Finding Stories With Coffee #DelhiDiaries

A hot cup of coffee at the corner table with your favourite book in hand is an experience every bibliophile loves. So, when offered the opportunity to grab a cup of coffee and attend a book launch too, who would want to give it away. And one such chance popped up yesterday and I couldn’t refuse.

The event was held by Barista, synonymous for coffee in India.  Dropping down at the Lajpat Nagar metro station, soaking in the winter sun, I decided to walk around and explore the area too. Exploring this part of the city for the first time, I took out my phone to follow the maps. After blindly trusting the detours, I reached the famous Defence Colony Delhi, commonly known as DefCol. Instantly the calm of the place charmed me. Walking through the roads, the sun shone brightly while the cold breeze continued to chill the bones. Delhi was definitely having a colder winter this year.

I reached the venue slightly ahead of schedule to enjoy my favourite beverage. More attendees poured in as minutes passed. The event kicked off with Mr. Puneet Gulati, CEO of Barista, talking about the inception and future roadmap of his company. Established in the year 2000, Barista is the pioneer of coffee culture in India. Apart from offering a comfortable place for people to unwind over conversations, Barista now aims to become a platform for promoting young budding talent.

The day went on with Neel Mullick talking about his debut novel, Dark Blossom. According to him, writing this book had been a gratifying journey. An emotional ride is what readers can expect from this book, he says. He read an excerpt from the book too. The book has been getting great reviews already. For a more detailed review of the book, keep watching this space.

What I found amazing was that the Neel has pledged to donate half of the royalty earned from this book to an NGO, IIMPACT. This NGO undertakes the responsibility of educating over 50,000 girls from socially and economically impoverished communities in 1500 Indian villages.

The event concluded with a candid and interactive Q&A session with Neel and the fellow bloggers. Of course, followed by the book-signing too. With a very sweet message by the author, I also got my copy signed and can’t wait to hop on it.

After spending some time talking to the author and other fellow bloggers, I gladly headed home with my hands full of goodies. And did I mention, they indeed serve good cappuccino.