Brews & Books Café Giving New Flavour To Reading

Shimla, April 30 – A of its kind Book Café in Shimla, Brews & Books Café, on Mall, near Tourism Lift was inaugurated by Mr RAKESH KANWAR, Secretary, Language Art and Culture Department, HP, here today.

It is just the place writers have been looking for as they can have their monthly book discussions and gatherings, lots of delicious goodies, chats, writer’s sessions, book signings, creative writing workshops, author interviews and much more.

Speaking on the occasion Kanwar said, “It is great to see such much-needed progress in Shimla City, where there is an attempt to restore reading habits among youth. The present generation is much inclined towards digital gadgets and social networking, which does not provide any constructive outcome as usually most of the time these reels are meant for creating sensational content which impacts young minds in a negative way.

Joining him was MINAKSHI CHAUDHRY, celebrated author of over 20 books including the bestselling Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills, who has now penned a new series of books for children and young adults. The first three books of the series titled: S.H.I.M.L.A. Investigators—Murder on the Bicycle Trail; Scandal! At Scandal Point and A Treacherous Beauty Contest—were released here today. The books were released by young readers, Aahr Singh, Stavya Pandit and Prachi on the occasion of the launch of Brews and Books, the first book cafe in the town. This series is also important as Minakshi has started a co-authorship and mentoring program with Keekli under which she is mentoring three more children and by the end of the year there will be three more young writers with joining her.

“With renewed vigor and re-energized with our very own place now, the Keekli Book Club will be working on the theme of Borrow, Exchange, Donate, with an open library for all to access! A haven for readers, delectable hot coffee bean brews, scrumptious treats, gluten-free baked goodies, warm and cozy ambiance. Look forward to lot of engagements with young and senior writers, charming conversations and chats, book discussions, readings and signings, author interviews, creative writing workshops for children, a book club for children, mind-tingling games for enjoy with friends, karaoke evenings and much more”, said Vandana Bhagra the owner of the cafe.

There is an Art Wall for artists who wish to showcase their work and sell it too. The pieces showcased currently are from Dinesh Attry, a young artist from a little village called Kunr in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. Dinesh started his art career as a sketch artist sitting beside a lake making portraits of any person passing by, who wanted to their image etched on paper. Dinesh has also worked with Indian Forest Department as a Wildlife Artist. He has contributed to the publication of two books for the department. “Pheasants of Himachal” and the “Tits of Shimla”. These books have a collection of accurately painted images of each type bird. Dinesh says, “I love being able to play with light, to highlight a subject’s gesture, or to recreate the atmosphere of the wild environment. A part of the artist’s impression is captured in the subject, the mood, the light, a story, or the spirit of a native bird can all be manipulated to satisfy the artist’s will.”