Duo to offer free books in cafes to boost reading habit

Using these events as fund-raisers, the duo has been recognised as an integral part of the city’s creative scene. This Christmas season, they are on a mission to improve the reading scene in the city. Next time you walk into your favourite café and notice a novel at the table, with a note inside asking you to pay it forward, you know it’s the TSW team at work. “People from across the country have been donating books to us, and we are tying up with cafes in Chennai to place them at tables. The aim is to touch 1,000 books – each one will have a letter inside that explains the cause and asks the reader to get involved as well. With this campaign, our plan is not only to encourage the reading habit more, but also to inspire people to donate to the bigger project,” says Nimisha. 

And what is that, exactly? “To build 10 libraries in 10 orphanages in Chennai,” she explains, adding, “These will be built also using the proceeds from our next TSW event, which is scheduled for February. The overall theme this year is ‘Creativity in Reading’. We are getting 10 authors (local, national and international) to collaborate with theatre groups in town and set up 10 tents – each tent will see the gist of that particular writer’s novel brought to life by the actors. Basically, people will walk into a tent and be transported into the world of the book, while interacting with the author as well to enhance the experience.” 

The books are scheduled to be placed across cafes on Christmas Day, December 25, and the duo is keeping its fingers crossed that Chennaiites will take it upon themselves to pay it forward.