“From social media book clubs to book clubs in colleges, young Indians are retrieving books not as a task, but as a space for peace, comfort, and identity. “
For a generation that has been born in the era of reels, notifications, and endless scrolling, GenZ’s new interest in books can seem surprising. All across Indian campuses, cafes and Instagram feeds, reading is silently entering everyday life.
This is not a comeback of old reading habits. It’s a recreation.
For many young Indians, books were limited only to exams, jobs and productivity. Reading was related to the syllabus, self-help or something productive to do. Today, that relationship is getting disconnected. Books are becoming like emotional objects- something to hold on to, to interpret, or to keep at the bedside.
Most of this change is taking place online. Instagram, surprisingly, has become one of the most dynamic spaces for youth reading culture. Creators like Padmaja and Mridula focus less on reviews and more on reading as a lived experience. Thrifted books, indie booksellers, and small book clubs and communities now flourish alongside fashion and travel content. A reel showcasing highlighted margins, dog-eared pages, or handwritten notes often resonates more than gleaming book reviews. There are book clubs like Cubbon Bookclub, which initially started in Bengaluru and has now spanned over 60 cities; Jaipur Book Readers and Jaipur Reads host themed meetups and silent reading sessions that stimulate community engagement through literature. On a global level, we have bookstores like Quimby’s in Chicago, Kepler’s in California, and in India, bookstores like Bookchor and the Dogeras bookshop help youth readers reconnect with reading through affordable, curated selections.
These spaces feel more private. Getting a second-hand book from a student-run page, securing a handwritten note, or finding an out-of-print title creates a sense of relation that significant online marketplaces lack. Reading here is not about display but about shared curiosity and interest.
Offline, GenZ is creating equally quiet communities. Silent reading clubs have started in cafes, on college campuses, and in public spaces. There are no debates, discussions, or pressure to speak.
People just come together, sit, and read their books. In a society saturated with conversation, silence becomes a shared emotion. Campus book exchanges and pop-up reading sessions are also gaining popularity. Students bring books they love and swap them with strangers. The book bears traces of previous readers, including underlined or highlighted sentences and folded corners. These small details make reading pleasant and not tiring.
A significant reason behind this change is fatigue. The bustle culture has driven many young people to treat even rest as a task. Podcasts must be academic. Leisure must be fruitful. In comparison to this book, allow slowness without regrets. You can take a pause midway. You can repeatedly read a paragraph simply because it feels nice.
What GenZ reads has also switched. Alongside international bestsellers, there is increasing interest in regional literature, indie media, and translated writings. Marathi poetry collections like Baluta by Daya Pawar, Malayalam literature by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, Bengali stories by Ashapurna Devi and Hindi sketches are finding a new crowd. At the same time, the important thing is that GenZ has stopped reading out of guilt. The assumption that “serious” books only count as reading is also fading away. Romance novels by Ana Huang or Emily Henry, comics, graphic novels, and poetry zines are also considered reading. There is also a significant increase in the reading of translated Asian literature, specifically Korean and Japanese writers—titles like Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi or Convenience Store Women by Sayaka Murata. Reading now no longer signifies only intelligence or discipline. It just needs to feel raw.
Technology has not vanished from this relationship- it has merely alleviated its role. Audiobook platforms like Audible and Storytel are ideal for long trips. E-readers coincide with heavily annotated paperbacks—devices like the Kindle, which introduced inexpensive, compact digital reading in India. Social media helps readers find their voices that they might never have encountered in mainstream media. The differentiation lies in purpose. Books are no longer competing with screens; they are being picked alongside them.
That is what makes this moment unique. GenZ’s association with books isn’t sentimental or utopian in nature; rather, it is real, emotional, and profound. Reading shapes into fragmented days, not as compulsion, but as retreat.
Gen Z’s rewriting of their relationship with books is not a return to tradition; instead, they are building a new culture.
About the Author : Arpita is a student and writer based in Mumbai, interested in youth culture, digital life, and contemporary reading habits.
