Reading habits

EDITORIAL

It is time the government thought of a scheme to encourage students to read

Ever since the British newspaper The Guardian wrote its piece about book festivals in India, the dust has not settled over the issues it raised. The liberal paper argued that India does not have a strong book-reading tradition and that most middle-class homes are devoid of books. In airport lounges or on trains, few people seem to be reading. Yet, at the same time, each winter India hosts over a hundred literary festivals “even in the smallest and unlikeliest of towns”.

One cannot help wondering how fair the criticism is. Outlook, the New Delhi magazine, offered a counterpoint. It argued that where libraries are “unevenly distributed” and “bookstores sparse outside major cities”, festivals serve as “sites of access”. It also pointed out that the Indian book market is growing (worth $6 billion, with 90,000 new titles annually). India is among the top 10 book publishers worldwide. One online media site argued that The Guardian focused only on English-language trade publishing. Yet, it noted that huge book fairs in cities like Kolkata, Delhi or Pune collectively draw perhaps 0.5% of India’s population; reading is driven by school and competitive exams; and reading for pleasure is a privilege most Indians simply cannot afford. Large numbers of underprivileged Indians are excluded; affordability and deprivation are issues too.

Goa has recently hosted its lit fest (GALF), where several books were released 10 days ago. This year, the National Book Trust organised its Goa Book Festival 2026 at Campal. The Dalgado Konknni Akademi released the first issue of its new research journal, ‘Sod Pormoll’. The Bal Sahitya Parishad (Children’s Literary Assembly) was also held in Margao. All this has been done to promote literature in the region.

There is still growing concern over the decline in reading habits among seniors, youth and children. Educators, librarians, authors, publishers and even bibliophiles concede that Goa, one of the most literate states, does not read as much as it should. Youngsters do not get the kind of reading material they need. Linguistic diversity is overlooked, and crucial topics are neglected.

Perhaps small-market and institutional factors explain part of this: the state’s tiny population limits publishing scale and distribution; English-medium schooling oriented toward exams encourages instrumental reading rather than leisure or intellectual reading; library networks and book retail outside a few urban pockets remain thin; multilingual fragmentation (Konkani in multiple scripts, English, Marathi and Portuguese legacies) disperses audiences; and there are few incentives for sustained reading habits. Added to this is the high cost of books relative to income, minimal public investment in literary infrastructure and competition from digital media. Not surprisingly, Goa has an ecosystem where writing and publishing exist, but are not as vibrant as needed.

It is time for the state authorities to push activities that will help the young and old nurture sustained reading habits. Goa needs to bring books to spaces where young people already are rather than waiting for them to come. What might help are school-linked reading clubs and author visits; mobile or pop-up libraries at village halls, fairs and festivals; and multilingual storytelling sessions (Devanagari/Romi Konkani, English, Marathi) to lower entry barriers. Creating student-run book exchanges and reading challenges with small rewards could also help. So might partnering with local bookshops and publishers for subsidised youth bundles, and integrating reading into public events so that it becomes a social rather than solitary activity.

When we wake up to the rude reality that we have a long way to go on these fronts, it may spur the activity that is truly needed.