The city has a new library. It's temporary but we'll take it with both hands and much gratitude. It is in the shape of a trellis-like bookworm that winds its way on the lawns of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya.

Last week, the Bookworm books pavilion was opened to kids from three to 18 years of age, but going from the feedback I have been getting so far, the adults are soaking in the fun as well. Where else will one get so much space and be surrounded by books in the same frame, right? So, when the idea about this platform was first featured in this newspaper earlier this year, we did a virtual jig because it came as a breath of fresh air. In a city where we hear news of libraries and bookstores shutting down all the time – the most recent being the once-popular Crossword outlet in Bandra – to the challenges that libraries and reading spaces face – it's not been easy reading (pun fully intended).
Any new reading space in the city ought to be encouraged and supported. Last month, we learnt of a new festival meant for readers, hosted in Bandra. And, it turns out, it received a bloody good audience throughout the daylong affair, an attendee told us. And, it all had to do with the curation. From reader quizzes for fan communities of cult literary classics or series to spoken word sessions and relaxed panel discussions (in an informal set up) about talking-point books, it cracked a formula for the bibliophile and the new converts.