At Mumbai's New Human Library, You Can Borrow People Instead Of Books

A human library is a novel concept in which readers can borrow ‘human books’ from different backgrounds and experiences and learn from them. Mumbai now has a Human Library club, whose events you can check out.

The idea of human libraries first started in Denmark and has spread its story across the world. The idea is unique yet simple in its inception: instead of physical books, you can go to an event and meet a library of different individuals whom you can speak to, or in figurative terms ‘read’.

The ‘books’ chosen each come with different experiences or have been the subject of some sort of prejudice or discrimination in society, and they have stories to tell which you can listen to.

Through stories, conversations and questions, we, as readers, can then gain a much wider, firmer and human knowledge of topics which we can either ignorant of or distant from. The titles of ‘books’ are not based on the names of the people but on the subject matter they will narrate. That could be ‘Blind’, ‘Police Officer’, ‘Cancer Survivor’, ‘Refugee’ or ‘Dabbawala’.

You can then ‘check out’ the human book, have a session with him/her and engage in conversation. The talk can end whenever the book or the reader wish.

A community in Mumbai called ‘Human Library Mumbai’ has recently started its chapter in the city, and is going to host regular events in bookshops, libraries and other spaces. Before an event, they will open applications for people who want to be the human books, which could be someone which a story to share.

Their first ever event took place on May 28.

They have events every month, whose information you can find out here.

We are utterly intrigued as to how the reading experience transforms when it becomes a two-way relationship and the book comes to life with intangible emotions. If you find this interesting as well, follow their Facebook page here and keep checking the list of contents.