Every semester, I include an assignment in my Communication course on reading a book. The students select a book (other than their textbooks) they haven't yet read and present a review toward the semester's end. For three years now, each batch has shown a similar pattern. There are broadly three groups. The students in one group buy the book well in advance, read it, devour it, and present it to the class in a way that shows they read it. The students in the second group select the book very late in the semester (including borrowing or downloading e-books), read it, and eventually realize that it was an exciting assignment. Finally, some students do not buy or read any books. They download, borrow, or create AI PowerPoint slides and present the review in a way that shows they did not read. A few students are at the borderline of these groups or present previously read books.

There could be multiple reasons why students in every batch indicate similar patterns. One, I am probably not able to convince them as an instructor. Two, the students are lazy, and procrastination is a common trait. Three, they may be overburdened with assignments. Four, anything that is compulsory is usually not enjoyable. Five, not everyone is a reader; our personalities determine whether we enjoy reading.

As an instructor, evaluating presentations that lack fervor and depth is a little disappointing. However, it is common to experience diverse intensity of effort while evaluating a large batch. From a different point of view, which is why I am writing this blog, I wish to highlight the increasing pressure among us to read as a hobby, to buy, collect, and sometimes hoard books, and even to set up book racks during Zoom calls. The pressure to be a reader or to be believed a reader seems to be spreading. Deep inside, it is a bit scary, funny, and somewhat sad.

My grandmother never went to school, but she read all religious texts independently for the sheer joy of reading. She knew several verses and quotes by heart. But I grew up in a context where slowly "reading books" was equated to "studying," and pleasure was mostly derived from television, cinema, food, trips, or get-togethers with friends and family. But this did not undermine the traditions, values, and knowledge we imbibed from our elders - it came in myriad ways through their life experiences, hard work, and interactions with their elders, peers, friends, and family. The people around me, in that context, lead simple and fulfilling lives without any social media presence but intense, hot debates over hot tea with friends and family members. They lead excellent quality lives without reading any books except textbooks.

It is surprising to see social media posts competing on who reads more, reels explaining ten books that change life, and YouTube videos on ten-minute summaries. There are often conversations in parents' WhatsApp groups on how to inculcate reading habits among children. I am not against the significance and value of reading or the smell of a hard-bound copy. I earn my livelihood out of reading and writing. However, I feel sad when reading is reduced to another expectation from the next generation rather than allowing them to explore the joy of reading independently.

There are lives, super-happy lives, even without reading. Sometimes, reading can be detrimental. Why and how? One, the pressure to do what the world expects you to do kills joy in tasks; forced reading may do more harm than good. Two, the classic old saying that ignorance is bliss holds true. Reading may arouse desires that never existed and expose one to ideas that never germinated, raising questions that create restlessness and anxiety. Three, everyone may not enjoy reading. Our brains are different, and so are our personalities. Our mental abilities and physical capabilities are diverse, too. We do not share similar interests as human beings. This is a delight, rather than a disappointment, that we all are made for diverse tasks. Four, our contexts differ, and so do our exposures, which make some of us develop a reading habit, and some of us do not inculcate it. Five, things done only to portray a "perfect life" may never bring happiness. They complicate life by driving one to continuously keep up and eventually becoming tired of following trends.

Reading is a pleasure, but only if pursued as a pleasure, not for impression or image management. Uploading an image of a book with a coffee cup is okay if one feels low, but it may not be the solution to one's troubles. It is only a makeshift arrangement to increase dopamine levels and feel better for a few hours. The only way out is to find one's calling. If reading is not one's calling, let's say it out loud: I shall never read just because it is "elite" to read. I shall read for myself, for my joy and my pleasure. Otherwise, there is a lot to learn from the school of life. Last month, my babysitter taught me how to peel and cut a cucumber correctly, which I could not learn even after reading a hundred books.