In the age when everything is going digital and e-books are all the rage, Bengaluru which worships on the altar of all things tech is doing its best to preserve the love of physical books.
From techies to oldies, youngsters to hipsters, all are holding on to their love for turning pages and inhaling the invigorating smell of books.
The first stop for any book lover would be the libraries of the city. Be it British Library or the State Central Library, hundreds of readers flock there almost every day. Utsa Bhaduri, a bio-tech student says, “To pursue my hobby of reading, I have become a member of British Library and Goethe Institute of Bangalore.”
The sprawling old building that houses the State Central Library holds a huge selection of books from different genres, including a section for old and rare books dating back to the 18 century. Apart from conventional libraries, there are spaces in the city where one can read a book over a cup of coffee and food.
Spaces such as Art Blend Cafe, Atta Galatta, Coffee on Canvas and Flamenco fuse people’s love of reading with their love for caffeine.
Atta Galatta has a section where any one can pick up a book and read free of charge. A representative of Art Blend Cafe says, “The variety of books for all generations draws people to our cafe. Reading a book with a cup of coffee and snacks clubbed with a peaceful environment goes very well with our customers. We have conducted many silent book-reading sessions for various book clubs.”
The collections in these cafes have books ranging from regional literature, comics and novels, autobiographies, short stories, works on food, travel, mathematics, engineering and more.
Besides treasuring books, these places also put effort to safeguard the reading habit. They conduct book launches, book reading sessions, workshops, and barter (book exchange) for book lovers.
From school and college going students to middle-aged and senior citizens, these cafes witness a diversified crowd. Anitha, an avid book lover says, “With the rising trend of Internet connectivity, books are no longer bulky and yet to sit down holding a book in my hand is so much refreshing to me. Being able to read in coffee houses around the city and close to where I stay has done the trick of updating and strengthening my relationship with books.”
Bengaluru is a city which basks in the glory of the rich heritage of book stores all around.
Even in this age of e-books, book lovers still throng Higginbotham’s, to everyone’s favourite Blossoms, Oxfords, Gangaram’s, Strand etc.
The owner of Blossoms says, “Our store has got second hand books and we sell them at a reduced price. Thus, we get all kinds of customers.”
Strolling around in these stores and going through the pages of the wide variety available acts as a catalyst to retain and rejuvenate people’s relationship with books and reading.
“You’d never find book stores shutting down due to lack of business,” says Chandni Ghatak, a regular book store visitor and buyer. “You’d never even find a empty bookstore. being empty in the first place. The smell of old books is a charm and a Kindle fails to give me that.”
To bring youth and books together, Bookalore, an independent, non-profit community organises dramatised book readings and meet-the-author-sessions.
By celebrating and showcasing different authors, it links them with their readers. Also, The Bangalore Literary Festival never fails to warm the heart of every bibliophile in the city.
Contrary to the idea that reading is going digital in Bengaluru, it is evident that, Bangaloreans still believe in curling up with a book, rather than the Kindle.
