Meet Shweta Jain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shweta Jain. 

Hi Shweta, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
KITABE Club was an idea that was born many years ago in my mind but it only got materialized in July of 2019 as a not-for-profit women’s reading club. The primary purpose of the club is to promote reading among women in India. Due to my personal and professional experiences, I realized that women are so involved in their daily activities that they spend little to no time for themselves and thus I felt reading can help them recoup some of that time for themselves. Communication and ease of commitment were key drivers when we started promoting the club first. We asked ladies just for 5 mins of reading a day to begin with. Gradually, we saw that members are increasing the time that they spend on reading and it gives them joy as well as peace of mind, with added advantage of learning new and varied things. We eventually expanded into multiple towns & cities across India, philanthropic activities, and seminars. The covid-19 pandemic threw a challenge upon us where we were no longer able to meet in person and provide that push. However, it also gave us the opportunity to expand our presence online and to a wider range of audience, including the international members. It also started our interactions with authors on various social media platforms wherein authors talk to our members about their books. I’m very proud that many widely acclaimed authors and publishing houses chose to speak with us and discuss their books. At the same time, we also used our reach to provide budding authors a platform to share their work and be a support system for them. We’re not shy of taking all the help needed from literary community but are also equally mindful that we need to keep contributing to the community. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely the ride was bumpier one. Initially, we had challenges to market ourselves and also impart the importance of reading to women. We also had to navigate the various genuine concerns that women had when we initially floated the idea. On an administrative front, as we expanded the club’s operation, managing responsibilities just grew more complicated and time-consuming. I’m thankful to all the KITABE Club chapter leads across various cities for believing in the mission and their contribution in the success that we all have achieved together. Being a not-for-profit club, costs are always an issue, but we are trying to manage them on our own as we firmly believe that reading among women will revolutionize the mindset and provide a much-needed comfort space for women. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
From a qualification perspective, I’m a Chartered Accountant & Company Secretary. I have worked for both CA firms & corporates. Currently, I’m currently focusing on as an educator where I help aspiring students to achieve their dreams of becoming CA/CS. I work with professional coaching institutes to design curriculums and provide an all-around atmosphere for students to achieve these much sought-after professional qualifications. I also conduct workshops and training courses for undergraduate and graduate students including high-level qualifications such as MBAs. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance and determination I believe are the biggest contributor is my success so far. I would like to clearly state that the ride so far has not been smooth one and I did question myself many a times whether I’m on the correct path. However, to believe in the path I set out for myself and continuing on it has helped me so far. Having said that, it’s not only enough to believe, but also equally important to learn from the journey and modify course accordingly. This is because without changing the course of action, you’re unlikely to get a different result. Keeping my mind open, adjusting based on the learnings during the journey, and being flexible without compromising on my core beliefs and principles has paid off for me. 

Contact Info:

• Email: kitabeclub@gmail.com
• Website: www.kitabeclub.in
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kitabeclub/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kitabeclub
• Youtube: KITABE Club