By Akanksha Sharma
Books en Beyond is an interactive, multi-platform reading and activities club that brings a much-needed breath of fresh air to the city of Faridabad. As a resident of Faridabad, I was absolutely delighted to hear about this initiative. When I was a child, I really yearned for such a space in our culturally-starved city. Now, as an adult, I am glad that such a vibrant platform has finally come to fruition. Books en Beyond brings its enthusiastic members together to explore fun activities, both cultural and spiritual.
The centre has been launched by leading psychologist, Shweta Aggarwal, a trailblazer and a woman leader whom I personally admire. Acutely aware of the lack of meaningful activities and creative initiatives in our city, and the inconvenience of having to drive down to Delhi or Gurgaon, she was determined to change the situation. She gave deep thoughts to this problem for months, and brainstormed with like-minded individuals. The result is the launch of this lovely centre.
Books en Beyond offers a veritable smorgasbord of exciting events, workshops, classes and activities. The areas of interest are as diverse as fitness, meditation, art and craft, poetry, theatre, children’s events etc. There is a wide range of cultural activities to nourish your soul and fulfil your need for novelty and creative stimulation. The centre space is beautifully designed, and will make you feel serene and at peace.
The launch of Books en Beyond was an inspiring experience in itself – a poetry slam, “Ehsaas Zindagi Ka” was presented by the eminent Hindi poet, Shri Dinesh Raghuvanshi on December 9, 2018. The event was attended by many people, who were only to delighted to experience something so different from the norm. The second event in line was a Sound Meditation session, which elevated all the five senses, and helped the attendees get in touch with their spiritual side.
While the motto of the centre is ‘Coffee | Culture | Conversation’, all areas of engagement have been kept in mind, from wine workshops to water candle making and from meditation and yoga to salsa and chess. Also, from Bookworm Yoga to mediation classes, Zumba to Bollywood dance forms, Photography to Worli Art, there are so many things that you can look forward to here!
The centre offers different membership plans to all the people who are interested in making their lives more vibrant by participating in some exciting events and activities. There are different membership plans, catering to different needs, age-groups and different levels of engagement. There are membership plans specially designed for children of different age groups, and even for their parents. So those parents who are interested in enrolling their children into our programmes, will be great for childrens’ education and socialization, can definitely approach us. All the programmes for kids have been thought out by eminent academicians and have been adapted to suit their mental and physical growth and development.
One of the biggest advantages of joining ‘Books en Beyond’ is that members get to interact with and build relationships with other like minded people. At the very first go, they will get an opportunity to participate in new roles, such as that of a learner. As they participate in various activities, members will experience greater self-confidence. Making new connections and going through all kinds of experiences, instills an optimism and a new zest for life in people. With newer skills under their belt, our members will also become more oriented toward serving their communities in the future.
I had a conversation with Ms Shweta Goyal Aggarwal, in order to understand her vision for the centre, five years from now:
Where we see the centre five years from now is a landmark in its birthplace, along with having sister arms in neighbouring cities. It will be an inspirational source of exalting experiences, with members numbering well into several thousands. It will place Faridabad on the map, making it the new cultural hub of the nation.
Well, I certainly hope that Shweta’s dream will come true! I commend her for having taken this wonderful step towards making Faridabad a better and more fun place to live for its residents. You can check out Books en Beyond’s website here and their Facebook page here.
