The time to read is now! There is no better time to establish the habit of reading than to do it in the present. There is indeed a difference between a person who cannot read and one who does not want to read. The people in the latter category are bringing themselves to a point of oblivion where they choose to remain ignorant despite having the opportunity to read. Reading is not a pastime anymore. With information now available at our fingertips, we need to stay updated with news, information, and insights. Reading was a leisure activity during the era when the Internet was a distant dream. The trends have changed ever since our thumbs began sliding and swiping on the screens of our smartphones as we continuously search for interesting content. Reading has become a necessity in the twenty-first century. It is no longer a fashion but an essential requirement and a skill that one should pursue. Unfortunately, the youth considers reading to be a compulsion. They feel it to be an activity that bodes no results. This perception should be changed. The source of this misconception arises from the point when students at schools are compelled to read textbooks that they find to be boring. They are compelled to memorize and rote learn the definitions and content from their textbooks. The students, therefore, distance themselves from any book they find in front of them. Reading is no longer a fashion pursuit but an essential requirement and a much-needed skill. Furthermore, reading is not just an activity that stimulates the mind and makes one curious. It expands your vocabulary and exposes you to new information. There is no specific rule to begin reading. You can read opinion articles and editorials published in print and digital media publications. You can read fiction and non-fiction books. Reading a dictionary and especially a thesaurus is also a healthy habit that introduces you to new words. Reading is an activity that helps you write better. People think that they will learn to write effectively if they write more. It is the act of reading that stimulates your mind as you extract words and phrases from your subconscious that it absorbed during reading. Reading also develops one’s personality as it is the cognizance of your society that makes you aware of yourself. You may have seen people actively taking part in discussions. They use the information they grasp when reading and share it with the audience. We all must develop a habit of reading from today. One must create a reading plan and a place at home and dedicate a few minutes to reading daily. Similarly, schools and colleges across Pakistan should dedicate forty-five minutes to an hour of reading time for students. They should be encouraged to visit the library during this time and read whatever book they want. There can be group reading sessions where a student reads a passage and then they discuss it with each other. Students can share book reports and present a summary in a congenial environment that focuses on reading and exploring. This should be done in a setting where the students are not graded or judged. However, their performance as a speaker and their skills to effectively use PowerPoint may be evaluated. The teacher can give feedback on the same. This will develop the students’ personalities that will facilitate them in their life and career. The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. He can be reached at omariftikhar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @omariftikhar