According to the latest census report of 2078, Nepal's literacy rate is 76.3% which is a whopping 10% rise as compared to the 2068 census. The percentage of Nepalese receiving formal education has gone up in the past few years. An another field where the number has increased is the 'Book Reading Field' (I couldn't find a better word for it). Formal education is one essential way of attaining knowledge while another way is by reading books outside of the orthodox school's curriculum. Nepal may not be a huge hub for readers but recent data has shown that the book reading community has grown to a great extent. Apart form the day to day school's/college's textbooks, students have also started reading other books. This reading community consist mostly the youths and the students. It is a positive sign for the readers, for us and even for the country.
Book Reading culture in Nepal
In school or college we are equipped with the textbooks and study it for a whole year, the same set of books. As we progress to a higher grade we again study the same set of books but just an upgraded version of it. Our knowledge and understanding is limited to only those 8-10 books which the colleges enforce us to read. For a certain time period this was ok, the time when our fathers received formal education. It was ok because there was no other options. At that time period, technology still hadn't taken over and printing press hadn't bloomed fully. So getting a formal education was a big thing back then. If people wanted to read books apart from curriculum they had to go to libraries where the majority of book were of non fiction genre like politics, history, geography, philosophy. There were not so many fictional books available, there were but less compared to non fiction. So people then studied book about Marxism, History of Nepal, philosophy of different philosophers, religious books etc. So if you look at those people now they are mostly idealistic, they like to stick to their 'things' for say because that was what they studied and they held those ideas firm in them. And the fictional books also mostly highlighted society, social structure, family relationship etc.
But now times has changed and tables have turned. This generation is driven by technology. Those old school textbooks' value has been degrading as students have found better alternative for learning, mainly the internet. Every topic of the school books have been explained by an online teacher who uploads his videos on You tube. It has been easier for students to refer to internet rather than to textbooks for reading and learning. The students who want to read but not the textbooks prefer fictional books. These books are fun to read and are available at cheaper price. So a recent data has shown that the sales of fictional books have increased so much as compared to non fiction books. A student of today's time would prefer watching a 15-20 mins You tube video about Marxism rather than reading a book of Karl Marx and why not if you have a better alternative. So present day people are less idealistic because they prefer less and less the non fiction books. Now, the books like 'The subtle art of not giving a f*k' is becoming more popular than Bertrand Russell's philosophy book.
Pre and Post Pandemic era
Official data shows that Nepal imported books worth Rs792 million in the fiscal year 2019-2020 before the pandemic period. According to booksellers, before COVID they used to sell 50-60 books a day. Two big book stores, Books Mandala and New Road Book stores were established in 1991 and 2001 AD respectively. The founder of NRB store Rajesh Gajurel said that it was very challenging to start a store back then when book business hadn't still gained popularity but the scene changed and book business really went up after the publication of 'Palpasa Cafe' by Narayan Wagle in 2005. He told that with the establishment of many private schools, the popularity for English book grew as youths were more interested in English books.
But it was the lockdown period during the COVID pandemic which really established book stores as promising pillars in the market. Nepal imported books worth of Rs 984 million from India alone in the fiscal year 2021-22 which is a jaw dropping 81% increase compared to the previous year. The growth in book market continued increasing reaching a billion dollar rupee in the fiscal year 2022-23. Now, Gajurel says that they are able to sell around 250 copies which is about four times higher than the pre pandemic period. Sellers estimate that book sales increased by 20-25% during the lockdown period compared to the pre pandemic period. What actually changed in the post COVID era was that people stayed home during lockdown and as more people stayed inside the more books they ordered. Also the lockdown resulted in surge of e-book readers. The eBook market in Nepal is expected to generate 3.76 million USD in 2024. This revenue is again expected to grow at an annual rate of 7.26% making the market volume 4.64 million USD by 2027. The number of eBook readers is also expected to rise and reach 3.5 million users by 2027. Talking about user penetration, it is expected to be 9.5% and is projected to reach 10.9% by 2027. But people still prefer reading printed books and the time when eBooks dominate over printed books is not near.
Fiction vs Non-fiction books
In recent times the sales of fictional books have increased as compared to the non-fiction category. Here are some reasons for it;
- These books are comparatively easy and fun to read. A youth with all his academic pressure wants to have a good time while reading books without any mental effort. A non-fiction book requires more time and mental effort which is a red flag to many academically pressured youths now.
- The influence of You tube videos has decreased the need for reading the lengthy books. A person will prefer watching a 20 minutes video about Marxism rather than reading the books of Karl Marx. We can't blame anyone because if you have a better option than why not take it.
- Higher pricing of the non-fiction books is certainly a red flag. The fictional books are available at cheaper price. I wanted to read the book 'The Emperor of All Maladies' and it cost me nearly 1200 rupees which is quite expensive for a student.
- Bookstores also have grater compilation of non-fiction books and someone who wants to get into the book reading business chooses those sort of books.
- It takes more time to read a Nepali book than an English book so youths prefer English novels over Nepali.
Importance of reading books
Reading fictional books can improve your command over the language. You learn new words which aids in improving your vocabulary but it is so if you search the new word for its meaning, search new seen phrases and so forth but I don't think many people do that. Another thing is that you learn the author's perspective on different subjects like love, compassion, courage, inspiration etc. For a person who is really interested in literature and who want to pursue a career in it, these sort of books are the go to choices. Apart from that it a good way of passing time away from the mobile phone's radiation. That is pretty much it.
Meanwhile, non-fiction books are the ultimate source of knowledge. You learn so much more about the subject of interest from these books. A physics enthusiast can learn Quantum Physics so clearly from the book 'The Theoretical Minimum' than through You tube videos. Books are the source of knowledge and means of education.
The self help category
I think the category of book which is maximum in number in the Nepali bookstore is the book of self help category. Books like 'How to win friends and influence people', 'The power of positive thinking', 'The power of your subconscious mind', 'The subtle art of not giving a f*k' etc. are very popular among young readers. These books try to educate people about different topics that are directly related to the person's life. If you visit any book store's online page, these are the categories of book that appear the first. Students have liked these books too. But what I have experienced after reading the books of this category is that they contain exaggerated phrases. It is just one or two findings and the whole book is based on that. Every topic revolves around that one findings. And though these books are written to make a positive change in people's life, they are very less practical. Application of the methods seem kind of impractical. So in my opinion reading a fictional or non-fictional book is better than reading books of this category.
What more for book readers in Nepal?
I think the current situation of book reading community is something we can all be proud of. The readers' number will continue to increase for next two to three years. The National literature festival that is held in our country has awarded more people about reading books and I hope this festival continues to influence the youths. I also hope to see more people reading the non-fiction categories of books. The recent increase in student's craze for foreign country for better studies may impact this business. As more and more people shift towards the digital platform for reading books, the printed book business can be at jeopardy. But it is far too early to say anything about the future.
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