Why I started a community for readers

Hey, everyone!

I’m Harshala Chavan, founder of Merrative.

Unpopular opinions:

• Reading is not a declining habit — I too have a busy lifestyle, but when I find an interesting read or something that solves my present problem, I finish it within hours or days. It’s all about finding the right read.
• Reading is not a solitary experience — bring a bunch of readers together and we can put extroverts to shame with the sparkling conversations. We just don’t have the right place to hang out, yet.
• There is no lack of good stuff to read — Present platforms reward content creation and unhealthy consumption, irrespective of quality. It is the information overload that makes us stall and keep increasing our reading lists.
• Reading is not restricted to books — I am a normal book reader (15–30 books per year) but consume at least 10 articles per day and 2–3 daily newsletters. Reading also involves research papers, news, articles, case studies, etc.
• Reading is not necessary — It’s okay if you’re listening to audiobooks or prefer movies. Don’t read just for the sake of it or because you’re being hammered about how it’s a ‘good habit’. Focus on being a learner and making the most out of what you pick up, irrespective of the number.

As a fellow Gen-Z, I can go on, but I felt that there was a lack of space that takes care of the above. I didn’t want a space that tells me how I am not reading enough, or where people just share fake reviews.

As a reader, I wanted a safe space where I can simply connect with people to learn from each other based on what you’re reading and make new friends in the process.

If you resonate with what I’ve said, feel free to join our community!

Merrative is a community of avid readers to discuss ideas from digital literature like books, news, articles, and research papers together

You can:

• share recommended reads across books, articles, takeaways, fan fiction, summaries, etc
• start or join group discussions, read along on books and articles on any topic (film, poetry, tech, news, fiction, etc)

See you soon!