Hyderabad is slowly experimenting with and developing a book cafe culture

HYDERABAD:  Ever wonder what happened to the love for libraries in this digital world? Do you think about where book lovers go to seek their solace outside of their homes, now that libraries are dwindling? In today’s digital age, hardbound books are not to be found easily and this has led to the closure of many libraries. 

But now, bibliophiles can sit back with a cup of coffee and a their favourite title as Hyderabad has found an alternative. The city has slowly begun experimenting and developing a book cafe culture, wherein one can sit with a hardbound book and take in its signature smell while sipping on a beverage of their choice. Book lovers can get down to serious binge-reading with a plate of fries, pasta or smoothies. 

Comic Social, the city’s first comic-themed cafe in Jubilee Hills splashed with graffiti of Marvel and DC superheroes, is a true delight for comic fanatics. The cafe that dishes out Italian and continental food — pizzas, cottage cheese nuggets, lamb burgers and lasagna — has a wide variety of comics and a dedicated shelf of rare finds.

The comics range from Tinkle, Chacha Chaudhary, Marvel and DC to Anime, and are curated by publishers from Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and China. Rohit Madadi and Sandeep Pattem, business partners who run the cafe, say it is important to keep the culture of reading books alive as this is a form for recreation. “Books are a man’s best friend and the culture of reading should not dwindle. The idea behind the book cafe culture is to provide a space for people to relax and read, while munching on food,” Rohit says. 

He goes on to say that the culture is thriving in the world as books now are an expensive buy.  This can be sorted out by such cafes which provide free books to read. “The idea of the cafe is to give book lovers a comfy, homely space to read comics while enjoy our food,” he says. 

Nishanth Sinha, the founder of Roastery Coffee House in Banjara Hills, says the cafe culture which was inspired by foreign countries is now seeping into the city. According to him, mixing food and books is a great idea as it is “the perfect combination”.  Roastery, apart from serving signature dishes such as fried eggs sausage, paprika cheese balls, chicken wings and burrata, also provides free WiFi to customers who want to read ebooks, “It’s all about keeping the culture of reading alive and having a good time while eating,” he says. 

Coffee Cup in Sainikpuri goes a step further and lets customers buy books. They are tied up with local and Bengaluru publishers as they believe that this adds to the culinary experience. One can skim through the collection and buy or read books. The manager, Venkat, says though this shouldn’t be a complete replacement to libraries, it is a good alternative. Avid book reader Ananya Nair says good food makes a good cafe but a great cafe is made with more recreational setups.

“Apart from getting lip-smacking food, the idea of not maintaining silence in cafes and being able to discuss the characters and plots with friends is definitely an added advantage over libraries. These cafes are aesthetic, have an open view where one can enjoy the breeze while reading. This is also a good move towards switching off from the digital world and diving into hardbound books.” 

Tushar Daniel, another book lover, says Hyderabad needs more such cafes. “Everyone loves food and books. These cafes will cater to the hip crowd; even if they don’t read, they can inculcate the habit. It’s a nicer mechanism to be able to be curled up with a good book while drinking some hot chocolate or binging on something nice.” He goes on to say, “It’s peaceful to be surrounded by books while you eat something. It’s very homely and that’s why it’s a perfect alternative to libraries. It is therapeutic to be surrounded by books while eating,” he says. Sharing his experience, Tushar says: “I go and plop myself down in bookstores, it’s peaceful. These cafes will help people like me feel more at home.”