For those who are passionate about books, a book club is like a second home. And when an avid reader and popular contemporary author forms one, you know it’s going to be special. It’s been almost a year since Karuna Ezara Parikh, the author of The Heart Asks Pleasure First and Where Stories Gather, has founded Karuna’s Kitaab Club. It all started with the author urging fellow readers for book recommendations. And today, the book club has members from various corners of the world and regularly hosts intimate conversations with authors — both online and offline.
“I noticed it was a growing trend. Since I read extensively, I sift through the vast number of books published each year in India, and come up with a list that I hope people would like. I also wanted to focus on South Asian and diaspora fiction — which I feel doesn’t get enough attention,” shared Karuna, when My Kolkata got in touch with her to know more about Karuna’s Kitaab Club, right after her interaction with debutant author Santanu Bhattacharya of bestselling novel, One Small Voice.
Santanu Bhattacharya’s book ‘One Small Voice’
Talking books
Karuna’s romance with books is evident from the start. She can keep one engaged with book talk much like a master musician leading a symphony. The author is also the perfect host when it comes to book reading sessions, because not only has she read the book cover-to-cover, but there are also nuggets and notes with her inferences and introspections that make the sessions even more cerebral. For instance, when Santanu and Karuna discussed his book at The Bhowanipore House, their conversation ranged from the book itself to their personal reading and writing habits.
The audience at the book reading session
At the book reading event, held on a not-so-summery afternoon, book lovers and the author gathered to discuss a serious and polarising topic — the subject of the book — the journey of a young boy Shubhankar growing into a man, soaking in the rapidly changing socio-eco-political and cultural fabric of his surroundings and his country. “Santanu and I became friends last year, after I read his book. I felt it was important that we talk about it,” shared Karuna.
Karuna reads from the book
One voice, many discussions
“I describe myself as the first generation of millennials having grown up in part of the 1980s and through the 1990s of India. When our generation reached the late 20s, I felt we were reckoning with a lot of things that we went through without necessarily processing it because we were very young,” said Santanu delving into the discussion. The author comes from a politically aware family, and being a reader from a nascent stage broadened his horizon about current affairs. It took him 10 years to finish the book.
Santanu, reading from his book ‘One Small Voice’
Santanu wanted Shubh (Shubhankar), the protagonist, to be a common man, something that Karuna found relatable. “Creatively, what was most difficult was to sketch the characters. Once you start writing, you get so invested — the family, the domestic space — you get very involved in the nitty gritties,” explained Santanu, further discussing his project.
Santanu, who sought feedback from a group of readers on the draft, refined the characters, making them more realistic. “To me what he (Shubhankar) really became is the sutradhar, somebody who is holding the thread of the narrative,” said Santanu, analysing the lead character of his novel.
Rita Bhimani, who was in the audience, participated in the discussion too
Books need people
If you visit Karuna’s Kitab Club’s Instagram handle, the bio reads: ‘Books Need People’. This is also the official name of her company, with several projects under its belly. “The Kitaab Club and the Books Need People Project are already up and running. My retreats take place under the Books Need People banner too. Then we organise several events each year under the company. We also plan to launch our website soon, which should have many exciting things!” shared Karuna, who maintains a busy schedule.
People coming together to read, enjoy the world of storytelling, and exchanging ideas — it is an interactive experience. The act of reading alone and discussing it as a community is thriving. The process is simple — Karuna selects a book for the month, announces it on social media and Discord (the social communication platform). Fellow bibliophiles get a copy of the book in their preferred format and dive straight in. The community then comes together to discuss, often engaging in interactive discussions with the author.
Shedding more light on the process of selecting books for her book club, Karuna added, “We also try to do books that are available globally as our readers are from everywhere. I like to focus on literary fiction, and on women’s writing.” The club scouts books by authors who are not widely read yet but should be, and that is how the community is introduced to newer works.
In today’s fast paced world, social media plays a key role, and cultivating a reading habit, especially among the younger generation can be challenging. This is where an online book club comes to the play, steering a dialogue and creating space. “I certainly hope it [the book club] is helping. I do see young people taking selfies in bookshops and then leaving without buying anything, which is weird but which tells us that books are considered cool amongst the younger generation” reflected Karuna. “That itself is a win. And we can only hope they discover the magic of stories soon as well,” shared the author, who finds social media a great tool for community building.
From the first reading session held in Atta Galatta bookstore in Bengaluru to the recent one at The Bhowanipore House in Kolkata, Karuna’s Kitab Club has come a long way. The team is working towards building a website, organising more ground events in Kolkata and hopefully in other cities too. Currently, the author is immersed in reading material for the next few months of the book club. “I’m reading a lot of nonfiction, as research for my next book. I do hope to make time for other kinds of books soon too!” shared Karuna.
