Spaces that we gather in to read and to be read to….
My parents didn't read bed-time stories to me, but I was told stories all the time. Somehow, there was no concept of reading aloud, like how it was in the homes of all my friends. My parents sat in their favourite corners and read a lot; it was a solitary activity. The first time a story was read out to me was when I was around 6 years old. My mother's colleague at work, Nagamani Aunty came home with a book and proceeded to read it aloud to me. She read beautifully from a book titled ‘The Story of Ferdinand' by Munro Leaf. Ferdinand was a gentle bull who loved flowers and refused to fight. I was hooked. That was technically my first book, even though I didn’t know how to read. It’s still one of my favourite books. I learned to read soon enough and like my parents, I found interesting corners in the house and started reading (thanks to this, the couch in my present house has a big dent). Reading remained a solitary activity, you found a quiet corner, preferably when you were alone, sat down with some water (and snacks if possible) and read, and read, and read.
It is only in recent times that I’ve been introduced to the joys of collective reading. My friend Sujay used to pack rugs and dhurries, sandwiches and lemonade (or coffee) and drive a bunch of us to Cubbon Park. He would set up a picnic under the trees and we would all lie down and read, while he fixed us snacks at regular intervals. Sometimes we’d read poems out to each other. What an intimate act of love this is, reading with friends and reading to friends (provided they want to be read to of course :)).
There was a time when we used to read books at bookshops. Crossword had comfortable couches on which you could lounge and read, same with Blossoms (uncomfortable plastic stools though), and today, every book lover in Bangalore reads extensively at Champaca because coffee and books are an unbeatable combination. I once saw a book titled ‘Press Conference’ by Harold Pinter at Paperback bookstore. It was Rs. 600/- and all of 10 pages; I didn’t have Rs.600/-, Paperback didn’t have chairs or stools. So, I just sat on the ground and finished reading it in 15 minutes, after which my friend read it. We were thrilled with our accomplishment. I started buying books on credit (from Premier Book Shop, Bangalore) when I was about 13; Premier used to be my favourite bookshop till it shut down in 2009. My current favourites are Champaca, Lightroom, Blossom and Bookworm in Bangalore, Pagdandi in Pune and Trilogy in Mumbai among others. I also used to haunt the Eloor Lending Library (it’s still around on Infantry Road) for years. I haven’t seen too many libraries in recent times, though some of my favourite book stores have library sections that allow you to sit down and read.
Which brings me to my most favourite reading place in recent times – The Feminist Library. Every time I walk into our really small, but beautifully put together Feminist Library at Studio 345 I can't help but be proud of what we have. A tiny room filled with colourful shelves packed with books. Our collection is as diverse as we are, and we have books collected from across the world over a lifetime, but, we also have stuff that we've sourced from – believe it or not – raddi (trash) shops. There's a certain joy in looking at these shelves lined with books – old and new. Books you've already read and books you hope to read soon as well as books you hope to convince others to read at some point. Sometimes we flip through them, sometimes we just gaze at them with pride, like how cat owners look at their cats. We also take countless photographs of various nooks and corners of the library to post on Instagram, again, much like cat owners. Our library is open and free for all, and while it’s not surprising to have folks from the neighbourhood dropping in, we’re amazed when people from Whitefield and Sarjapur or visitors from out of town come visiting. Some people stay for a few hours, while others stay the whole day. Ours is a crowdsourced library which reflects the personal selections of all the donors who have generously donated their books to us. In fact, everything in the library reflects this – we made book shelves with donated wood that we hand painted ourselves. We also have a beautiful mural created by Poornima Sukumar of Aravani Art Project, wall art featuring women reading. Our library is attached to an open kitchen where you can drink chai/coffee even as you read.
All of this might sound like an invitation. It is. Consider this an open invitation to visit our library – we could sit around and talk about books, bookstores and libraries during your visit, or just come, find a corner you like and settle in with a book (we promise to leave you alone). You could also join us for a reading party (there will be many of these) where we can all sit around and read together, by ourselves, or aloud to each other. And, lastly because books can move, you’ll also find us at the Bangalore International Centre from the 27-30 November during Gender Bender in our pop-up version. Whoever said “Books are a uniquely portable magic,” knew what they were talking about. In the meanwhile, if you’re a solitary reader, do try reading a short story or poem aloud for someone, a grandparent, parent, friend, lover, child, anyone – it is truly an act of love. Or, better still, come to The Feminist Library at Gender Bender and we could try this together.