Tucked within the premises of BLR Design Centre on Church Street is a new corner lined with books, cosy reading seats and curious readers. This space called BLR Reads was launched over the weekend and is different from a typical public library, focused entirely on providing Bengalureans with access to knowledge on the city. “We are starting with a foundational collection of nearly 500 books with focus on Bengaluru’s urban history, culture, and development alongside architecture, urban design, and public-private design practices. This includes books and academic texts, maps and planning documents, photographs and visual archives, as well as journals and newsletters on architecture and urban issues,” explains architect Naresh V Narasimhan, co-founder of the Mod Foundation which runs the centre.
The launch weekend featured events, including a zine making workshop, a children’s reading session, a guided walkthrough and exhibition. Alongside this was a talk by artist Suresh Jayaram on the city and public culture and a discussion with Meera Iyer on her book India In Triangles about how the country was mapped through geometrical processes. Narasimhan hopes to turn the space alive with discussion, not just be a space for solitary pursuits. “The aim is to foster networks around issues of concern – an open-innovation space where users participate in creating knowledge while rediscovering the civic wonder libraries once inspired. Within Bengaluru’s library ecosystem, it is not trying to compete with large public libraries but rather complement them. It is a curated, design-driven space where public programming connects literature to the city’s issues,” he says.
Mainly acting as a platform to draw students, academics, engineers, planners, designers, developers, activists, and urban enthusiasts. Narasimhan hopes that young Bengalureans who drop by, perhaps in the midst of a day out on Church Street, rediscover the joy of reading and the charm of libraries. “I hope they rediscover that reading is not a solitary act, but as something that can build community. If younger Bengalureans leave feeling inspired, curious, and a more connected to the city and the world of ideas, we would have achieved our purpose,” he says.