A Sunday morning this summer beckoned readers and art enthusiasts of all ages, from all over Mumbai to the Dilip Piramal Art Gallery for the launch of the NCPA’s Little Free Library. A community book swap gathering, it opened doorways to the joy of collective reading. Visitors arrived armed with a book in hand. Some took over quiet corners by the windows while others deliberated over spontaneous roundtable book clubs. Some eyes were set on the scores of books on the shelves of the library, others lingered on the walls that displayed award winning photography by Sanctuary Nature Foundation. To be surrounded by art while reading a great book is as good as it gets. The launch marked the beginning of an endeavour to cultivate a culture of reading for the sake of reading.

Little Free Library (LFL) is a non-profit organisation based in Minnesota in the US that seeks to expand accessibility to books for all through a global network of community book-exchange boxes. Running on the universal honour code of ‘take a book, share a book’, these libraries are free from the constraints of time, space and privilege.

The LFL at the NCPA comes with a musical twist. A double bass that served the Symphony Orchestra of India for years was recycled to become a moving library, stationed across the campus in the majestic theatre foyers open green spaces and the art gallery. Months of planning, labour and collaboration among various departments brought the instrument to its current form, fondly christened Dexy the Double Bass.

The unconventional form of the NCPA’s LFL bears the stamp of it being nurtured in a centre for culture. It signifies the marriage of literature and the performing arts. It was only fitting then that the second book exchange hosted by the NCPA in June kicked off with a double bass solo featuring Sarabande and Gigue from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. The beautiful Tata Theatre Elevator Block, which has seen legendary artistes walk in over the years, became the venue for the exchange and readers were delighted to embrace a lesser-known nook of the campus. Classical music from the exclusive archives of the NCPA kept everyone company as they turned the pages of their chosen book. Young readers, as fascinated by the repurposed instrument as they were by what was on its shelves, paid Dexy several visits, returning with a haul too big for their hands. After an evening filled with books and conversations, visitors were treated to works of Mozart, Piazzolla and Mascagni performed by the musicians of the SOI: the first home of Dexy, the Double Bass.

For years now, the NCPA has housed valuable literature within its precincts, in addition to leading various outreach and educational initiatives. The NCPA Reference Library and the Stuart-Liff Collection Library are treasure houses that continue to be a haven for readers, artistes, researchers and scholars. The Little Free Library is a happy addition to inspire visitors to read, read more and become a part of a community of like-minded people. It aims to democratise the very act of reading. A series of future events exploring just that and more is in the works.

Dexy the Double Bass offers a wide range of books. With gripping award-winning literature, mystery novels, biographies, young adult fiction, self-help, children’s books, cookbooks and much more, there is something for everyone.

Located within the NCPA campus, it is, in essence, a people’s library. The shelves are kept full, thanks to the generosity of readers. It is in the endearing appeal of pre-owned literature that our community book swaps find their heart. The pages exude a whiff of careful hands on them, of dried flower petals firmly pressed within them. It is in the handwritten annotations and footnotes that you find someone else’s tryst with a book. They have been read before. They have been loved before. And they are now yours.

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The NCPA is accepting book donations for its Little Free Library. Please leave them at the reception and help us provide great literature for all.

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This article was originally published in the August 2024 issue of ON Stage.

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