Now Reading: Silent reading parties offer quiet socialising in Punjab cities
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Silent reading parties offer quiet socialising in Punjab cities
In Chandigarh and Ludhiana, book lovers are turning solitary reading into a social ritual through silent reading parties and book clubs. Chandigarh Reads, founded in 2023, follows an anti-gatekeeping policy with free,…
The Story in Brief
In Chandigarh and Ludhiana, book lovers are turning solitary reading into a social ritual through silent reading parties and book clubs. Chandigarh Reads, founded in 2023, follows an anti-gatekeeping policy with free, open sessions in gardens or cafés, now approaching its 98th session on August 9, Hindustan Times reports.
Kaaraj Collective in Ludhiana, launched in July 2025 by Gurvir Singh and Ekjot Kaur, draws from the Cubbon Reads format. It holds distraction-free Sunday sessions, has over 1,000 members, and promotes Punjabi literature alongside English. Another group, Mehak’s Book Club, started on Instagram and now meets offline every Tuesday.
The Indian Opinion
The coverage paints these clubs as a quiet rebellion against noisy socialising, but the real story is less dramatic. Reading groups are not new; what stands out is the deliberate choice of silence and consent. The test will be whether these clubs keep growing beyond the initial novelty, Chandigarh Reads’ 98 sessions already suggest staying power, but membership numbers, not session counts, will tell if this is a lasting shift or a passing trend.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
