#82 - Diya Sengupta on Books, Silent Reading Communities and Consulting

On Episode 82 of #LearningStories we chat with Diya Sengupta. Diya is the founder and co-curator of Juhu Reads, a silent reading community in Mumbai. She is also a Sustainability Strategy leader in a global strategy and consulting firm. She was born in Durgapur in West Bengal. She grew up across mining towns in Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh owing to her father's transfer prone job with Coal India Limited. Her reading and writing comes from fond memories of growing up in India's hinterlands. She is an avid reader and passionate book reviewer. In this episode we spoke about her childhood, her love for books and how she nurtured and built a silent reading community in the fast paced city of Mumbai.

Timestamps

(00:10) - Podcast Introduction

(01:10) - Guest Background

(02:00) - About Juhu Reads

(03:30) - Stories from your Childhood

(03:38) - "I am always happy to talk about books and childhood"

(03:58) - "I grew up in small mining towns"

(04:00) - What did your parents do?

(04:35) - What did your grand parents do?

(04:45) - "I was born in Durgapur, West Bengal"

(04:50) - "I spent the first seven years of my life in Asansol, West Bengal"

(05:30) - What were your first memories of books as a child?

(05:55) - "My parents were both avid readers of Bangla and English Literature"

(07:40) - "I remember climbing mango and guava trees with my books"

(08:45) - What did your mother and father love reading?

(10:30) - "My parents had a large home library"

(12:40) - What were your memories of growing up in small mining towns as a teenager?

(16:57) - "I would have to buy books from larger cities"

(17:40) - "I moved to Calcutta for further education at the age of 17"

(19:00) - What did you decide to study in high school and university?

(19:32) - "If I chose Arts I would be looked down on as Science was prioritized"

(22:22) - "I completed my Bachelor in Commerce from University of Calcutta"

(23:00) - "I moved to Mumbai for a finance job in the mid 2000s

(23:30) - How did you transition into a career in the field of sustainability?

(24:30) - "In between I took a year off to complete an executive MBA"

(26:30) - What were your memories of living & working in Mumbai in the 2000s and 2010s?

(29:45) - What is your idea of home?

(32:30) - "I am a country and provincial girl at heart"

(34:00) - What is the day to day life of a consultant?

(37:00) - How reading fiction can help you professionally

(39:00) - What is a silent reading community? What are its origins?

(41:00) - What is the story of Juhu Reads and its readers?

(43:30) - What were some challenges you faced in the first few months of Juhu Reads?

(47:20) - What were some joyful stories of readers you meet at Juhu Reads?

(52:40) - What are some book recommendations?

(53:00) - "Since 2022, I developed an interest in contemporary Indian writers"

(53:50) - Why read, 'The Firebird' by Saikat Majumdar?

(54:10) - Why read, 'A Speck of Coal Dust' by Rohit Manchanda?

(54:55) - Why read, 'The Last Song of Dusk' by Siddhant Dhanvant Sanghavi?

(55:35) - Why read, 'Blue Women' by Anukriti Upadhyay

(56:00) - How I write book reviews? Why they matter

(59:20) - How has reading added value to your life?

(01:02:00) - Closing Notes

Links

1. Diya on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/diya-sengupta-410b5213/

2. Juhu Reads Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/juhureads/

3. Author Page on Scroll.in: https://scroll.in/author/23853

4. Article on Juhu Reads 100th session - https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/article/world-book-day-2025-its-100-how-mumbais-silent-reading-communities-continue-to-engage-readers-23525485

Description

This is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.