A young man pursuing a degree in political science had not read the Preamble to the Constitution.

Another student was surprised to see a bustling Durga Puja on a Mominpore road named Meherali Mondal Street.

Both teenagers are now regular visitors to a reading space on Braun Field Road in Mominpore that opened its doors ahead of the Lok Sabha polls earlier this summer.

Last week on Tuesday, a second unit came up on South Canal Road in Tangra. November 26 was chosen because it is celebrated as Constitution Day.

The centres’ reading list includes fiction and non-fiction books on the Indian Constitution, history, diversity, plurality, travel, culture and heritage.

These centres are part of an initiative called Chair for the Reader that wants to combat bias, misinformation and digital distraction. Discussions on books, workshops and sessions that include authors, teachers and researchers are part of the initiative.

Shruti Ghosh, a choreographer, performed a skit at the inauguration of the Tangra centre. It showed how class and caste bias crept into classrooms, with a girl from a lower caste being humiliated by upper-caste teachers.

“In a world increasingly marked by divisiveness and violence based on race, caste, class, gender, religion, and ethnicity, we want to create genuine reading spaces that would foster meaningful interactions. We started during the elections because we want the readers to grow up as informed voters,” said Sabir Ahamed, convener of the Know Your Neighbour campaign, which promotes communal harmony and is the driving force behind the initiative.

“We want to combat fake news, misinformation and digital addiction. The biggest casualty of the smartphone boom is the decline in the habit of reading,” Ahamed added.

Ahamed stressed that the centres — the concept will be replicated across the state, he said — were modelled as “curated reading spaces” and not traditional libraries.

Besides the books, the venues are also being chosen with a purpose, he said. Mominpore, and neighbouring Kidderpore, Metiabruz and Garden Reach, are home to a large Muslim population. Together, this slice of Calcutta is often maligned by the Right-wing ecosystem that goes to lengths of projecting — without evidence — these places as the hub of “anti-national activities”.

“Why should literary festivals and reading sessions be confined to certain sections in the city?” asked Ahamed.

Tangra, a stone’s throw from EM Bypass, is home to both highrise apartments and slums. “Many of our target segment are first-generation learners,” said Mousumi Sarkar of Azad Foundation, which has teamed up with Know Your Neighbour to run the reading space.

On July 13 this year, a programme at the Alipore Jail Museum marked the ceremonial launch of the Chair of Reader campaign. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who was the chief guest, stressed the importance of such spaces.

“Tolerance is often overvalued. There is nothing spectacular about tolerating one another.... What is most important is yukta sadhana, the working together of Hindus and Muslims,” Sen had said at the launch.

On October 2, a workshop was held at the Mominpore centre. Titled “itihashe hathekhori (loosely translated as stepping stone to history)”, it was marked by the launch of three illustrated books — on sports, food habits and attire — for children.

“History, as a discipline, is the prime target of propaganda. In the WhatsApp university, the pluralistic history of India is perhaps the biggest casualty of the Right-wing onslaught. To resist that, we have to teach the real history to children. But we have to do it in a simple way that catches the attention of the impressionable minds,” said Anwesha Sengupta, associate professor at the Institute of Developmental Studies Kolkata, who conducted the workshop.

The books have been published by the IDSK. The publication has been sponsored by a German foundation.

“Our reading space aims to create a pool of curious minds, eager to learn logically and trained to ask questions,” Ahamed said.