Bridging the gap between books and readers By Navhind Times <https://www.navhindtimes.in/author/nt/> - 2024-04-23 0 <https://www.navhindtimes.in/2024/04/23/magazines/buzz/bridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers/#respond> 41 <https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.navhindtimes.in%2F2024%2F04%2F23%2Fmagazines%2Fbuzz%2Fbridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers%2F> <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Bridging+the+gap+between+books+and+readers&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.navhindtimes.in%2F2024%2F04%2F23%2Fmagazines%2Fbuzz%2Fbridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers%2F&via=The+Navhind+Times> <https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.navhindtimes.in/2024/04/23/magazines/buzz/bridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers/&media=https://www.navhindtimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG-20240422-WA0017.jpg&description=Bridging+the+gap+between+books+and+readers> <https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=Bridging+the+gap+between+books+and+readers%20%0A%0A%20https://www.navhindtimes.in/2024/04/23/magazines/buzz/bridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers/> <https://www.navhindtimes.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG-20240422-WA0017.jpg>
On World Book Day, NT BUZZ looks at the role book clubs play in the lives of readers and non-readers KALYANI JHA | NT BUZZ Readers don’t really need a day dedicated to books; for them, every day is a good day to read, every day is Book Day. But those struggling to enjoy this portable magic, do need a support group of kind people who read. The role of book clubs begins where the role of a library and bookstores end. You can get hold of the books from the latter but the book clubs can keep the reader consistent on the journey of reading amidst the distractions around. And Goa has a number of book clubs that are helping to keep this love for books alive and thriving. Two such book clubs that started recently and are hosted at The Dogears Bookshop in Margao are ‘The Brazilian Literature Book Club ‘founded by Goa University professor Marcelle Feigol Guil and a French book club ‘Thinnai Stories’ by the Alliance Francaise, Panaji. The idea of these two book clubs says Leonard Fernandes, co-founder of The Dogears Bookshop, is to enhance the reading and understanding of Brazilian and French literature. The Brazilian Literature Book Club does not expect everybody joining in to bring a book as these books are quite difficult to access both in terms of cost and availability. “At the discussion, they introduce the books, the background, and the characters. Although, the stories are deeply rooted in Brazil, many people find them similar to Goa and the stories resonate very well,” shares Leonard. The meet-ups get around 10 to 12 people on average and usually happen once a month on a Saturday morning. The French Book Club meanwhile is author-centric and meetings mostly happen online. Hence, the attendance is bigger, close to 40-45 people. “As these are author-centric, the meetings sometimes discuss many books by the same author. And sometimes, the author himself/herself introduces the books,” says Fernandes. But book clubs are not only for discussing and socialising. In fact, introverts can rejoice as another new entrant, the Silent Book Club hosted at ASRO, a cafe in Porvorim, runs on the moto; ‘Reading is mandatory, socialising is optional. These meetings are held twice every Sunday, one session is in the morning and one in the evening. Readers can bring their own books or avail of books from the library at the café. For the first ninety minutes, people just read the books. After that, those interested get into a reading circle and discuss. Those who do not want to be part of the discussion can continue to read in their corner. “Whenever we talk about reading, it is looked at as a very intellectual way of being. People walk in with heavy books or writers who are very famous or work that has depth. But we keep saying that even if you walk in with a comic book, it is also fine,” says founder of the Silent Book Club Nishtha Agarwal. Another noted book club that has been in operation for the last 15 years is the Literati Book Club hosted at Literati Bookshop and Cafe, Calangute. “The only criterion to attend is that you should have read the book,” says the founder Diviya Kapur. Here, the book is chosen in advance, usually around four to six weeks before the next meet-up depending on the size of the book and the time of the year, she says. “Books selected vary depending on who has suggested it. You get to read books that you would not have otherwise chosen to read because whoever is attending and suggesting it may have a different reading pattern from yours,” says Kapur, adding that she makes sure that there are enough copies of the selected book before the next meet-up. “Once you have a deadline to read you are more likely to pick up and read making sure that you finish it before the day you attend the book club meeting. The discussions are always very interesting because here you see different perspectives on the same book. We also have pot-luck after the discussion where people can chit-chat,” says Kapur. Though the inclination is towards fiction, they also choose biographies, says Kapur. There is no membership to join. Even a tourist for a day can attend. Since COVID-19, the book club began an online format and presently the meetings are hybrid. “This is because we didn’t want to exclude people who were a part of this club since that time,” says Kapur. And it’s not just reading that gets enhanced through book clubs, adds Kapur. “The community formed by like-minded people can take it a step further, like publishing a book,” she suggests. Another book club in Goa is the Margao Book Club which was initiated by Ravindra Bhavan in 2018 on the insistence of like-minded people who wanted a community for readers in South Goa. The earlier meet-ups would see a huge crowd and all kinds of discussion on various books until COVID-19 brought it all to a halt. While there were online meet-ups happening, founder Savia Viegas decided to also do something significant with the members of the club. “We decided to focus on one of the ‘navrasas’ (nine emotions) from the book being discussed and then later brought out a collection of poetry called ‘Viral Verses’ published in 2022,” shares Viegas. Viegas, who is also a painter introduced a new trend of arousing curiosity among readers by painting parts of the story of the book that was to be discussed. In fact, she has an exhibition lined up soon that will showcase these paintings based on the books. https://www.navhindtimes.in/2024/04/23/magazines/buzz/bridging-the-gap-between-books-and-readers/ -- *** Please be polite and on-topic in your posts. *** --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Goa Book Club" group. 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