Reading for pleasure only
Many readers associate books more with comfort or joy than with productivity. Daisy, a healthcare professional who also runs a book club, says: “I find so much warmth and hope in words; an intimate feeling I don’t find anywhere else.” UK-based public health researcher Prateeksha Karat admits that she loses interest in reading when it starts to feel like an obligation, noting, “I read when I can. That’s helped the most to keep the habit going.” Hyderabad-based game developer Suramya Das says he enjoys the “tangible sensory pleasure” of books and reads fiction and travel “to steal inspiration”.
Internet: promotes or destroys reading?
Social media trends and communities have also influenced reading habits. Prateeksha recalls that it was a YouTuber who made her want to read again. Siddhi Patil, a student from Bengaluru, believes that online spaces make literature more accessible. “These spaces help people who don’t have the time or money to read,” she says. However, some remain skeptical. “There’s something so hollow about it,” Aadhya, a lawyer from Hyderabad, says of the BookTok culture. Kris, a student from Hyderabad, also expresses distaste for the “aestheticisation of reading”. They say, “When we make an aesthetic that only surrounds the concept of reading, it becomes really dark.”
