More momentum, More collaborations, and More ways to come together
2025 was an exciting year for ILLE filled with more momentum, more collaborations, and more ways to come together around Indian literature. Alongside our regular sessions, we hosted thematic discussions, poetry readings, and cultural moments that added new color to our calendar and brought in fresh voices. Our conversations traveled widely too: from fiction and poetry to the social and cultural threads that shape how we read and what we carry from stories.
Since its early gatherings at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), ILLE has been exploring new spaces to bring Indian literature closer to readers in Paris. From August onwards, we also settled into a steady rhythm of two sessions each month, one in a café setting and one at the Indian Embassy, giving us the best of both worlds: consistency, and room to keep trying new formats.
One of the nicest surprises this year was how well our silent reading format worked. The low-pressure structure of quiet reading time followed by conversations helped people ease in, stay focused, and build genuine connections with like-minded readers.
2025 Highlights at a Glance
- 17 events: thematic discussions, poetry readings, and regular sessions
- 6 thematic sessions: highlighting literature, culture, and translation
- 3 main venues: The Indian Embassy, Araku Café, BnF
- 100 books & magazines: a decentralized collection for members to borrow, exchange, and share
- 80+ Books donated to the Embassy and to Araku Café during the year
- 7 members in the leadership team
- 126 followers on social media, connecting and drawing in our literary community Diverse participants, representing all ages, regions, and walks of life
Milestones & Collaborations
2025 was a year of exciting new partnerships and significant milestones that helped ILLE grow and reach more readers:
23 March 2025: Indian Embassy becomes a second location
Our founder had a chance to meet the Indian Ambassador, who graciously welcomed ILLE events in the Embassy library and unlocked an incredible opportunity for participants to explore books closely connected to India, in a unique and distinguished space.
Every third Sunday of the month, participants are welcomed by the embassy staff, exploring literary treasures while engaging in lively discussions. This collaboration has not only given us a unique space for reading and conversation but also helped spread awareness of the Embassy’s library and its resources among our community, which is something we are deeply thankful for.
3 August 2025: Araku Café as a third location
From August, we added Araku Café in Paris’ 12th district as a new event venue every first Sunday of the month, thus enabling our two sessions-per-month rhythm. More than just a café, Araku offers a warm, inviting space to linger over books, ideas, and perspectives, connecting literature with culture and craft coffee produced in India.
As the first Indian specialty coffee boutique in Europe, Araku brings biodynamic, direct-trade Arabica beans from over 10,000 Adivasi farmers across India’s Araku Valley, blending ethical sourcing with a love of flavour. Its cozy interiors, friendly staff, and creative atmosphere makes the Araku Café a perfect complement to our literary gatherings.
We’ve set up a cozy Indian book nook at Araku Café, which serves as a perfect spot for a quick browse of Indian literature while savouring a cup of finely made specialty Indian coffee by highly trained Parisian baristas!
Literary Spotlights
Step inside some of the moments that defined our year in literature, culture, and conversation.
Indian Women Across Languages and Translations
On 5 October, ILLE gathered at Araku Café to celebrate a milestone in our literary journey: the launch of the Indian Women in Translation Collection. This initiative aims to spotlight one remarkable book by a woman writer from each of India’s 22 official languages, along with its English translation, a celebration of voices that are powerful, regionally rooted, and often unheard beyond their linguistic communities.
At the event, we unveiled the first four books in the series, which are originally written in Bangla, Hindi, Kannada, and Odia languages. Through readings and discussion, participants explored how these stories cross language borders while staying deeply connected to Indian women’s lived realities, creativity, and resilience.
The event was a lively and engaging afternoon, enriched by questions, reflections, and shared enthusiasm. It was a reminder of why we come together: to discover new voices, connect across languages, and celebrate literature that might otherwise go unnoticed.
This is just the beginning of a long journey to honor women’s stories in all their diversity. We sincerely look forward to sharing more books, languages, and stories in the months and years ahead.
