A country where professors and students don’t read will never be a country of innovators, thinkers, or problem-solvers.

The Forgotten Habit of Reading: Why Indian Professors and Students Need to Read More

One day, a university professor in India told me something surprising. He said that most faculty members in his university rarely visited the library or read anything beyond what they had to teach. Even more shocking, when students saw him reading books, they would ask, “Why do you read so many books? Don’t you get bored?”

This question reveals a deep problem in our education system. Reading is supposed to be an essential part of learning, yet here we are, treating it as a boring, unnecessary task. This is not just a small issue—it reflects a larger crisis in the way we think about education, knowledge, and personal growth.

When Teachers Stop Learning, Students Stop Thinking

Teachers are supposed to be lifelong learners. They should be curious, exploring new ideas and questioning old ones. But if they are only reading textbooks to prepare for classes and not expanding their own knowledge, how can they inspire students? A teacher who doesn’t read beyond the syllabus is like a doctor who refuses to learn new medical treatments—outdated, ineffective, and dangerous.

Students, on the other hand, are being trained to memorize, not to think. They see books only as tools to pass exams. When they see someone reading out of interest, they are confused. “Why would you read if there’s no exam?” They have been conditioned to believe that learning has no value beyond marks and degrees.

The Death of Curiosity

In ancient India, we had a tradition of deep learning. Gurukuls encouraged students to question, explore, and seek knowledge beyond what was taught. Today, we have air-conditioned classrooms, PowerPoint lectures, and Wi-Fi, but we have lost the very spirit of learning.

Our education system rewards rote learning. Parents push children to focus on marks, not knowledge. Universities focus on getting students placed in jobs, not making them thinkers. If you ask a student to read a book outside their syllabus, they will laugh at you and say, "Who has time for that?" But they will easily spend hours scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube shorts.

Meanwhile, we are surrounded by movie theatres, but our forests and natural learning spaces are disappearing. Instead of gaining knowledge from books, research, or real-world experiences, people now rely on WhatsApp University, where half-baked, misleading, and often false information is forwarded endlessly. This has created a generation that believes in easy-to-digest viral content rather than the depth and complexity of real learning.

What Are We Afraid Of?

The real reason behind this reading crisis is fear—fear of new ideas, fear of independent thinking, and fear of questioning the status quo. A society that doesn’t read is easier to control. When people don’t read, they don’t ask questions. When they don’t ask questions, they don’t challenge anything. And when nothing is challenged, nothing changes.

Reading is not just about gathering information. It is about developing the ability to think critically. It helps us see different perspectives, understand history, and imagine a better future. But today, even our professors—the very people responsible for shaping young minds—are avoiding books. If teachers don’t set an example, how will students ever develop a love for learning?

The Way Forward

We need to change this culture. Here are a few simple steps:

1. Professors must lead by example – If you are a teacher, read more. Show students that learning never stops. Talk about books in your lectures.

2. Make libraries exciting again – Universities should encourage reading beyond textbooks. Libraries should be places of discussion, debate, and curiosity.

3. Change the way we test students – Exams should focus on application and understanding, not just memorization. If students are rewarded for thinking rather than cramming, they will naturally start reading more.

4. Break the syllabus cage – A student should be encouraged to read books outside their course. If someone is studying engineering, let them read philosophy. If someone is studying medicine, let them read history.

5. Promote a reading culture at home – Parents should encourage children to read for fun, not just for exams. A home where books are valued creates lifelong readers.

Final Thought

A country where professors and students don’t read will never be a country of innovators, thinkers, or problem-solvers. But even worse, a country where movie theatres outnumber libraries, where nature is replaced by concrete, and where learning is dependent on WhatsApp University will never progress intellectually.

The day we stop reading is the day we stop growing. And the day we stop growing is the day we start falling behind.

So, the next time someone asks, "Why do you read so many books?" look them in the eye and ask, "Why don’t you?"