It’s no surprise that the current generation is growing with cognitive development much worse than that of their predecessors. While the internet has opened the limitless door of communication, research, inquiry, and innovation, it has also brought forth within everyone a constant urge to be connected online. The present generation, adult or young, is growing with shorter attention spans, often inside a circle of exploited natural hormone levels. Such societal degradation is highly daunting and questions the strongest abilities of critical thinking in human beings. This editorial has always been at the forefront of the latest “trends,” bringing to our avid readership how the business community is shaping the future of our beloved nation. Today’s piece is rather profound, about working towards the pivotal habit of reading and reflection.
Pingolika Borkataki has founded Ready2Read with the sole purpose of bringing back the extinct habit of reading among people of any age group and all walks of life. Her compassion towards building a community that encourages taking up reading as an important part of life is nothing short of tackling the overwhelming quantification of the decline of human emotions. Pingolika draws her thoughts from the infinite scrolling, hazardous dopamine spike, and gradual loss of human connection as some of the vital reasons why Ready2read has been made. As a writer herself, who has spent the large part of her career grinding through the corporate culture, Pingolika talks to us about themes like loneliness, attention, and modern life while building initiatives that inspire deeper thinking and more meaningful human connection.
She is the entrepreneur who is thinking outside the scope of crunching profit margins and actually doing something for the welfare of humanity, civilization, and our children. While going further deep into our conversation, we asked Pingolika about what specifically inspired her to start her company, Ready2Read. She put forward a great deal of acknowledgment of the current situation of modern society. When she used to work in the corporate industry, she observed people magnetized to their smartphones and indulging in meaningless scrolling. Pingolika lived through her career identifying a grave sense of disconnection.
She pointed out that conversations became shorter, attention more fragmented, and people seemed more present on screens than in real life. However, Pingolika Borkataki came across an opportunity where she traveled to South Korea, where the socio-cultural scenario happened to be the polar opposite. The curious entrepreneur saw people in South Korea engaged in reading. Whether it was subways, cafes, or even in small waiting moments, people there liberated reading to become a part of their lives. With intentional reading, she found people in South Korea to embrace calmness and joy in everyday life.
Pingolika Borkataki: “It made me realize that what we are losing is not just a habit, but a way of thinking, a way of being. That was the moment my journey truly began, not just to write but to help people reconnect with that depth again.”
The editorial finds itself privileged to have the opportunity to stay connected to visionaries who are shaping the progress of India. The collaboration with Pingolika Borkataki takes the actuality of the privilege to go up a notch. We find the leader’s perception towards growth in life to be wrapped in a society that consciously works for a robust ecosystem of empathy. Throughout her life, Pingolika’s guiding star has been her books. Reading has helped her surpass challenges worth the size of mountains in the corporate culture. Books taught her the importance of pause, stillness, and peace in one’s life over anything. Her Ready2Read has been ready ever since to question the credibility of a content-driven world that dampens critical thinking and reasoning.
With a degree in mechanical engineering and over 10 years of experience working in multinational IT companies, Pingolika Borkatakii is scaling Ready2Read from a product to a movement. Ready2read is providing curated book boxes designed for different age groups and purposes. They are also developing reading kits focused on building sustainable reading habits. These can also serve as thoughtful gifting solutions for individuals, corporates, and events. Looking ahead, the vision includes subscription-based reading boxes and community-driven programs that foster a culture of consistent reading and deeper engagement.
The recipient of the Sahitya Sparsh Award says, “A distracted, lonely generation does not need more content. It needs less noise. Close the phone. Open a book. Start reading.”