Unveiling of the Manav Kaul Collection
On 7 September, ILLE gathered for a quiet yet moving afternoon celebrating the works of Manav Kaul, a storyteller whose words touch the heart and linger in memory. From the tender reflections of Theek Tumhare Peeche to the poetic depth of Rooh and Antima, participants immersed themselves in stories of longing, stillness, and human connection.
This event marked the launch of the Manav Kaul Collection in Paris, making five of his Hindi titles and their English translations accessible to local readers. A special note of thanks goes to Manav Kaul himself: the collection traces its origins to a serendipitous coffee conversation between the author and ILLE’s founder, Himadri CS.
The afternoon was enriched by thoughtful reflections, shared perspectives, and lively discussion, all over the comforting ambience of Araku Café. Through this collection, we hope more readers in Paris can discover Kaul’s poetic worlds, connecting across languages and cultures just like Kaul himself prefers to discover the world, with a finely written book in one hand, and a cup of finely made coffee in the other.
ILLE’s very own stamp!
On 19th October, ILLE celebrated a special milestone at the Indian Embassy: the unveiling of our first official stamp, a symbol of our growing journey connecting Indian literature with readers in Paris.
So make sure to check the front page of the Indian books that you come across in Paris. It might as well from our growing and decentralizes collection marked with our stamp!
Expanding Indian embassy’s library with book donations
At the heart of ille_paris lies a commitment to curating Indian literature across all Indian languages for the Indian diaspora to read and celebrate in Paris. This vision begins with ઇલા (Ila), our founder’s grandmother, whose lifelong love for Gujarati literature and generous support enabled us to purchase and import a selection of 70 Gujarati books to Paris.
This occasion also marks as the kick-start to our long-term and ambitious project of expanding the Indian embassy’s library with books written in various Indian regional languages. As the first step towards this larger goal, we donated the Ila collection to the Embassy library. And of course, we had a lot of fun stamping the Ila collection with our new stamp.
The Embassy setting added its own warmth and significance to this event. The gathering also coincided with Diwali, making the afternoon even more festive, with stories and shared enthusiasm for Indian language and culture.
Other noteworthy moments
Alongside our key thematic events, 2025 included these special gatherings, creative moments, and community experiences that enriched our year.
New Members Coffee at the Paris Book Festival, Grand Palais
To welcome new members, we hosted a special gathering at the Paris Book Festival, on the 13th of April 2025, which turned out to be the perfect space to meet fellow book lovers and connect over our shared passion for Indian literature given the fact that the festival hiughlkighed India as the x country recdently in its edition.
Participants enjoyed engaging conversations and met the ILLE team, exploring books and ideas in a vibrant, festival atmosphere.
Gandhi Jayanti at the Embassy
On the 21st September, we marked the upcoming Gandhi Jayanti at the Embassy with readings from a rich selection of books about Mahatma Gandhi, his life, philosophy, and global influence. The session sparked reflection and discussion, bringing diverse perspectives on Gandhian thought to our intimate group.
Poetry Reading at Araku Café
Our regular sessions at Araku Café also included inspiring poetry readings from members, offering a glimpse into personal creativity and expression. For snapshots and highlights, our Instagram page captures some of these moments!
Looking Ahead
Across the year, ILLE hosted 17 events spanning 3 main locations, with topics ranging from literature and translation to cultural reflection and poetry. This rhythm of gatherings has helped foster community, shared learning, and meaningful connections for all attendees.
Founded in early 2024, ILLE has come a long way since those first gatherings at the French National Library (BnF). As we look forward to 2026, we hope to expand participation, strengthen collaborations, and introduce new activities, from poetry readings and author visits to workshops on creative writing. We aim to support Indian writers in getting their works translated, increase the visibility of Indian literature in Paris, and explore opportunities for new branches.
Step by step, with intention and care, we are building a community of like-minded individuals, united by our love for Indian languages and literature. And we can’t wait to see where the year ahead takes us!
