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Disturbance-free reading rooms in demand
It is no longer cool to travel all the way to the City Central Library at Chikkadpally or the State Central Library at Afzalgunj or sit under the trees at the Landscape Gardens in Osmania University. It is the cozy corners of ‘reading rooms’ provided with all modern facilities that students aspire for to get prepared for cracking various exams.
Hyderabad: It is no longer cool to travel all the way to the City Central Library at Chikkadpally or the State Central Library at Afzalgunj or sit under the trees at the Landscape Gardens in Osmania University. It is the cozy corners of ‘reading rooms’ provided with all modern facilities that students aspire for to get prepared for cracking various exams.
Explaining the concept, Rajiv P K, who is among the first ones in the city to start a reading room in Padma Rao Nagar in Secunderabad says, “The idea of starting a reading room came up when a friend of mine who was heading to Kota in Rajasthan lamented the lack of spaces with internet facilities and I convinced my father to let out an apartment that we have and as they say the rest is history.” He goes on to add, “Initially we had three students but within a few months, all the cubicles were filled up.”
The fee structure is between Rs 700 to Rs 1,800 depending on the area and facilities.
This was in 2016, and today, reading rooms have sprung up all over the city from Ashok Nagar to Ameerpet, Nallakunta to Nagole. Rajeshwari, a student who is preparing for the civil services, says, “The reading room brings a certain kind of discipline. Although I have Wi-Fi and an AC at home and also a room for myself, I took up a reading room in Ameerpet as one tends to just focus on studies and there is no distraction.”
According to rough estimates, there are close to 500 Reading Rooms in the GHMC limits. A Ravinder, owner of Vijitha Reading Room in Dilshuknagar, says, “We provide modular individual chairs, high speed internet access (Wi-Fi), writing pads, laptops, mineral water, separate enclosure for girls and boys, newspapers and lock room as well.”
Raghunandan, a B Tech student who is a regular to Siddi Vinayaka Reading Room in L B Nagar, says, “I feel like I am the owner of this small space and it is a great feeling. It not only gives one a feeling of ownership but also provides a perfect ambience for the creative juices to flow. I also write jingles for an ad agency and get a lot of ideas here.” Ravinder says, “People come to reading rooms in spite of having separate rooms at home as the television can be a major distraction.”
BY Naveen Yandapalli & Arti Adke
