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National Book Lovers Day | Divya Dutta, Aahana Kumra, Abhishek Banerjee; celebs reveal how reading helps them unwind

On National Book Lovers Day, actors Divya Dutta, Aahana Kumra and more reveal their favourite reading spots at home and how reading helps them relax and unwind.

Published on: Aug 9, 2024, 11:22:15 IST
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On the occasion of National Book Lovers Day, we speak to actors who are passionate bibliophiles on their favourite reading nooks at home and how reading helps them unwind.

Divya Dutta

Actors Aahana Kumra (L), Divya Dutta (R)
Actors Aahana Kumra (L), Divya Dutta (R)
Actor Divya Dutta

I have two favorite spots in my house for reading. One is outside my bedroom, where I relax with a cup of coffee, and the other is in my library, where I lie down and lose myself in a book. This habit has been with me since childhood. Whenever I feel stressed, I pick up a book of any genre and immerse myself, letting go of everything else happening in my life. I remember once when Gulzar Sahab gave me his books. I started reading around noon and didn’t stop until seven in the evening, so absorbed was I in that world.

Aahana Kumra

Actor Aahana Kumra
Actor Vineet Kumar Singh

Reading a good book is like stepping into a wise person’s mind and experiencing their profound insights on a subject. It helps me see things from a new perspective in my own life. I love curling up on my sofa by the living room windows and immersing myself in a book on my days off from shooting.

Abhishek Banerjee

Actor Abhishek Banerjee

Reading helps me relax. So, at the end of a long shooting schedule, I make sure I pick up a book. I'm transported to a new imaginary world that helps me explore new ideas, and experience emotions and adventures that I can't in my everyday life. Additionally, I also love reading biographies. The couch in my living room is my favourite place to unwind with a book.

Saumya Tandon

Actor Saumya Tandon

I grew up in a house with a library of 12,500 books, thanks to my father, who was a voracious reader. Reading, organising, cataloging, and binding books were everyday routines in our home. After he passed away, and I couldn’t fit the library into my Mumbai flat, we donated his books to a library. That’s why I’ve never been able to embrace Kindle or audiobooks. Instead, I run a small book club on my Instagram page, where I recommend books and take suggestions from my followers. Occasionally, I also give away books from my collection. For me, books are a way to navigate through life’s challenges, sadness, and tough times. I love reading books in the corner of my L-shaped sofa in the living room.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishabh Suri

Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.

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