After enrolling for a Book Club I was provided with Karan Thapar’s book titled “More Salt than Pepper”. Before the session started every one who had enrolled were asked to send in the discussion points on any two articles of liking. These points helped in initiating discussions drawing everybody’s interest. This book being a compilation of the author’s personal experiences, published in the form of articles in Hindustan times brought out the various facets of day-to-day life. Hence it was invigorating to listen to everybody eliciting references from the book to relate to their personal experiences.
In this era of technology, where reading books is considered a drab, people find activities like watching movies on YouTube, chatting on Facebook or tweeting on Twitter etc. more appealing . Reading has been limited to browsing the web for news or ‘googling’ for information. Thankfully the Book clubs are still thriving, making an effort to draw forth the inclination towards reading books and augmenting our public-speaking skills. For those who subscribe to reading as a passé but prefer speaking instead, these clubs can still be engrossing there by goading them to read. One needs to realize that Book Clubs are more than merely reading books.
The days of my college
Initially I loathed reading books. I never had the willingness to read nor had the stomach to speak in front of an audience with conviction. The metamorphosis began when I was coerced by one of my friends to attend a Book Club in my college. Though I hardly opened my mouth during those sessions I understood the importance of reading and speaking. I was impressed the way the students’ thoughts poured out incessantly, relating their experiences with the passages in the book. I cinched that good understanding of a subject will allow the words to emanate fluently. It not only brought my interest back in reading books but also led me to start my own Book Club in my colony.
As a part of the club we made sure that we spent at least RS 500 (collected fund) every month to buy books and shared it among ourselves. Every Sunday our group gathered to discuss certain number of chapters till the book was finished. This was not only a good past time but also helped us in understanding the book and the author better. It made me realize that if reading gave a one-dimensional perspective then discussing with others gave multi-dimensional vista opening our minds like parachutes. It also helped me in developing my literary skills stimulating me to write Poetry, ultimately leading me to publish my article in newspapers and magazines.
Now after all these years, I make sure that I still attend the book club. For, it not only acts as refreshment but also improves my interaction with others. Looking back I do see that these clubs has made the person what I am, confident and assertive. Going forward I do see more and more people embracing these kind of clubs. Since online Book clubs - people attending from different locations participating through teleconference – are also in vogue, the future is bright. Whatever may be the form of the book - soft copy or paperback edition -, Book clubs are here to stay with the basic concept remaining the same.
