Chennai Book Fair Draws Gen-Z Back to Physical Books

Sankruthii stepped out of the Chennai Book Fair with a cloth bag heavy with books, defying every stereotype about her generation. The 24-year-old and her friends could easily order online, but they chose something different.

"Nothing beats coming to the Book Fair with your friends and slowly browsing through shelves," she says. "There's the stereotype that Gen-Z doesn't read, but that's not always true."

The YMCA ground in Nandanam is packed with nearly 1,000 stalls featuring 428 Tamil and 256 English book vendors. In an age of e-books and one-click purchases, young people are still showing up in groups, moving from stall to stall during the festive week.

Bilal Abdul Majeed, a 22-year-old audio engineering student, came searching for poetry but left with Sigmund Freud instead. "That's the magic of a massive book fair like this, which will not go out of style," he explains.

The fair has become something rare for young people in Chennai: a true third space away from malls, cafes, and screens. Groups of friends browse literary fiction and non-fiction together, free from algorithms telling them what to read next.

"In Chennai, we usually hang out at malls and cafes, so this is definitely special, and an annual ritual," says Gayathri Mouna, a law student visiting with friends. She also found a political non-fiction title at the fair that wasn't available online anywhere.

Why This Inspires

The book fair offers something the internet can't replicate: serendipity. Young readers stumble upon unexpected finds, discover books outside their social media feeds, and share the tactile experience of flipping through pages together.

Even students juggling tight budgets and packed schedules are making time for this tradition. The fair's discounts make physical books accessible, while the sheer variety offers an escape from what's trending on BookTok and Bookstagram.

Aarthi and Smruti, both 22, note how their generation is gravitating toward Indian literature that feels more relatable. They're consciously choosing to read, even when constant scrolling makes it harder to focus.

The Chennai Book Fair proves that some experiences remain irreplaceable, even for the digital generation.