A literary tour of Bengaluru

A new, self-guided audio tour of the city's bookish haunts, from old libraries to independent bookstores, is a delight

- Shrabonti Bagchi

The tautologically named Avenue Road in Bengaluru's oldest commercial district of Chickpet is where I start the literary walk, standing in between an ancient Anjaneya Temple at the corner prepping for the evening aarti and the early 20th century Rice Memorial Church, bedecked with string lights.

I am on a self-guided tour of Bengaluru's literary haunts, created by author Zac O'Yeah, whose Majestic trilogy of detective novels is set in and around this very neighbourhood, for Tourific, a travel company that curates self-guided tours across the world.

Bengaluru's claim as a literary city is not new—the city's network of independent bookstores, book clubs, reading groups, literary festivals and a generally thriving literary culture has been well-recorded, but this particular walking tour throws a spotlight on the not-so-well-known aspects of this culture.