Bookgasm and The Lit People make reading fun in Hyderabad

While most of the city is settling in for a lazy lunch on a Sunday afternoon, a bunch of strangers-turned-book-lovers are gathered at a cosy café — hungry for conversation, not food. This is Bookgasm, a six-month-old book club by Bengaluru-based Oopar Club, a physical social network. But it is not your usual book club. It is part of a larger effort to build communities around shared interests — whether it is reading, music, dance or sport, and turn solitary hobbies into something more social.

Sagar Agarwal, who started Bookgasm, says it came from a simple thought: “People would show up with their own books and read quietly.” As an avid reader himself, he realised that the real joy came not just from reading, but from sharing perspectives. “You take away one thing from a book, someone else sees it completely differently, and that is the fun bit.”

So Bookgasm was set up to spark proper, structured conversation. Each session is themed, with curated excerpts from a couple of books — modern or classic, fiction or non-fiction. For example, one session explored the idea of enlightenment through Osho’s Krishna and Coelho’s The Alchemist. “Both books tackled the same idea but from completely different cultural standpoints,” says Sagar.

The format is open, inclusive and lightly moderated to keep things flowing. Around 25 people usually show up to each session, held every other Sunday at 12.30pm in cafés (details avaliable on their app) around Hyderabad and Bengaluru. While Bookgasm now has over 500 members, the vibe remains intimate and laidback.

“At Oopar, we are not just building spaces for conversation, we are building connection,” says Sagar. Bookgasm has become a place where strangers turn into mates, where reading is not just solitary but social.

Bookgasm is hosted every alternate Sunday at 12:30pm across cafés and restaurants.

With an experiential approach

Imagine this: an author drops in for a book club session to share behind-the-scenes stories, a sketch artist teaches you how to draw Manga, or a history professor joins to bust a few myths. That is The Lit People for you — a four-month-old book club that is not just about reading, but about experience-led, thoughtful engagement.

Founded by book lovers Kalpana Sinha and Unnati Ved, The Lit People is trying to break the mould of typical book clubs. Before launching in February, the duo spent time researching existing clubs in the city — understanding what worked, what did not, and how they could offer something more layered and meaningful.

They also introduced a membership model to keep the sessions intentional and engaging. There are two options — an annual plan for ₹7,650 or a two-book, two-event starter for ₹2,295. “We didn’t want it to be just another free-for-all where no one reads the book. The idea is to keep it structured and respectful of everyone’s time,” says Unnati, who left a finance job in 2017 to start Eager Kids, a creative reading club for children and teens.

At Eager Kids, young readers do not just read books, they also participate in activities based on the book’s themes. Unnati wanted adults to experience this, too. So when she casually mentioned the idea at a party hosted by Kalpana — her senior from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai — the spark caught fire.

And it is not just aimed at seasoned readers. “We want to include people who want to read but are not sure how to begin,” says Kalpana. Their very first event, based on Dear Mrs Bird, featured a surprise guest: author AJ Pearce herself, who joined virtually. Fifty readers at the Centre for Organisation and Development were treated to a lively, interactive session.

The venues shift depending on the book’s theme, and food is always part of the experience, making it equal parts literary and social. To keep the momentum going, Unnati sends daily insights and trivia via WhatsApp to help readers connect more deeply with the book. For their Circe session on May 18, she sent an image of an ancient scroll that had readers guessing the chapters connected to the Greek myth.

Next up? A session with history professor Anindita Mukhopadhyay, who will be myth-busting as the group dives into Circe.

The Lit People meet on the third Saturday of every month.