Subhechcha Ganguly 
Mrs. Ashu Verma Chaubey, a multifaceted individual, holds qualifications as an Electronics Engineer and an English Honours graduate, even though her present role is that of a dedicated housewife. Residing in Mumbai, she initially ventured into the world of engineering and worked briefly at DMRC, Delhi, before pursuing her passion for English literature through SOL, Delhi University. Her remarkable literary journey began with a twelve-line poem and has since blossomed into a diverse collection of over 1200 poems, short stories, blogs, and narratives in both English and Hindi, touching upon themes of inspiration, relationships, and women’s experiences. Her literary prowess has garnered her numerous accolades, including being named Best Story Writer 2023 by The Momma Clan, receiving the Rising Ink 2023 award from Cherry Book Awards, and being recognized as one of the top thirty iconic achievers by The Namya Foundation, among other prestigious honors. She has also authored a solo poetry book “Shades of a Woman Beyond Her Lihaaf,” delving into the unspoken emotions of women. With an unwavering passion for writing, Mrs. Ashu Verma Chaubey continues to captivate readers with her words while enjoying hobbies such as cooking, singing, and dancing.
What are your thoughts on the observation that reading habits among young people are on the decline? How would you describe the current state of reading engagement among youth?
Ans: Reading books is one of the best habits that a person can develop. As rightly said that books are our best friend but the bond that was shared between us and our best friends seem to have lost it’s sheen and fails to fascinate today’s youth. Reading different genres of books as a part of ones passion and as a part of ones daily routine is fast declining amongst today’s youth. The current state of reading engagement according to me is pathetic. There were times when reading a book and sharing reviews was a sign of a learned society but sadly this attribute is missing in today’s youth. The once in fashion visits to city libraries and those book reading sessions have now become an archaic idea and an obsolete model of gaining knowledge.
What factors do you believe contribute to the decreasing habit of reading among the youth? Are there any specific challenges or societal changes that you think are influencing this trend?
Ans: Oh! not one but multiple factors combined have led to the downfall of this temperament in today’s youth. On one hand the invention of internet, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, youtube etc. are the major distractions which have magnetically attracted and allured the youth in a virtual world and on the other hand the changes in lifestyle, changed interests and mindsets of the current generation, pressure of academic performance and mechanisation of life are silently throttling this passion. In our times reading all sorts of literature books, Novels, Tagores and Premchands was sort of an identity of class whereas amongst today’s youth and society in general, the craze for a fast life, internet browsing, gaming, whatsapp messaging and the keenness to be an active part of the virtual world has killed this passion.
Also news channels, IT and television has largely contributed towards this decline as instead of detailed surfing of news papers people now have access to these audio visual channels of knowledge and are found glued to them as one of their favourite pastimes.
How do you think the rise of digital media, such as smartphones, social media, and streaming platforms, has impacted the reading habits of young individuals?
Ans: With the advent of smart phones came the messaging services and the liberty to be in contact with friends and family round the clock. Though this was a boon but as technology and digital media advanced came all the various platforms which attracted the youth with their captive images combined with information. Then with google came the age of internet browsing which with its powers almost killed that emotion we had towards books. It’s not that the Gen-Z and Gen-alpha do not have the knowledge but they are lacking in those emotions and empathy that should be an inextricable part of a human being.
Various streaming platforms that have emerged from time to time like Netflix, Amazon prime, YouTube, Hulu etc. have with their glamour and magnetism captivated the minds of today’s youth and their programs now top the charts of topics of discussions amongst the current generation.
In your opinion, what are the potential consequences of the decreasing reading habit among youth?
How might it affect their cognitive development, critical thinking skills, and overall knowledge?
Ans: See there’s no point commenting on the level of overall knowledge because today’s youth is fairly knowledgeable. Moreover with the internet at our service gaining access to any and every information that we need is just a click away. So gaining knowledge is something that is still there but the question is that in which direction.
