India, September 25th, 2025: In a country where children under 5 spend over 2 hours daily on screens, twice the WHO’s recommended limit, a Mumbai-based initiative is daring to dream bigger: one million children who choose books over digital devices.
Can a nation of a billion nurture a million young readers to pick up books and read like second nature? That’s the vision behind India’s tech-enabled, app-based book rental service, neOwn and its newly launched Million Readers Movement. The movement has already drawn backing from voices across entertainment, business and literature.
At the heart of the campaign is a simple idea: every adult has the power to influence a child’s reading habit. A parent reading aloud before bedtime, a teacher introducing a story outside the syllabus, an author sharing a childhood favourite, or even a friend gifting a book instead of sweets, each small act adds up. The movement hopes these acts will ignite a cultural shift where reading becomes as natural in Indian households as cricket or cinema.
The Movement was launched by Shri Buddhichand Maroo, founder of Shemaroo Entertainment and the iconic Shemaroo Book Library, who became the first pledgee. In 1962, at just 22 years old, he founded the Shemaroo Book Library with a simple vision: make quality books accessible to every family. For over six decades, the library has created and supported a reading culture that shaped distinguished professionals and leaders across India.
Since then, influential voices from diverse fields have joined the cause. Industry leaders like Arjun Vaidya (founder of Dr. Vaidya’s (accquired) and co- founder V3 Ventures), award-winning children’s author Mallika Ravikumar, corporate governance and ESG pioneer Shri Shailesh Haribhakti and Shemaroo Entertainment CEO Hiren Gada have taken the pledge. Their support reflects a shared belief that reading is the foundation for developing critical thinking and innovation in the next generation.
“India’s children are drowning in digital content, but starving for stories,” says Kranti Gada, founder of neOwn. “Children deserve to discover reading as adventure, imagination and discovery, not just another task competing with their favorite apps.”
She adds, “ Every child deserves the transformative power of reading. This is perhaps the greatest gift we can give our children, the chance to fall in love with reading. Together, we can raise a generation of imaginative, confident, and resilient leaders for India’s tomorrow.“
Unlike digital content that demands passive consumption, the Million Readers Movement champions sustained engagement with books, novels, stories, and curiosity-driven non-fiction that help children think critically, focus deeply, and engage meaningfully with complex ideas. In an era where AI can generate instant answers, the uniquely human ability to wrestle with ideas, sit with uncertainty, and develop nuanced understanding becomes even more crucial. The goal is not just to reduce screen time, but to raise a generation of thoughtful and creative leaders who can navigate complexity and build tomorrow’s India.
The initiative focuses on children aged 0–14, but its real audience is every adult who can help make books part of children’s everyday lives. Early supporters are committing to weekly actions, from sharing stories of their own favourite books to encouraging kids to swap screens for pages.
The philosophy is clear: reading should spark curiosity, not feel like an obligation. If India can embed books in the same cultural space as movies, music and sport, then the next generation will carry forward not just knowledge, but imagination and empathy.
The neOwn app makes reading accessible and affordable by delivering thousands of curated children’s books to households nationwide, removing common barriers like cost and clutter. By combining doorstep delivery with a constantly growing catalogue, neOwn is helping revive the joy of reading for a screen-dominated generation.
