Alok Mishra

What Indian readers read at different ages? Opinion

Though I have long been a reader of fiction, the critical reading of Indian writers only began after 2014 when I completed my master degree in English Literature in December 2014. I was like breaking free. Leaving the boundaries of reading only limited books so that I could score better in the examinations felt good. 5 years ago, Indian English literature was different. Right now, it is full of opportunities, versions and freedom. As a reader, one can choose what to read from so many available options and that’s really a better scenario than before. However, the quality has certainly come under rapid scrutiny from time to time. In the age of self-publishing, anyone can become an author and that’s certainly not an ideal situation for the future of standard English fiction in India – in some cases, nevertheless, many promising authors come via this way only. So, self-publishing is not all bad, after all. If you are also an author who wants to self-publish a book, be in better company and position with this community and you can do better – Self-Publishing Network.

 

 

The main agenda of this article is to celebrate the freedom of choice that readers are enjoying today. Having many talented authors in the book market gives the readers liberty not to go for a costly book and choose from the available cheaper ones and also the better ones in many cases. The trend that I notice among the readers of young age is that they like reading romantic novels with certain kicks of excitement and thriller experience. Most of the times, they do keep an eye on various lists that enlist the best crime thriller authors in India. And talking about crime thriller does allow us discussing the authors like Ravi Dabral who have emerged on the scene of Indian English writing rapidly. His first book, Greed Lust Addiction, became a successful venture in a very quick span of time and this certainly vindicates his claim of being a successful author in the very debut attempt.

Among the readers of the age group 25-30, they like reading something different. Today, a high school student starts reading romantic novels by the age of 14 or 15. After living through the teenage and spending first three years after 20 in the colleges and universities, the career hunters do like reading motivational books, heightened romantic works, twisted crime thrillers and even the basic spiritual works. Moreover, this is the ideal age that will bring the unknown works of some foreign authors in the hands of these grown-ups – after all, who doesn’t want to look odd in the rush of evens?

Once a person becomes a responsible family member, having a spouse to keep happy and children to take care of, reading takes the backseat except for those hungry bookworms who never let go reading off their lives. The age group of 35-45 often finds the famous novels to read, just to satisfy their curiosity at times and most of the times to keep in touch with the generation they have just left behind. The second choice is mostly given to the books that keep their hearts and minds swinging – books that relax. Lesser emotions, silent thrill and cheaper twists. In this age, reading is for relaxation and not for pleasure or entertainment.

Religious and spiritual books are for those who are above 50 and anything thereafter. It’s not that other readers of other age groups do not read religious literature but they have other choices above reading religious works. However, religious literature becomes the prime choice of readers above 50, in general cases. After 50, a person begins to weigh the life spent so far and that leads only to the respite of religion. Nevertheless, in the age of fitness and the smart technology that counts steps and meters your sleep, the older generation also wants to remain intact with the younger ones. In such cases, you can always find the people who read anything and everything!

So, what I realised is that reading does not limit itself to sections. However, there are some general traits in the readers according to their age because age changes the mental state of a person. So, what are you looking to read today? Good luck – go ahead and explore your reading choice on Amazon India and enjoy great discounts:

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