World Book Day 2025| Sonam Kapoor on inculcating the love for reading in son Vayu: I read to him everyday

The relationship between Sonam Kapoor and books has been a longstanding one, and on World Book Day, the actor reflects on it. “Books are the best friends one can have. They give you perspective, patience, and a deeper understanding of the world. They build your imagination and stretch your mind. In a time when attention spans are shrinking, reading is one of the few things that slows you down and grounds you. It gives you a moral compass. It makes you a better thinker and a better human being,” Sonam Kapoor says.

The actor admits that reading has always been her "haven”. “It’s the one constant I’ve turned to whether I’m feeling stressed, anxious, joyful, or at peace. Books have been my companions at every stage of life,” she says, adding that she owes her attachment with books to her mother, Sunita Kapoor. “She’s a voracious reader. She read to us (her and siblings, actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor and producer Rhea Kapoor) constantly, and our home was always filled with books. My father (actor Anil Kapoor), too, loved autobiographies. So, the written word was always part of our world growing up. That foundation shaped my deep love for reading,” she adds.

Now, Sonam is passing on this love for books to her son Vayu too. “Reading is a big part of our family routine. I read to my son for at least an hour and a half every day. We go through all kinds of books—fiction, non-fiction, picture books, and classics for children. I think when children see books around the house and see their parents reading, it naturally becomes part of their life, and Vayu absolutely loves it. I cherish that time with him,” she admits.

A self-admitted avid reader, the actor insists that while she likes to read on the new technologies that are there, “nothing compares to holding a physical book in your hands”. Sharing a list of some of the books that have shaped her perspective towards life, Sonam recalls, “When I was younger, Vedanta Treatise had a profound spiritual impact on me. And The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, while I don’t fully agree with it now, definitely shaped the way I thought at the time; it made me think about independence and purpose in a very intense way. I’ve also always loved the classics by (author) Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, and Enid Blyton in my childhood. These books gave me different lenses to see the world through.”