have enjoyed being a part of it because I certainly have," says Mehta.

Initially, the group held biweekly meetings at Bandra, wherein discussions ranged from history to philosophy, and literary heritage walks as part of the India Heritage Walk festival. The pandemic necessitated online meetings and also led to the creation of a children's wing. In order to encourage reading among children, TRT has collaborated with schools in Mumbai for conducting webinars and offline workshops for students. The group also works in unison with local bookstores, libraries and publishing houses to organise literary events. "We have Back to School Reading Treasure Hunts, summer workshops, after school programs for grades 3-9. The point is to make reading as attractive to us as a TV show or a movie - not something you have to force yourself to do to 'upskill'," Mehta adds.

While the group is currently on a break to focus on children's programs, one can follow the updates on their future programs on Instagram @thereaderstribe

Read the sixth part of the series here:

Business of reading: Why this Andheri commerce graduate quit a bank job to sell books