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When was the last time you read a book? Not for school, not for exams, but because you wanted to read it. Was it a few days ago, or is it in months or even years? Three decades ago, books were the primary source of information and knowledge.

Does this stereotype still hold up in 2026? With information available so easily in a short and concise form on the internet, the value of books seems to have shifted to other forms. 

Nowadays, reading has vanished as a habit but emerged as an obligation, laborious task or even  punishment in some cases. Reading is nowadays associated with academic requirements rather than personal enjoyment and interest.

Interviews with youths of various ages reveal a pattern that is quite concerning. Some admit to not having read a book for years, while others responded saying that their reading habit has been in decline. “Doom scrolling takes up all my free time ”, said Bizen Kawan, 18, describing how social media and shorts have caused a decline in his reading hours.

Most of the people that rarely read a book or those who haven’t picked up a book in years admit that it is not that they don’t want to read books, they very well express a clear intention of wanting to return to their old reading habits. 

“It’s been a year since I last read a book. However, I do want to read more books, but chatting with friends replaces that time,” said 16-year-old Richa Chaurasia. 

Although many youths express a desire to read, they aren’t able to sustain and implement this habit in their routines. Mostly because work, fatigue, digital entertainment and games are often given more priority compared to reading. Saras Shrestha, 22, who works at a wooden artifact shop in Labim Mall, expressed his lifestyle: “Office and game time are taking away the book reading time.” This is the reality of many youths. 

But this does not indicate a disappearance of reading. Even if it is less frequent, people still manage time for books. “The last book I read was a month ago, but I still like reading mystery books on the local bus,” said 19 years old Ozern Shrestha. 

When asked why they do not read on a regular basis, most answers were the same causes: social media, chatting with friends, games, digital entertainment, and doom scrolling. 

Contrary to the belief, this is not an unconscious and absent minded shift. Most of the youths were fully aware of the impact of these digital platforms on them. “I feel like the social media and short form content affects my reading by using up all the leisure time we have,” said Chloe Lama, 20. 

“I have not completed a single book since high school. I want to read some non-fiction and self-help books, but social media has decreased my attention span,” said Kawan. 

A recent publication ‘Feeds, Feelings, and Focus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Examining the Cognitive and Mental Health Correlates of Short-Form Video Use’ shows a clear pattern of heavy shortform content causing decreased attention span and less focus. There was also a large meta study consisting of around 100,000 people that found that frequent users of the platform performed worse in attention, control, and working memory, which are key cognitive abilities necessary for reading and studying.

Yet, reading is not disappearing entirely. It seems to be evolving into other platforms. There are many people reading books through different formats. While the majority of people prefer physical books, there are some youths that prefer ebooks and audiobooks because of their convenience.

“I like to read books while travelling in public transportation, e-books are way more convenient for my case,” said 19-year-old Shrestha. Others are drawn to genres like self-help, which most youths believe are practical and applicable to their lives. “I like books like Atomic Habit as it focuses on habits and personal development, which feels more useful than fiction,” said KC. 

Along with this, TikToks, Instagrams, and Reddit have become an unexpected source of book recommendations for young people.

The majority of the youths want to indulge themselves in reading culture. But students say there are fewer libraries in Nepal. “The very concept of libraries is appealing, but in the context of Nepal, with limited access, no borrowing culture, and an ambient environment, it is hard for us to visit it,” said Lama. This shows a flaw in our current system.  

When this concern was raised with book editor Ramesh Parajuli, he offered a more critical perspective. “The fact that libraries are necessary does not seem to be fully recognized by our country,” he said, pointing to the recent closure of a library at Bhrikuti Mandap. A library that was established through community effort, but unfortunately was shut down after it had not paid the rents. 

Along with access to libraries, some youths pointed out the need for books themselves to be more engaging and interesting. “We need to add more images in books to make them more appealing to youths, as pictures are a strong way of capturing and retaining attention,” said Shrestha, 22, who is currently reading the manga series Berserk. He believes that the picture format would help sustain interest in the story. He also suggested that similar approaches like this can help books to match the changing attention pattern.

There also seems to be a trend of a decrease in the consumption of Nepali literature. In a small sample of 20 youths, 17 of them reported reading English literature. Parajuli said, “There is a much larger catalogue of English literature in comparison to Nepali literature. Furthermore, there is limited specific content targeted towards young adults in Nepali literature. From an early age, we also tend to encourage our children to read English books.”

In an age where information is instantly accessible in a digestible format, the value of reading is in something deeper. As Parajuli explains, there is a core difference between information and knowledge. “When you search in the digital world, you find information. When you read a book, you gain knowledge.” 

