“I’ve always been captivated by George R R Martin’s ‘A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one’," quotes Ravi Macherla, who has been fascinated by books and the worlds they have opened up for him, since his teenage years.
As an aspiring writer, he considers he owes it to his craft to keep reading and, thus, improve at writing.
Although living between the pages is quite an experience, he does often find himself wanting to meet other readers, connect with them, and get to know what they are reading.
“This is exactly what the Silent Book Club at Asro Cafe, Porvorim, provided me. Readers, both avid and occasional, meet up on Sundays to read their books in silence and ponder solemnly over the texts,” says Ravi.
He describes the atmosphere of the café as very conducive for a deep, productive and enriching reading experience, with Parisian jazz tunes occasionally playing softly in the background.
After a 90-minute reading session, they gather around for a reading circle and those who might be interested in sharing, talk about the book they have been reading, why they picked it up, why it appealed to them, and if it’s impacting the way they live.
“Sharing is not mandatory, but the book club is a warm, welcoming place for anyone who wants to engage,” smiles Ravi, who often spends his Sundays interacting with fellow readers at the café, and have eventually become friends.
SUPPORT LOCAL AUTHORS
“We have occasional meetings, mostly at Broadway Book Centre, Khalil Ahmed’s bookshop on 18th June Rd, in Panjim,” says Frederick Noronha who started Goa Book Club in 2010 with the help of volunteers.
Of late, the discussions, which are free and open to all, take place online at http://groups.google.com/group/goa-book-club, but whenever possible the plan is to hold discussions in person.
Frederick Noronha started Goa Book Club in 2010 with some others volunteering along the way.
“Those attending physical events get a complimentary cup of tea and samosa, courtesy Broadway,” says Frederick, who makes it a point to host and review quite a few Goan book authors at their event.
“I do Goa book reviews in video and print because I think they need a whole lot of promoting to make them visible and viable,” he says.
TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES
In Mumbai, Tatjana Chen was part of various book clubs that let her meet like-minded people, who loved books and discussed the stories they read. After moving to Goa, finding a community like that seemed impossible and that’s why she founded her own Susegad Book Club.
Initially, the members met in Panjim a few times, grew as a group and discussed books. But then, Covid hit and with it came restrictions.
“We weren’t able to meet in person anymore at a time when we needed to escape into fictional stories more than ever,” shares Tatjana, who realised that as soon as the Covid restrictions were lifted, she could no longer move offline without losing members.
"So, we moved the club online and were able to continue the discussions and also gained members from all over India,” says Tatjana.
In person meets turn out to be full of laughter, super fun with a charm of their own, but she says going online has advantages, too.
“Virtual meetings mean that everybody gets to participate, no matter if they are in North or South Goa, in Mumbai or Bangalore, or even travelling abroad,” she says, adding that in the end, a book club is the exchange between people who love books, how and where is just a means to the end.
"You get a chance to interact with authors like Srishti Chaudhary and Clyde D’Souza,” she adds.
A SENSE OF BELONGING
“I think people should join book clubs because of the community aspect, and spread what they read to the world,” says Ryle Souto, who is part of the That Book Club, hosted by That Book Store in Porvorim.
During his college days, Ryle was part of an online book discussion forum. But, having an opportunity to be part of a book club that meets in person was an experience, which he feels all book-lovers must have.
I think people should join book clubs because of the community aspect and spread what they read to the world.Ryle Souto, Book Store Assistant
“Although introverted people always fear being part of large groups, book clubs feel like a warm hug from everyone who loves books the same way that you do,” he says encouragingly.
There’s no judgment at the book club, people are allowed to share freely without being ashamed of what they read, he adds.
There’s a peculiar scent that hits you as you walk into a bookstore and find yourself skimming through books, trying to make up your mind about what to pick up, and which to leave behind.
But then, you remember those heartening lines that were read by one book club member over that online meet, and suddenly, you know exactly what to buy.
“In the age of ordering books on Amazon or online platforms, I cherish the feeling of stumbling onto a book that someone else is reading and knowing how they feel about it,” says Ravi, who feels that to share your favourite book with someone is to share a part of you with them.
"I find this to be a genuinely bonding experience as books often mean a lot to readers,” concludes Ravi.