Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’

Arunima Mazumdar , 39, is the founder of Dokusha Book Club, a New Delhi-based group dedicated to Japanese literature. The club reads Japanese books in English translation, opening up conversations around a literary niche that is enjoying a recent boom in India. Outside of the club, Mazumdar works as a communications professional.

1. What sparked your interest in Japanese literature?​ I studied English literature at Delhi University, and that’s when my love for reading really deepened. But we never read any Japanese works — the English honors program is still very colonial.



I discovered Japanese literature around 2011 or 2012 when I picked up “Sputnik Sweetheart” by Haruki Murakami, which became my gateway to Japanese literature. 2. What inspired you to start Dokusha Book Club? ​ Few of my friends were into Japanese literature; most found it boring or absurd.

I didn’t have anyone to discuss these books with. In December 2022, I had a month-long break between jobs, so I decided to start documenting my Japanese literature reading journey. I just put it out there on Instagram — and organically, the community grew.

Before I knew it, we had 4,000 members..