In an age of infinite scrolls, shrinking attention spans, and screens that glow long after bedtime, the quiet act of reading a physical book has begun to feel almost radical. For a generation raised on reels and refresh buttons, the patience required to sit with paper, ink, and imagination is steadily eroding. Print books, many fear, are becoming relics, loved deeply, but by fewer hands.
Yet across India, individuals and communities are working against this tide. Some people still believe that reading shapes not only vocabulary but also values, empathy, and critical thought. Tucked away in neighbourhood bookstores, school auditoriums, and community spaces, the future of reading is being quietly and persistently rebuilt.
Schools nurturing a culture
In a world accelerating towards brevity and distraction, the act of slowing down with a book, engaging in dialogue, and building communities around ideas remains profoundly necessary.
At the opening of the event ARE You Lit (AYL) Youth at DPS Gurugaon, Aditi Misra, the Director Principal, said, “Reading nurtures imagination, while designability empowers students to apply it with purpose. When students learn to read deeply and think creatively, they become equipped to solve real-world challenges.”
“At the same time, the challenge of nurturing readers must begin far earlier. At the school level, where habits are formed, and curiosity is either encouraged or lost, community-led initiatives are stepping in to fill a widening gap,” said Inderbir Thusso, Principal of Kunskapsskolan, the school that believes in inclusivity. “Even if children are neurodiverse, each one is a gift and has something to offer, and we have to learn from that interaction.”
In Gurgaon, AYL Youth is emerging as one such response. The movement, as the co-founders of AYL, Vishesh Prakash and Vineeta Jerath, like to call it, “is designed with a singular purpose: to raise a generation that reads, questions, and thinks deeply. https://www.areyoulit.in/ayl-youth
“We believe creativity is a life skill. By integrating reading with design thinking and experiential learning, AYL Youth prepares students not just for exams but for real-world problem-solving, says Vishesh Prakash.
“AYL began as a conversation among curious minds, and it has grown into a community that values reflection over reaction. With AYL Youth, we are nurturing future thinkers who are unafraid to question, feel, and grow,” says Vineeta Jerath.
Working closely with five partner schools, AYL Youth follows a unique collaborative model. Each partner school takes turns becoming a host school, inviting not only fellow partner institutions but also guest schools, thereby expanding the circle of participation and dialogue. The focus extends beyond passive listening. Students engage in thoughtfully curated activities, inter-school competitions, and creative challenges that place reading, design thinking, expression, teamwork, and interpretation at the centre of learning.
Panel of judges
What sets the initiative apart is its emphasis on credibility and recognition. Judges for each activity are carefully selected experts from relevant fields: education, literature, design, media, and culture, ensuring that student effort is met with informed evaluation and meaningful acknowledgement.
To encourage students, the renowned artists Gopal Namjoshi, well known for his installation promoting sustainability, and Dharmender Rathore, a sculptor of great repute, came as judges for the Great Graphic Tale Telling and Book Cover Making. Rohit Sharma, the marketing whiz, Dashmeet Singh, a creative entrepreneur, and Nikhil Pandey, the Ad-man and Professor, judged the event. Indeed, the judges took their time announcing the results.
Workshops
Alongside the competitive activities, AYL in the host schools offers a well-thought-out workshop for students. Students on the neurodiverse spectrum thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate-making workshop. To promote Designability at DPS, 45 students loved the Doodle-and-scroll learning by Meenu Kumar, founder of Doodlecorp Communication, and the younger students couldn’t take their eyes off Seema Wahi Mukherjee, a celebrated storyteller for children and corporates alike. The puppets, as props with a meaningful story, inspired and stimulated the children to ‘never give up.’
In doing so, AYL Youth treats young readers and thinkers not as participants in a school event, but as emerging voices worthy of serious engagement.
