'Hyderabad Reads', 'Vizag Reads': Meet book warriors who encourage silent reading

Hyderabad/Vizag: What a peaceful evening it would be just sitting under the shade of a tree and reading your favorite book. From kids to the elderly, the weekend reading concept is a new mantra in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Thanks to Hyderabad Reads, Vizag Reads, and Vijayawada Reads, the book warrior communities in Tricity are making your Sundays memorable

How did it start?

This all started with two friends Harsh Snehanshu and Shruti Sah, at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru to encourage reading books titled Cubbon Reads. A small initiative has now turned into a worldwide silent reading movement with more than 30 chapters across India and around 15 internationally.

This idea was also appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hyderabad Reads @KBR park

Hyderabad Reads community was formed in June this year to encourage reading. All you can do is choose a nice place at KBR Park in Jubilee Hills, grab your book, and read peacefully.

The best part of the community is people can voluntarily go as there is no entry fee or reminders. All you can do is grab a mat and go on reading.

The community was started by Priyanka Peeramsetty and Sloka Chandra of Hyderabad after they saw this initiative by the Cubbon Reads community in Bengaluru.

"We both felt such a reading community is necessary for the city. We reached out to Cubbon Reads and they directed us to each other. All we did was write an Instagram post and talk to a few friends about it. Interested people come up every Saturday," said Priyanka, who works as a Chief of Staff at Infeedo.

"Our mission is to make reading a public affair in this city of culture and normalise reading outdoors in Hyderabad. There's no entry fee, no registration required, no formality. Just show up with a mat and a book. We don't engage in book discussions or book exchanges. We read silently together for a few hours," said Sloka Chandra

Hyderabad Reads community meets every Saturday at KBR Park from 4.30 pm to 7 pm.

Well, if you doubt what to do if it rains, the tree cover at the Park is amazing, and one can bring an umbrella to protect their books.

Vizag Reads@VMRDA park

Vizag Reads community will meet on every Sunday at VMRDA Central Park from 9 am to 11 am. In Vizag, the concept was started by Shireen Meher and Meghana Gorli.

When Shireen was in Bengaluru for a few years, she was in much love with the book-reading culture there. Shifting to Visakhapatnam, she wanted to bring such an initiative here.

"I saw their Instagram profile and contacted them on how to start such a reading concept in Vizag too. The first weekend of Vizag Reads, which started on June 18, saw people coming from distant locations. Every weekend, the number of readers got increased, giving the concept a good boost. Surprisingly, the youngest reader of the session was a three-year-old," said Shireen.

When asked about how they manage during the rains, Shireen said, "As the monsoon begins, the day it rains, there is a yoga hall with a shed. We can shift to that place. If it rains heavily, we will have a session remotely in our own space. This is all a way to build the habit of reading. Any information will be updated on Instagram," said Shireen.

Similarly, Vijayawada Reads meets at KDGO Park every Sunday from 7 am to 10 am.

What should you do?

-Follow their Instagram pages based on where you live.

-Follow their updates.

-Take a mat, water bottle, and a good novel or Kindle (your choice)

-Peacefully read on for two hours.

-Make friends post-reading sessions if you wish to.

-Join the next session.

-Spread the word.