Imagine spending a weekend surrounded by strangers and nobody checking their phone. A Mumbai reading community marked Book Lovers Day by banning phones during its outdoor session, where dozens of people simply sat together with their books. Mumbai Bookies regularly brings readers to parks and coastal spots across the city, turning an often solitary hobby into a quiet social ritual away from notifications and endless scrolling. In one of India’s busiest cities, switching off the screen may be becoming a small luxury of its own.