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Baijayanti and her husband Basanta opened ‘Chapter - 1’, a cafe-cum-reading space in Jagatsinghpur town, Odisha recently to draw people towards books and within a short span of time, their concept has become a hit!

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, baked cookies and the sweet smell of new books draw people to ‘Chapter - 1’ cafe at Jagatsinghpur town. Step inside it and you will witness a sweet change - people of all age groups reading books.

Here, while one has to pay for a coffee or a snack, sitting down to read a book throughout the day does not come with a price tag.

Baijayanti is a writer and researcher in Sanskrit language. A voracious reader herself, she wanted to inculcate the habit of reading among people, particularly youths and the elderly. “It is no secret that people across all age groups love spending time scrolling through social media on their mobile phones. Chapter - 1 is an effort to make reading for them an enjoyable experience which they can combine with food. At the cafe, access to books is free,” she said.

Basanta, who is a software engineer, said while mobile shops are mushrooming in the town, there is hardly any new book shop coming up. “Because, youths have lost interest in reading under the influence of mobile phones and social media,” he added.

The cafe has close to 1,500 books of different genres and the space can accommodate 20 readers at a time.

Source: The New Indian Express

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