It all began with a story Shweta Govind put out on Instagram in January 2024. “I just posted a text saying I’d like to begin a club for reading and arts, and was looking forward to hearing from people who would like to join me on this journey,” she recalls. The responses encouraged her to organise a reading session at a local cafe, combined with a calligraphy and art workshop, and the Metropolitan Readers Collective (MRC) was born.
Over a year since then, the MRC has been meeting once a month, mostly on Fridays. “The sessions are generally of two types: one, where each member brings a book of their choice and the other is a mutual reading session where everybody reads and discusses a mutually agreed-upon book,” Shweta adds. Each session is held at a different cafe in the city, and the sessions end with an art-making exercise, as a means to build mindfulness.
Shweta Govind
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Ahead of a recent session held at a newly-opened cafe, Shweta talks about what drove her to start such an initiative.
For Shweta, who grew up in Dubai, moving to Coimbatore for college was quite a cultural shift. In Dubai, she recalls, she bonded with friends who shared her love for reading. Coimbatore, on the other hand, was quite a contrast. With very little to match the libraries she was immersed in, finding the same company proved to be a challenge.
She graduated in Fashion Designing, worked for several fashion brands, and married Govind Sethunath, with whom she owns GS Furnishings in the city. Over the years, Shweta was able to connect with like-minded readers. Slowly, the idea of a reading club took shape.
Shweta knew she did not want the MRC to be a group that started with a bang but ran out of steam in a matter of months. “Once I get someone to be a member, I try to make them stick, instead of attending a session or two and losing interest. That’s where the concept of concluding each reading session with a fun art-making exercise comes into play, as well as exploring a new cafe for each session,” she adds.
In line with her view that cultural experiences should not come with a price tag, Shweta has made membership in the MRC free of charge. The group has done away with entry forms and calendars, opting instead for an informal approach coordinated through WhatsApp. “But we do have some strict rules,” she adds. “Those who aren’t active are politely informed to exit the group, while their spot can be given to readers on the waiting list. I want this to be a fun unwinding session for people who love to read, which also means active engagement.”
The most gratifying part of this journey, has been meeting people wanting to develop the habit of reading, many of whom have now become regular members. “Many readers say they feel heard, and that this is a kind of therapy, where you get to share your thoughts and reflections upon reading,” she adds.
After a year of running the MRC, Shweta feels the experience has enriched her as well. “Through running these sessions, my own interests have broadened in terms of the literary genres I usually read, not to mention the exchange of ideas that take place. You walk into a session with one book, and walk out with 15 more,” she adds.
Shweta hopes to take the MRC, now in its second year, to schools and colleges, and get students acquainted with the pleasures of reading. This, she says, is something she missed during her student life in Coimbatore. In a world geared towards greater distraction, she sees MRC as a way to let younger generations discover the hidden pleasures that lie between the pages of a book.
Published – May 05, 2025 04:39 pm IST
