“The New York Public Library is a picture unlike any other—lakhs of books housed in a palace-like building,” says globetrotter and travel documentarian Santhosh George Kulangara, reflecting on the extraordinary libraries he has visited around the world.
According to Santhosh, the iconic library is not just grand in appearance but also in function. “You type the name of a book into a computer, and it arrives in your hands via a conveyor belt. Members can even borrow and return books without entering the library building,” he marvels.
He fondly recalls the library at Munich Square in Germany, where books are placed on open shelves for anyone to read, either on the premises or at home—on the simple understanding that they’ll be returned. “In many developed countries, if you stumble upon a culturally rich building, chances are it’s a library,” he observes.
How the West reads
In much of Europe, reading is not just encouraged—it’s embedded in the school curriculum from the primary level. “Children are introduced to books early, which builds a lifelong bond with reading,” Santhosh notes.
He reflects on the shift in reading habits: “Earlier, I’d see people reading physical books on planes and trains. Now it’s mostly mobile phones and tablets. But reading hasn’t declined—the medium has simply changed.”
Destinations designed for reading
One of the more inspiring practices he’s noticed in the West is how people deliberately seek spaces dedicated to reading. “I’ve met travellers who book homestays deep in the Greek countryside just to spend two or three weeks doing nothing but reading,” he says.
He’s also seen people engrossed in Sherlock Holmes on London streets and lost in Gabriel García Márquez novels on the sidewalks of Latin America. “Reading a story in the place where it’s set is an incredible experience,” he says.
Why not in India?
Santhosh imagines a similar reading-travel culture flourishing in India. “Picture reading SK Pottekkatt’s Oru Desathinte Katha while sitting on Kozhikode’s Sweetmeat Street. Or reading The God of Small Things in Aymanam, where it’s set. Or even Delhi by M Mukundan while actually in Delhi,” he suggests.
A journey fuelled by books
“For me, reading and travelling are inseparable,” he says. “I always read before I travel—and while I’m travelling. Books help me connect with the place. They bring destinations to life and live on in my memory.”
“I will continue to read. And I will keep travelling,” Santhosh says with conviction—because for him, the world is not just something to see, but something to read.
