Cafe Lit: A Bookish Gathering — A Celebration of Stories and Voices

 

Cafe Lit: A Bookish Gathering — A Celebration of Stories and Voices

There’s something undeniably magical about a room full of readers. The quiet anticipation before a passage is read aloud, the hush that falls when a powerful line lands, and the way stories seem to hang in the air long after the last word is spoken — all of this came alive at Cafe Lit: A Bookish Gathering, an event organized by the Library Committee on 16th December 2024.

The idea behind Cafe Lit was simple yet special: to create a space where students could share their favorite books, read passages that resonated with them, and engage in meaningful discussions about literature. It wasn’t a formal seminar or a structured academic event — it was a warm, intimate gathering of 24 students, united by their love for stories.

The Journey of Organizing Cafe Lit

As the leader of the Library Committee, organizing this event was both exciting and challenging. From brainstorming the concept to coordinating with participants, every step was a learning experience. I wanted Cafe Lit to feel less like an official event and more like a cozy literary circle — a space where everyone could express their thoughts freely without the pressure of academic formality.

The most fulfilling part was seeing the enthusiasm from my peers. When the idea was first proposed, I was worried would people show up? Would they be willing to read and share? But as the names poured in, it became clear that there was a genuine desire for this kind of gathering — a reminder that behind our research papers and critical analyses, we are all just readers at heart.

Curating the flow of the event was another aspect I focused on. I wanted to ensure a balance, a mix of poetry and prose, classics and contemporary works, so that every voice felt heard and every taste was represented. It wasn’t just about filling slots on a program; it was about creating a literary experience that resonated with everyone in the room.

A Symphony of Voices

The event unfolded like a beautiful exchange of ideas. Each participant brought something unique to the table from classic novels and modern fiction to poetry and critical essays. Some chose works that challenged conventional ideas, while others picked pieces that offered comfort and nostalgia. The range was as diverse as the readers themselves. What stood out the most was the way each reading sparked a ripple of thoughts and emotions.

As the event flowed, a quote by George R.R. Martin came to mind:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

Cafe Lit reminded us of this truth. Every reading was a doorway to another life, another perspective, another way of seeing the world.

Reflections and Beyond

The most rewarding moment for me as an organizer was witnessing how the event organically evolved. It wasn’t just about following a set plan but about watching discussions bloom, seeing participants lose themselves in the readings, and hearing the buzz of conversations long after the event ended.

Cafe Lit wasn’t just an event — it was a celebration of the written word and the unspoken bond it creates among readers. I’m grateful for the support of my peers, the enthusiasm of the participants, and the magic of books that brought us all together.

You can check out the live recording of the event here -

Here is the list of participants, the works they read and timestamps where you can check their readings - 

Timestamps	Readers	Works Read
0:00:57	Khushi Goswami	Ruskin Bond's 'The Eyes Have It'
0:09:51	Dilip Barad	Stephen Hawking's 'Is there a God?' And Thomas C. Foster's 'It's All Political'
0:25:29	Asha Rathod	Ramesh Parekh's 'નદી નદી રતી ક્યાં?'
0:38:48	Mansi Jhosi	Rabindranath Tagore's 'Where The Mind Is Without Fear'
0:42:08	Bhumi Mahida	Chetan Bhagat's 'Girl in Room 105'
0:49:52	Khushi Rathod	O. Henry's 'The Gift of Magi'
1:06:26	Khushi Raviya	Vinesh Antani's 'પ્રિયજન'
1:10:19	Rajdeep Bavaliya	Bhagat Singh's 'Why Am I an Atheist'
1:25:20	Pallavi Parmar	Zaverchand Meghani's 'બોળો'
1:35:45	Unnati Baroliya	Rudyard Kipling's 'If'
1:40:45	Nishtha Desai	Self-written Poems
1:42:18	Shruti Sonani	Singing Umashankar Joshi's 'ભોમિયા વિના'
1:44:49	Bhumiba Gohil	Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'
1:48:20	Prakruti Bhatt	Jessica Pressman's 'Bookishness' and Evie Woods 'The Lost Bookshop'

0:00:18	Rutvi Pal	Nandshankar Mehta's 'કરણ ઘેલો'
0:07:47	Dhatri Parmar	Victor Frankl's 'Man's Search for Meaning'
0:13:19	Divya Jadav and Kusum Sarvaiya	Zaverchand Meghani's 'સાંઈ નેહડી'
0:24:11	Kusum Sarvaiya	Dhruv Bhatt's 'ઓચિંતું કોઈ મને મળે'
0:27:01	Krupali Belam	Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'
0:31:35	Aakash Chavda	Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'
0:36:45	Divya Paledhra	Himal Pandya's 'અટકશે કયાં જઈને આ જમાનો? કોક તો બોલો'
0:38:36	Shatakshi Sarvaiya	Rohit Mehta's 'J. Krishnamurti and the Nameless Experience'
0:43:57	Tanvi Mehra	Suresh Joshi's 'જન્મોત્સવ'
0:55:05	Shruti Sonani	Arvind Adiga's 'The White Tiger'
0:58:56	Jayshri Khachar	Celeste's 'The Collector'
1:08:00	Hardi, Riya	Singing Sonu Nigam's 'Piyu Bole'
1:12:11	Megha Trivedi	Mahatria Ra's 'Unposted Letter' and Ramesh Parekh's 'આ મનપાંચમના મેળામાં'
1:23:10	Prakruti Bhatt	Concluding Remarks