A friend of ours in Varanasi, Gaurav Tiwari, is a big-time reading enthusiast. Reading, Learning and Exchange of Ideas are things close to our hearts as well. So when Gaurav proposed the idea of a Book Club in Varanasi, we were totally in! Pustak Samvaad started with a small base of 5-6 people, meeting once every 2 weeks at Roobaroo House, and discussing the books they’d been reading. Even today our gatherings are a humble 10-12 members large. However, the quality of discussions has definitely more than doubled! We have come to put some structure to the meetings and in every session, one person comes prepared (sometimes even with PPTs!) for presenting a book from a certain theme that’s decided in the previous meeting. Post the presentation, the floor opens to discussions on the topic in general, and then of course takes tangents!

t’s now become one of our better habits. Not only does the book club keep feeding you with a list of interesting books to read, you also tend to make better mental notes while reading a book if you know you might have to present it at some point 

Lately, we have been meeting at the South Point Cafe in Lanka, although sometimes the venue changes basis availability of the cafe. Please check the facebook page of Pustaak Samvaad for the next meeting time and place. Do join us if you’re around!