With the current generation becoming more career-oriented the focus has shifted to reading materials related to their particular courses. They browse the internet to get quick information to their subjects and projects and not to read those moral stories and novels that had lot’s in store to affect the mind and create emotions. Reading that was once considered to be a strong mental exercise and the most important tool towards development of critical thinking and analytical skills filling the brains with plethora of knowledge and aiding them relate practicality with what they had read, thus helping them in their cognitive development has now taken a backseat and with this have been subordinated the emotions and all round development of an individual.
And this according to me is very dangerous for our society because a healthy society needs not only good professionals, businessmen or knowledgeable people but it also requires them to have that ability to critically examine all the aspects of life and work accordingly which seems missing in today’s youth.
Are there any differences in reading preferences between different age groups within the youth? Do you think certain genres or formats are more appealing to them than others?
Ans: Talking about different genres fiction has always topped the charts for youths. Be it romantic or thriller or horror for that matter, it never fails to attract them. Poetries and shayaries are also liked but have lesser followers. But these days non-fiction too has gathered a lot of attention and these books are becoming the new best sellers. Be it biographies or the psychology of life or topics related to day to day emotions and struggles, mental health and relationships, art of living etc. they are emerging as new favorites amongst youth.
And talking about formats, definitely the audio and video formats and ebooks are preferred over physical books by today’s youth for their convenience and ease of access.
Do you think reading in non-traditional formats, such as e-books, audiobooks, or interactive apps, can help revive the interest of young people in reading? How do these formats compare to traditional print books in terms of engagement?
Ans: Yes definitely, the nontraditional formats like ebooks, audio books or other interactive tools can definitely revive the interest towards literature, one due to their easy availability and secondly due to their reach, portability and convenience of use. They are available at the touch of a finger. Hence time consumed and hassles encountered in searching volumes to find ones desired content are bypassed. And they are definitely more engaging as they come loaded with a lot of accessibility features and multimedia elements like audio versions and eye capturing images. But at the same they can become a great source of distraction due to unwanted links popping up in between and misleading advertisements that have the capability to carry a person in a different world altogether and some technical issues, in addition to the eye strain and mental strain caused by to the rays emitted by electronic devices.
On the other hand, physical books help a person stay more focussed, helps in developing empathy and love along with the ocean of knowledge that is gained by searching libraries. Also many studies have proved that our brain remains peaceful and retains the information gathered while reading physical books in a much better way and for a much longer duration.
What role do schools and educational institutions play in fostering a love for reading among students? Are there any changes that could be made to curriculum or teaching approaches to address the decline in reading habits?
Ans: Schools and educational institutions definitely have an important role to play in inculcating the habit of reading in children. It needs to be ensured that emphasis is laid on reading by the teachers. Students should be taught about importance of reading.
Regular reading sessions and reading competitions could also be held at various levels in schools to make children develop an interest towards reading and make it a regular part of their routine. Illustrative and eye-catching books can be introduced for junior kids other than their curriculum books so that they get attracted by them and prefer to spend time with those books rather than the electronic media.
How do you envision the future of reading, given the current trends? What can be done to ensure that reading remains a valuable and enjoyable activity for young people in the digital age?
Ans: Given the number of eye-catching hypnotic distractions in today’s world, reading definitely has already taken a backseat and will continue to shrink further. Today’s youth has lost touch with books. Those emotions are not there. Talking about students, they are also under immense pressure to perform hence the concept of reading for value addition has been lost. Also the effects of social media are leading to this growing apathy towards books.
Though it’s difficult to revive their interests in print media but here electronic media can come to our rescue. Good books should be made easily available as ebooks which the youth can access at their behest. Today I see many readathons also being organised by various publishing houses and many online groups which is quite enjoyable and definitely a good move. In addition to it, book giveaway competitions and combined book reading sessions could be organised in an enjoyable way like writing on various prompts, tagging friends and encouraging them also to take part because on one hand this would inculcate a sense of competition amongst youth and on the other they will develop emotion with the books they win.
