LitClub: Readers' Caucus
New Delhi, India (Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram)

Tell us about the Readers' Caucus.
We've been around for only 2 months. So far there are 14 of us—all in 8th and 9th grade.

Why a book club? Don't you get enough homework?
Our school is well known for its academics (branches in India and around the globe), so our homework takes a lot of time. This is where the world of books helps—freedom from anxiety and deadlines. I make sure to read whenever I can!

The idea for a book club started as I discovered many other book lovers at school; we felt we could share a lot more and get into some fun activities.

So what's on your reading list?
English books of various authors are proposed including Lewis Carol, Roald Dahl, PG Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, perhaps some more classics like Moby Dick, 1 or 2 biographies or autobiographies like The Diary of Annie Frank; Tolstoy’s abridged versions.

We wish to explore some French and German writers' works and, of course, Indian authors like Chetan Bhagat, Satayajit Ray. We also want to include some poetry!.

That's quite a list! How do you choose your books?
We've decided that every member should get a chance to pick one book. Then we'll discuss two books at every meeting. We meet every two months.

What about your meetings?
Because it's a student-led activity, students will take turns leading discussions. We'll discuss each book for 15-20 minutes and then have other activities like skits, arts & crafts, recipes, or debates. When possible, we'd like to invite guest speakers.

Debates? you mean as in...formal debates?
Yes! In fact, we started our first meeting with a debate—on leadership (grade 8) and education (grade 9). This led to a lot of ideas about reading books on these topics—by authors like Paulo Coelho , Randy Pausch, and Gandhi, etc.

Any charitable activities planned?
We are in the process of connecting with a school for under privileged kids. We would like to extend our activities to children in our neighborhood who do not get access to books.

What about you personally, Shivang?  Reading ... and anything else?
Reading, yes. I have been a member of the Gymkhana Club library and the British Council library through my parents. As a family we love to visit book shops over weekends and spend hours browsing over books.  [Cool....see my blog post on A Night at the Library! —Ed.]

I enjoy watching movies based on books like the Harry Potter series. I also play the guitar and write songs; sometimes they are more like poetry. This has led me to form a band with some of my friends from school.

A man after my own heart—you read AND write music! Please come back and let us know how the Readers' Caucus has faired, Shivang. We'd love to hear from you.

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