.jpg "The Nerdy Indian Cafe, Saket, Champa Gali, India")
Shaista Fatima / New Delhi
Ever heard of a cafe where you can eat and take away a book that too for free..?
Yes, all bibliophiles out there you heard me right, @thenerdyindiancafe (instagram) is just the place for you, for every 500 spent, you get to take away a book,the food will make you drool too.
India’s first cafe with the theme of #freebooks #freewifi #greatfood, is located in the heart of Delhi's south district, Saket's Champa Gali. A holistic experience for bibliophiles and foodlovers, this cafe allows the diners to take away one book on every 500 bucks spent.
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It was in March when I was first introduced to The Nerdy Indian Cafe, and since then it has become a permanent abode for me.
The cafe is mostly crowded with a plethora of social media influencers coming, dining, making stories and posting worldwide.
Some of their best-sellers include “Morroccon Chicken Thighs with Hummus and Pita Bread, Egg Chicken Noodles, Veg Tandoori Gravy momos, Spiced Potato and Onion Kulcha Platter that go hand in hand with Thandi Coffee, Orange and Basil Mojito, Watermelon Mojito”. The staff is benign enough to customise taste as per request.
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The cafe is owned by the duo Ayush and Vishal, on my recent visit to the place I got a chance to speak to Ayush (co-owner).
When asked where he got the idea of the cafe, he says “Shakespeare & Co. Cafe in Paris was the one that allured him a lot, the vibe and ambience of the closely knitted place became the heart behind their initiative.”
He further says that the concept of books with food is one of a kind and as per their research this is the only restaurant in India that has come up with the unique concept of giving away books in lieu of money spent on books. Being an ardent reader himself, Ayush says that “this is our ode to readers all over the world, promoting readership with a comfy aura is our basic motif,”. When asked as to how the pandemic, lockdown affected footfall and how they are managing he went on to say “being truthful we are bleeding everyday but we have high hopes and we are thankful to authors, readers all over the world who are benign enough to send us books”. “In the era of the digital world, the essence of books was lost. We want that joy to be retrieved and people to relish the company of books along with good food, we also wish to promote new-age authors” were his further remarks.
This time I chose a comfy left most corner and ordered a simple yet holistic “chicken sandwich with thandi coffee”. Warm hues of yellow with “levitating” by Dua Lipa and more popular songs playing in the background, the cafe was busy hosting young and elderly alike.
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The platter above shows whole grain sandwich bread filled with marinated aromatic shredded chicken with slices of boiled eggs served with freshly prepared fries and mint chutney as condiment, was a hearty meal. The cherry on top was my “thandi coffee” that was sumptuous and topped with the goodness of chocolate syrup.
The hummus and pita is just yum to start away with, order some morrocon chicken thighs and your day is made, noodles with wild mushroom and chunks of chicken will make you think about food and how much it is worth loving it and that too if books are the prize that you are getting along, the drinks are also nice, they can be customized as per your taste, the staff is amiable, the ambience is just what you need to let go of your worries.
The library of the cafe has books of all genres. If you have patience and a good eye for books then you may end up finding hard bound books of “breaking dawn”, “pudding” and many more.
Vishal, the co-founder of the Nerdy Cafe says,"it's the book Cafe of one of its kind and thus food plays an important ingredient along with the books in this cafe. Our food by and far has been the most expansive and experimental sount South Delhi, so what better than a cafe that serves amazing food with all the free books of the world."
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One can find books by award winning legendary authors like “John Le Carre” “Diana Gabaldon” and many more.
My heart was racing and I wanted to grab as many copies as possible but I chose “The Historian” by American novelist Elizabeth Kostova, a book based on history, fiction, fantasy and the present. The blurb and preface made a connection with my soul and intrigued me to read it more.
In the end, the bill was presented in a unique manner
A book that carried the QR code for the requisite payment.
After doing the needful I sat there in my own trance imbibing the aura, essence of the books and reminiscing the days when school’s best place to hangout was the library.
Countries like the UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey are known for having small kiosks where food and books go hand in hand. Here bibliophiles, authors, readers are often found sitting, sipping coffee, reading, even writing for hours at a stretch. Authors often say “the best writing often comes at unexpected places”. But when combined with such a great combination, the outcome often takes us to places we dreamt of visiting.
Didn't someone say: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
With a book in hand and memories in heart, I embarked on a journey towards home, only to find myself lost with the thoughts of books.
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