LECTURES OVER LAGER

What happens when a professor walks into a bar?

- BY SHUBHANGI SHAH

It was 4pm on a sweltering April afternoon in Delhi—an hour better suited for a nap than a lecture. But inside the Civil Lines Social in Delhi, the room was packed. This wasn't a cricket screening or your usual high-octane event more suited for a bar setting. People had gathered for a lecture on 'What Does Loving the Wrong Thing Say About You?' by Prerna Subramanian, professor at O.P. Jindal Global University, organised by unLecture.

Over the next 45 minutes, the lecture moved across uneasy cultural terrain—from J.K. Rowling's continued popularity despite her anti-trans views, to broader questions of whether art can, or should, be separated from the artist. References ranged widely, touching on figures like Noam Chomsky, with debates around contemporary cinema and politics. The audience followed closely, some taking notes, others listening over drinks.

With platforms like unLecture, Pint of View, and Nerd Nite, bars seem to be no longer a place for unwinding. They are instead doubling up as lecture halls, and people are turning up in droves. The attendees comprised a mix of students and working professionals.

Sneha, 21, an economics student at Delhi University's Hindu College, was attending her first such lecture. “Although I attend lectures all day in college, this feels different,” she said. “It is the environment—you meet like-minded people, and there is no pressure of an exam at the end. Also, 21 feels like a transitional age. Many of my friends have taken up jobs or are pursuing post-graduation. It's just nice to meet new people.”

Deinstitutionalising knowledge

Founded last August by Bengaluru-based Harsh Snehanshu and Shruti Sah, Pint of View has quickly expanded its lecture-in-a-bar format to cities like Goa, Pune, Jaipur, Mysuru, and Nagpur, apart from the metros.