Up for an afternoon of reading, coffee?

Café culture has experienced a defining moment in the recent years. High altitude ceiling fans, round coffee tables styled in archaic wooden architecture, life-size blackboards with the menu of the day scrawled in chalk, and turbaned waiters at service were some marked features of the 20th century coffee house scenario. It is a changed scenario today. Theturbans have been replaced by the humble cap, old-world architecture has madeway for swanky interiors and a modest cup of ‘coffee’ too haschanged to ‘Café Latte.’ The overall complexion may havechanged but the ‘purpose’ of visiting the cafes remains the same.Our cluttered minds still yearn for that little space of recreation andretrospection amid technological invasion. Listed below are a few café outlets that have brought a shift in the coffee house culture by blending literature with cuisine, allowing people to be one with their own self...again! Coffee houses in the past excelled in catering to thecaffeine fix of visitors thronging post college/office hours in the evenings.However, picking up a book from the shelf stationed within the premises was anidea still not conceptualised. This missing shelf now features in prominence at outlets like the Café Turtle. Priyanka Malhotra, Director- Full Circle Publishing makes a pertinent point as she says “The sphere of the ‘public’ did not offer the companionship of books and food earlier. The concept itself was not known.” This phenomenon of a bookstore within a café is a novel development. Diverse sections of humanity of varied interests flock to Café Turtle. As you spot a group of business officials finalising a deal; under the same roof in another corner you witness kids munching their favourite cakes with glee. Lebanese, Italian,Indian and Mediterranean cuisine combined with fresh juices and a range ofcoffees and teas ensure a delectable tour to the visitingmembers.With events like story telling, book launch, book readingsessions and art exhibitions, Café Turtle brims with enthusiasts of allage-groups in a holistic environment.As you enter this ‘book land’, a quick glance atthe neat spines perfectly stacked in the shelves makes you surrender to an abyssof authors and literary richness in all willingness. The major highlight ofOxford is its ‘Cha Bar’ which brews a selection of Indian andinternational tea of varied flavours. With salads, fries, muffins, cookies,pastries, cake, quiches and pies as tea-time snack options, your literaryjourney is sure to be a fulfilling one.When Manna Dey sang in Bengali “” (those days of coffee house gossip are no more) to mourn thedeath of a recreational culture amid a transforming society, little did he knowthat the coffee house would be resurrected in a new ‘avatar’.Sidharth Pansari, Director, Crosswords Calcutta, believes thatreading means more than opening a book, it means “opening a mind.” Abookstore of repute, Crosswords is frequented by several authors who feel that“a quiet ambiance with a subtle touch of music in the background and goodfood on your plate make up for an apt environment of profound interplay ofthoughts,” he adds. Away from the jostling crowd and chaos of city life,the subdued atmosphere of the bookstore offers a sanctuary. Varieties of tea, bakes and pasta are offered with frequentmodifications in the menu. Author interactions, debates, plays are commonplaceat the bookstore. “Spending time with books and coffee is a productiveform of entertainment and relaxation,” says Pansari. SudeshnaRoy, theatre artist and filmmaker, Kolkata loves going through the coffee tablebooks at Crosswords. Says she, “It’s like the picture books I lovedas a child...only the pictures have changed.” She believes that Coffeehouses are no longer the exclusive clubs of the ‘intellectuals’, butthe young and the middle-aged too are in pursuit. “Brownies are myfavourite...while sipping cold coffee with ice-cream, even an average piecebecomes a good read” quips she.A chance occurrence of pleasant events is sure to please youif you are at the ‘Serendipity’ book shop of residing within thepremises of the Claridges hotel. Mukta Munjal, owner, ‘SerendipityBookstore etc.’ says, “Serendipity sets the tone for the lobby andthe bakery at the hotel. The store is unique in multiple ways. Bestsellers,children books, lifestyle and motivational books are appreciated by foreignershere.” The bookstore has an alcove that allows the residentsto relax while browsing through books with the ‘Ye Old Bakery’placed at hand to serve them coffee and cakes. A colourful stopover in the lobbyof the hotel, “Serendipity has increased its reach by offering delivery ofbooks to customers at their locations,” adds Mrs. Mukta.Reading a book while sipping a cuppa is surely a relishingaffair!ipshita.mitra@indiatimes.co.in