Literary Elitism and Us

Recently after Bengal Boi opened, the biggest debate all over Facebook was on whether people are going there for selfies and "a e s t h e t i c" pictures. Their concern is that those who don't read books are going to a bookstore to "appear smart" or just take pictures. The irony is that most readers wish that people would read more books but are now hating it when the masses are enjoying a book shop in their own way. At the end of the day, we have to remember that people have to start somewhere. Maybe someone will pick up a book and have their lives changed while taking a selfie. Who knows? Interest in bookshops is a step in the right direction, and we should be more welcoming than being the cranky old man on the porch screaming at kids for being stupid.  

– Rumman R Kalam, Sub-editor, SHOUT