Pustaka welcomes readers of all age groups with varied membership plans.
| Photo Credit: Siddhant Thakur
Pustaka, a new library in Manikonda, Hyderabad, greets visitors with a generous section of children’s books, stocking volumes of Amar Chitra Katha, Tintin, Roald Dahl and several young adult fiction titles. “Children form the majority of our visitors and readers. Some stop by on their way back home from school and spend an hour at the reading room,” says Rohith Kesharaju, the librarian. A small reading room doubles up as an activity centre during storytelling and book reading sessions.
Pustaka (@pustaka_hyderabad on Instagram) opened its doors in late September and positions itself as a library for all age groups. A brainchild of Mallika Pathi, a CPA auditor, and creative graphic designer Divya Pathi, the 1,000 square foot library has over 3,000 books, curated by Sofia Bhattacharya and Abhishek Shankar. The books here go well beyond the usual suspects one would find in retail bookstores. Pustaka is a new addition to Hyderabad following Wild Geese (@wildgeese.library) in Nallagandla and Appuworld (@appuworldlibrary) in Financial District.
The founders of Pustaka were clear that they wanted to stoke curiosity in every age group. Segregated broadly into history, biography and memoirs, arts and culture, history, literary fiction, romance, mystery and thrillers, among other sections, the collection includes popular and rare titles.
For instance, in the arts section one would find Syd Field’s Four Screenplays: A Study in American Screenplays, as well as Gayatri Chatterjee’s Awara that deep dives into Raj Kapoor’s eponymous film.
Divya and Mallika Pathi, founders of Pustaka.
| Photo Credit:
Siddhant Thakur
A vintage collection features 400 well-thumbed classics. Members are encouraged to read these titles only at the library, given the fragility of these books. Thomas Mann’s Confessions of Felix Krull, Kipling’s India – Rudyard Kipling’s first anthology in India, and Tony Barr’s Acting For The Camera are among the titles.
Pustaka offers varied memberships for beginners and avid readers, beginning ₹299 a month. For those who live further away from Manikonda and may visit the library sparingly, there is a day pass option at ₹99. The library has a delivery service option for those who prefer home delivery of books.
The idea of Pustaka emerged when Divya, mother of a five-year-old, observed the lack of access to a range of books in several families. Through the library, Mallika and Divya hope to foster interactive sessions.
“We want to keep these sessions affordable to everyone. When we learnt that some storytellers charge a high fee, we decided to invite members who we know can narrate stories well and encourage them to be storytellers,” says Mallika.
Pustaka library has a reading room that doubles up as an activity centre for small groups.
| Photo Credit:
Siddhant Thakur
Divya observes how parents and grandparents accompanying children are getting back to reading, and adds, “We hope to increase the collection of books, including Telugu titles. We want more people to disconnect from their digital screens and spend time reading.”
Pustaka will soon open a small cafe. The long-term plan is to open a chain of neighbourhood libraries in the city.
Published – December 11, 2025 03:09 pm IST
