At these clubs, read on

Sanjam Preet Singh

Somehow, bibliophiles find their ilk. This is best exemplified in the advent of book clubs – be it in autocratic societies or perceived-to-be-liberal societies, like ours.

In some nations, book clubs attain a form of protest; for instance, the one started by Azar Nafisi in Iran against the backdrop of morality squads. She picked up seven of her best students, all women, and invited them to her house to discuss The Great Gatsby and other classics.

For her and her students, the idea of discussing books together was to escape from the grim reality, paving the path to the ‘republic of imagination’. Back home, in City Beautiful, there are a few ‘republics of imagination’. One among them is the Panjab University’s book club –The Shire – that was started in November 2015.

These days, PU is witnessing protests against fee hike. In this scenario, how can the book club stand in solidarity with protesting students?

Book worth

Himanshu Goel, the founder of Shire, refrains from saying anything on the protest. But he agrees, “Reading books is definitely a strong form of protest, especially in cases where censorship is involved. And if the university decides to ban a book, you will find us to be the first ones to read it.”

 “As PU students, members of the book club can write on fee hike or discuss the recent article in a newspaper that talked about neo-liberal roots of the PU crisis or discuss a book that documents student protests,” says Amandeep, a research scholar in the PU’s English Department. 

The purpose should be to contribute in whatever they can, says Jatinder Singh, a professor of political science at Patiala’s Punjabi University. 

“Be it book clubs or study circles or discussion forums, these are the platforms for knowledge generation. So, whatever happens on the campus, book clubs or study circles must respond to it – though their contribution will be a small one,” he adds. So, the next time, members of The Shire meet, they have some food for thought. 

Learning curve 

Wordsworth...the all-woman book club, was founded in February 2008 by Simran Grewal. It started with 12 members. Now, the strength is 22.

For Simran, reading has been a passion since childhood. “I wanted to initiate a social group for like-minded people. Book clubs have become a space for people to get back to the habit of reading and to discover the delights of the written word. The aim is to explore the literary world together,” she says.

The discussions range from the plot to the theme of the book to the moral dilemmas of its characters to the spaces the stories take up in our real lives. “Sometimes, the real and the fictitious merge to challenge our beliefs and opinions,” Simran says.

Line wise

Just Books...Simran Grewal, along with Simrit Khurana, started this book club in September 2009. Again, this is an all-woman club with 23 members. Members of the two clubs meet every month. These days, they are reading The Lady and the Monk by Pico Iyer and Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.Besides discussing books, members of the two clubs collect money, biannually. The proceeds go towards NGOs working for the education of needy students, sponsor prizes for youth literary festivals and run a free ‘Lending Library’.

Simran says the perception that reading is a ‘dying interest’ is a floating myth. “A book will always find its reader and book clubs are here to stay. Book clubs need to be nurtured and encouraged in society, among all-age groups. Reading for pleasure is essential, as it helps in giving a depth to our perspective and expands our understanding of life,” she adds.

All abuzz 

Readers Buzz... Sharmita Bhinder started this book club about a year ago, feeling that reading was no longer a part of our lives, especially women engrossed in household chores. “I wanted to have a club where we read, talk, discuss, share and bond. I found book club to be the answer. We all pick a book read or suggested by a member. So, we have a variety to choose from –thrillers to suspense feature in our sessions,” Sharmita says. 

This book club started with 11 members. And now, it boasts of 40 members. Sharmita, along with Bharti Kapoor, organises the session. Eat Pray Love, Fault In Our Stars and Tuesdays with Morrie are some of the books discussed.

So, are you ready to join these avid readers?