Book in a park
Reading under the shade of trees and the blue sky in a garden would seem like an impossible dream for those living in the city. But two reading initiatives Kochi Book Reading Club and Kochi Reads have been facilitating exactly that every weekend. The members of the former meet every Saturday and the latter every Sunday at Kochi’s own Central Park at Panampilly Nagar to read as a community. Kochi Reads came to be in June, 2023, when group curator Gopika Manjusha, a content creator, heard that Bengaluru’s reading initiative, Cubbon Reads, was looking for curators in Kochi. What started out with five-odd people today has 65-70 people, with around 10-15 showing up for the sessions.
“We have people come in all the way from North Paravur and Muvattupuzha for the weekend sessions,” Gopika says. These start at 3pm and wrap up between 6-6.30pm. Kochi Book Reading Club stresses on silent reading. Curated by Vachas Amrita (founder) and Nidhin M, the group has an average of 20-odd members show up for the sessions, which are from 4.30pm-6.30pm. Unlike reading groups which mandate that members read the same book, there are no such conditions here. The point is reading. “The ambience is ready, we want to inculcate reading,” says Nidhin. On occasion there are reading-related activities such as book discussions. “People can talk about a book they’ve read or are reading. It is not necessary that everybody has read the book being talked about,” he adds. The group is also planning a book-based film screening. On days the weather is inclement the groups move to cafes in the vicinity.
