Nagpur: It was just her way of testing waters when Sukhada Chaudhary, the founder of Swapbook Nagpur, put a Facebook invite for the first meeting of the book club a year back. “I went armed with two books to the café selected as the venue and was pleasantly surprised to see 21 people arrive for the meet. I knew just one of them,” she says.There has been no looking back since. “I took the idea from Swapbook Mumbai who gave me a go-ahead to form a similar group in Nagpur,” says Chaudhary. With a 120-plus membership today, the club has been thriving on book exchanges, book-related activities and theme-based meets once a month.All the hue and cry over the dying culture of reading books seems meaningless if one were to be a part of these book-reading clubs. Connected through Facebook and WhatsApp, the members exchange books, views and perspectives at their monthly meet. On the eve of World Book Day which is observed on April 23 every year, TOI found that there is a happy tribe of readers who are gung-ho about books.“There is no formal structure, enrolment process or membership rules for our club,” says Tejindar Singh Rewal, the founder member of Nagpur Book Reading Club. It started with five members who met and exchanged their opinions on books. “Today we have over 40 members and are connected with nearly 800 people through Facebook,” he informs.The basic aim of this club is to promote reading. “There is no firm purpose. We are just a group of like-minded people who read a lot and love to discuss it. Sometimes books which members want to share are brought to the meetings,” he says.Going beyond reading, these lit clubs also help in discovering various genres and help book lovers to keep abreast with latest publications. “We discovered that there is a genre of horror comedy. Now every month we have these theme-based meetings in which we explore genres and authors,” says Chaudhary, whose Swapbook meets are held on the last Sunday of every month.But, for the four-year-old club called Book Adda, structure is important. “We are only about non-fiction books which one of the member gets to review at every meet,” says Pawan Sarda, one of the founder member. The group has only 25 members who pay an annual fee of Rs2000 and meet on the first and third Friday of the month at Chitnavis Centre. The members are enrolled after being approved by a club committee.“At every meet one member is called to review a book and half an hour is devoted to his opinion, perception and the takeaway followed by a discussion which is moderated and questions are asked,” says Sarda.Book Adda gives its members a reason to read a book and be selective. “I read around 10 books in a year but being a member of this group, I get a crisp understanding of 25 different books,” says Sarda whose club is now trying to increase the membership to 35.For the members these clubs help in identifying books, authors and genres. “Initially I used to be very nervous about participating in meetings but these meets have helped me to go back to reading,” says Meera Niyogi, member of NBRC.The various activities conducted around the books make reading a pleasure, feels Nazmin Chinthanawala a member of Swapbook. “The vibrant energy and different views are very refreshing,” she says.For 13-year-old Abir Bhaiyya, the book club activities have helped to explore and become a good communicator. “A chance to review a book for members gives me a reason for reading more,” he says.

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