The digital platforms and tools may provide you with quick and easy answers, but they are based on computer critical thinking. Reading, however, is an active and complex process, which challenges your critical thinking, interpretation and reflection.“When you read something yourself, you feel it, and interpret it, and then it turns into knowledge. It becomes an experience,” he added.

In an era where chess is increasingly defined by engine preparation and majority draws, Javokhir Sindarov, at 20 years old, has produced a dominance in the Candidates 2026 that feels unnatural. Firstly, the Candidates is a tournament that happens every two years where the top eight players are chosen for a double round robin tournament, where the winner gets the chance to challenge the current world champion for their title. And Javokhir, in his first ever candidates, won the tournament with ten out of fourteen points. 

This performance stands out because of modern chess trends. Advanced engines and opening prep have dominated the early phases of the game and have reduced creativity at the highest level. Because of the precise lines and openings, most chess games end in a draw. Statistically, almost 60 percent of the game's in the candidates are a draw. The opening prep of the players takes them to a neutral and simplified position, which, when played perfectly, ends in a draw every time.

Therefore, the only time when the game has a deciding result is if one of the players is caught lacking in some weird opening preparation or if the person blunders—which is quite rare in high level chess. So, winning six games in fourteen rounds in the hardest tournaments surrounded by players such as Hikaru, Anish, and Fabiano is unheard of.

To even begin to understand how great a performance Javokhir Sidarov had in the tournament, let's start with the record he broke. He broke the record for the highest points ever secured in the candidates, which was nine and a half out of fourteen by Ian Nepomniachtchi. There is an understanding about the candidates that you are almost guaranteed to win if you win five games in fourteen rounds and draw most of the others. In comparison, Sindarov had four wins in the first five rounds. Even Magnus Carlson was surprised,” Nobody expects you to go four and a half out of five. I will be curious to go home and check the games”. He destabilized the entire tournament structure.

His playstyle was confident, dynamic and decisive. He won the candidates statistically with one round to spare and finished the tournament with two points higher than the second place. This is one of the most dominating and impressive tournament performances in the world, which you could argue is on par with the Legendary run of Fabiano Caruana in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup, where he secured seven consecutive wins and finished the tournament with eight and a half out of ten points. After Sindarov’s performance, Fabiano Caruana himself acknowledged the difficulty of Sindarov’s run, saying, “Could I have a dream run like Javokhir did here? I don’t know. Scoring plus six in the Candidates is extremely hard. I believe I’m capable of winning the tournament if I’m in good form, but whether something like that happens, I have no idea.”

With all of this, Sidharav wasn't even favoured to win. Hikaru and Fabiano were the clear pre-tournament favourites. This was a great upset. But his victory points to something larger—it reflects a generational shift  in elite chess. Even Nakamura himself admitted this trend, ” So, broadly speaking, it's clear that there is a shift in the generation. I am not having a great tournament, and Fabi is still having a decent result, but it is not what he wanted. I think the trend is going in a direction where chess is getting younger and younger: Javokhir, Gukesh, Vincent, Arjun, and others. Time is running out for the older players like Fabi and me.” This has set the precedent and expectations of the younger generation even higher.

The women’s Candidates, in stark contrast, unfolded as far more equal and uncertain. Anna Muzychuk had a slight lead during the sixth round, but by the eighth round, five players were tied for first with four and a half points. Unlike the open section, where the outcome was almost certain, the women’s section remained uncertain and provoking until the end.

Vaishali Rameshbabu briefly emerged ahead with six points in round ten, but just three rounds later, Bibisara Assaubayeva pulled herself back into the first place tie with seven and a half points. You could feel how quickly the momentum shifted in the women’s field. Even in the last round, there was still a chance of a five way tie. This was the level of competitiveness and closeness the tournament had. The last round was the deciding round. In the end, Vaishali managed to find a critical move, c4, under time pressure. Then she converted a chaotic position into a winning endgame, after which Kateryna Lagno resigned. Vaishali finished with 8.5/14 and is confirmed as a challenger to the world champion's title.

Now, all that's left is the anticipation for the world championship match happening in about six or seven months. This is going to be a great event for the Indian chess fans as both the open and the women's world championship has one indian representative: Gukesh as the defending world champion and Vaishali as the challenger to the women's world champion. The fight between Gukesh Dommaraju and Javokhir Sindarov, and the fight between Vaishali Rameshbabu and Ju Wenjun will be the beginning of the new era of elite chess.