The year was 2016. An anonymous Facebook user formed a book club community to bring together bibilophiles across the country and the The Broke Bibliophiles (BB) was born.

This community of readers, currently present in various cities across India, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Solomon Manoj, the founder of the Chennai chapter of the club, says that the decision of readers to come together for this club was initiated by a Facebook user who posted book deals and discounts on their page and remains evasive about their identity till date.

Nirav Mehta, curator of the Mumbai chapter, in an email response, says “The first meetup in 2016 was honestly just an experiment. No big vision, no long-term plan. Just a bunch of people showing up with books and curiosity. If anything, I thought it might fizzle out in a few months like most things on the internet do”.

The club in Chennai has around 15 to 20 people attending their meets that happen twice a month.

“We don’t have age restrictions. Some of the members bring in their children who are about 11. So, members will range anywhere between 11 years old to mid 40s”, Solomon says.

With a theme for every month, the club chooses books through a vote. “We just had our April co-read discussion where we read Huntsman a tamil book. In April, our theme was translation”.

In fact, it was Sudharsan H, 36, a product manager in the city and an active member of the club since 2016 who recommended the book. Sudharsan, who had always been active in book communities of Tamil literature, found a welcome space in the Broke Bibliophiles. For someone who was not confident in the English language, the club made him feel included. “The club is very inclusive and democratic”, he says.

A strictly hobby club that requires no membership fee, the BB Chennai chapter saw a significant shift when the Covid pandemic hit and the meets went online. Solomon says that while there was no significant change in the number of people in attendance, people preferred offline meets.

Nirav agrees and says that Covid was a real disruption. “We tried going online, but it never quite felt the same. What did happen, though, is that people realised how much they valued these offline spaces,” he says.

On the club taking no membership fee, he adds, “The moment you add a fee, you change the equation. This way, anyone can walk in, students, working professionals, first-time readers and feel like they belong. It keeps things democratic, a little chaotic sometimes, but very real”.

Solomon also says, “The reading scene in Chennai is actually thriving. I think in the past few years it has become even more visible because of the advent of social media. After Covid, people lost touch. I think the book club provides an avenue for people to come together as a community and talk about their passions.”

Deepthy Bharath, 37, agrees. She says that it is difficult to meet people, especially, like-minded ones at her age. A member of the book club in Chennai for more than two years, she says clubs like these are a safe space and provide a sense of community. “Nobody is dumbing down the other and there is a sense of emotional and intellectual intimacy”, she says.

The club is currently active in four cities – Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.