He dragged each one of us out and made us wait outside!
No, he wasn’t rescuing us from some fire but getting us out of the bookstore. And this happens every time we enter the bookstore or a book exhibition.
Somehow I’ve got my kids into reading and we love it – the complete experience of browsing the shelves, reading the blurbs, exploring genres, and finally picking up a book or two after intense deliberations.
So when I hear others complain that their kids don’t read, I find it difficult to understand. I guess because it’s something we enjoy doing as a family, it’s become an integral part of who we are.
I don’t believe people have stopped enjoying reading. They’re just too distracted to focus on it.
The desire to read hasn’t disappeared. It’s the environment around you that’s not encouraging you to pursue reading. All it needs is a little nudge in the right direction.
How Reading Got Pushed to the Margins
You’ve to agree that you, me, and everyone else around leads a busy life. You’re moving from one activity to another.
Whatever few moments you’re lucky to get in between, the reflex action is to reach for the phone.
Between those short reels, notifications, new apps, games, and endless scrolling, the minutes turn to hours without you realizing it.
Reading, in those times, feels like an activity that needs effort and dedicated time.
Earlier, reading used to occupy idle moments. Waiting rooms, train journeys, before bed, or quiet afternoons.
I remember one instance during a train journey when people shared pages of the same newspaper. They then rotated it amongst each other so everyone got a chance to read the complete newspaper!
Now tech has filled those leisure time gaps. Tech’s not the enemy here. It is more easily accessible, hence the easiest available distraction.
The competition here is the convenience.
The question here is how you can organise your time to allow your small pockets of time to spend on reading.
Reading Is a Design Problem, Not a Discipline Problem
Every Parent-Teacher meeting, I would ask the parents to encourage their children to read. I would even offer book lists suitable for that child.
But clearly that’s not enough.
As a child I remember our school had a book reading challenge. The child who read the maximum number of books from each grade was given a prize at the end of the year.
And since there was no Google to give us the summary or abridged versions, we had to actually read the books.
Forget the schools, now even at home reading feels like a disconnected activity.
Reading now is no longer a part of our lives. Its moved from being a habit to becoming a hobby.
You can by as many books as you want for your children but how do you get them to turn to a book during their leisure time? It’s treated as a separate project.
Make Reading the Default, Not the Exception
It’s easy to get reading to become a part of your routine. That habit will survive when it becomes easy to repeat.
Buy a physical book and let it be visible and accessible. Keep it, may be, near your bed, or where you sit down to relax.
If it gets heavy carrying them with you, get an eReader. Instead of reaching for the phone, pick this up and read a few pages.
One of my students at school always carried a book in his bag. He would read whenever he got a chance – after finishing his work early, a free class, waiting to be picked up after school.
Watching him, a few other kids also got inspired. It always begins with one.
Readers aren’t people with more free time. Instead of treating reading like a sacred activity, they’ve built it into their routine. They’ve simply decided what must occupy their idle time.
Put Reading Back Where It Belongs
I don’t think reading has disappeared. You know people still care when you look at the number of book clubs and reading groups.
Reading is still very much alive. It’s just got overshadowed by the glamorous, competing habits.
So it’s up to you to think of ways to get back to it.
Try audio books when you’re driving. Or carry an e-book. That way you can read more than one book simultaneously.
Or take an actual book along with you anytime you step out for an appointment or commute. That way you can catch up on your reading without disturbing others with the audio from the videos you’re watching.
Figure out a simple way of incorporating reading into your routine. This is one habit with assured benefits.
Reading hasn’t disappeared because you don’t enjoy books. Its faded into the background because you let it get replaced something else.
Put books back into your everyday life. Believe me, reading has a way of finding you again.
