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CITY REWRITES ITS LOVE FOR READING
ETimes | April 23, 2026 3:40 PM CST

Pune is rewriting its reputation as a booklovers’ city. This World Book Day, we look at how the act of reading is no longer confined to hushed libraries or café corners. Instead, the city itself is becoming a sprawling, open-air reading room where stories unfold amid the bustling daily life.




THE JOY OF COLLECTIVE READING
Across the city, reading communities are transforming familiar locations into vibrant literary zones. At places like Mahatma Phule Mandai and the leafy expanse of Kamla Nehru Park, readers are gathering not just to read, but to share experiences. These are not traditional book clubs bound by silence or structure. They are participatory spaces featuring storytelling sessions, poetry recitals, and collective reading circles. At the heart of this movement is accessibility.


A national network
This model echoes a growing movement. From Cubbon Reads in Bengaluru to Lodhi Reads in Delhi, Bandra Reads and Juhu Reads in Mumbai, Hyderabad Reads , Kochi Reads in Kerala, similar communities are reclaiming public spaces for literature, building a powerful network of readers.



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