Can you discuss any personal experiences or anecdotes that highlight the positive impact of reading on a young person’s development? How can such stories inspire others to cultivate a reading habit?
Ans: Not one but many personal experiences are there and if I start talking about the list would be endless, but to mention a few, the first word that always comes to mind is UNNECESSARILY. I remember how we used to have reading sessions during our schooling days where teachers used to make us all read a paragraph eache one by one from the topic she had to teach that day and then explained to us what we’d read. One day, during my turn, as a seventh grader, I encountered this tongue twister for the first time. “Unne.. necesese….sarily” with great difficulty I pronounced it, I still remember, but for the first and last time. So that is how we were taught to spell words, build vocabulary, gain command over language and in depth understanding of the topic as we had to immerse ourselves completely to read properly. Thus I developed the habit of reading aloud to myself and then evalute the meaning. Things felt so easy. Neither were my eyes ever strained nor I ever felt tired.
I also remember my parents buying all those voluminous Ramayana nad Mahabharata tales and the children’s encyclopedias, as a result of which I developed a habit of reading at a very young age and am still in love with those treasures of my childhood.
Coincidentally my 6 year old son has also developed a love towards reading and he has mastered hunderds of words and spellings, courtsey his inbuilt love for reading. He has an interest towards all kinds of books and all genres and that makes him stand apart today as at this tender age he has started to learn big English words and is developing a vast and amazing vocabulary for his age. To such extent has his interest grown that he prefers his physical books and picture books over his playtime, mobile viewing or cartoons.
So that is the impact that physical books are still capable of creating on the young minds.
How does the availability of diverse literature, representing different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, impact young readers? Does inclusivity in reading materials play a role in engaging the youth and are there any correlations between reading habits and other activities, such as creativity, empathy, or social interactions, among young individuals?
Ans: Yes definitely, there is a strong correlation between reading habits and other activities. Reading develops creative thinking skills by widening imaginative powers of an individual. At a micro level it boosts kids confidence levels and helps them be more expressive and develop empathy towards others and also become more focussed and motivated. Amongst youth too reading books of various topics of social and cultural relevance is important as they develop a whole new perspective and thought process after complete understanding of the topic rather than getting affected by the dominant ideas.
What advice would you give to parents, educators, and policymakers who are concerned about the decreasing habit of reading among youth? How can they collaboratively work to reverse this trend?
Ans: As a parent, I feel that it is our responsibility to create an atmosphere in our house in which we want our children to enjoy. If we keep ourselves busy on our mobiles and televisions then we cannot expect our children to read by themselves. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children get attracted to reading and enjoying books rather than getting carried away by the social media. We need to read aloud to them while they are young and provide them with quality books to help them enhance their reading and understanding skills and develop good vocabulary. We need to search for such books which are a treat to see and read and on the same time teach important life lessons too. Picture books are a great option and a search for good bedtime picture story books will also help us develop the child’s interest in reading and at the same time develop a parent child emotional bonding too.
Schools and policy makers can too should make such books a part of their curriculum in addition to the subject books. Another important point, these books should have a lot to read because children tend to get bored to easily and might need something new each day, so we need to provide them with variety too. To address this problem schools can set up libraries with sections dedicated to such books and make it compulsory to join. This can be of great help because it can help release unnecessary financial burden on parents to buy many books. These books can be issued on rotation basis as homework and group discussions on what the children have read can be held at regular intervals. Such steps will definitely create an atmosphere to read.
Teachers should make it a point to make children read aloud in class and reading should also be an integral part of homework too.
Book fairs can also be held in small towns and cities to expose the generation this sea of knowledge at administrative levels and books should be made available at discounted prices. Setting up of good public libraries is also an important measure that can help the poor section of the society to fall in love with books and other reading materials without financially burdening them.
