Mumbai Everything about the Cricket Club of India (CCI) is steeped in history—from its lush green cricket ground to the iconic club house adjoining the CK Nayudu Hall to the spiral staircase bridging the floors.
The club’s library is no exception, with its inception dating back to over five decades, through the efforts of Sir Homi Mody, the former president of CCI. That library is now set for a revamp in terms of both style and significance.
The redesign, conceived and executed by renowned city-based designer Pravir Sethi in collaboration with Canadian Wood, will see the library spread across 4,500 square feet on the fourth floor of the club’s commercial building. It is expected to be completed in a couple of months.
A separate section dedicated for kids—the club also houses a reference library for cricket nuts and a reading room with newspapers and magazines—will now be combined into this sprawling refurbished space, with elements of nature a key ingredient to it. The arrangement of bookshelves will resemble branches of trees with plenty of scope for natural light to pass through and brighten the library.
The idea roots back to 2014 when CCI management had asked a few architects to present their concept of a library for a space that was also partly outdoors. Sethi’s presentation had been shortlisted then but not selected. The club approached Sethi again in 2019 to take over the project, this time in a fully indoor yet much bigger space on the fourth floor.
“In the earlier plan, there was scope for us to work with some open space. Here, the indoor-outdoor connection is not there, so we compensated that in our design,” Sethi said. “Kids usually love to sit under trees and read, so we thought of a design with something around trees and also ensure we maintain maximum light by allowing the sunlight to filter in.”
The thinking behind offering a vibrant, uniquely designed and brightly lit library also had a lot to do with its usage of late. While it houses a wide range of books—over and above the boundaries of cricketing history—it was increasingly observed that not many would actually sit in it and read, although it remained open seven days a week.
“The challenge in this day and age for people who don’t read or those who read on screens is—how does a library stay relevant?” Sethi said. “Even those who still read physical books would usually just come in and get out. We had to create an inspiring space that is well lit, bright and gives people a reason to stay there and read.”
The other cog in the innovative wheel was expanding the conventional definition of a library itself.
“This will also have a dedicated space for events, like book clubs, screenings, kids’ workshops etc. The idea was to stop thinking of a library as a place where books are kept but more where ideas can be exchanged. You have to give people more reason to come other than just reading books. This will hopefully bring people together back again and make the place vibrant,” Sethi said.
Sethi has also earlier redesigned the club’s yoga studio and rooms. He is, therefore, well aware of the history attached to every corner of the premises, with the idea of adding an “unconventional, contemporary” flavour to the “bold and understated art decor” of the club.
“You have to innovate but keeping in mind where you’re working and whom you’re working for,” he said.