After the passing of his mentor, the legendary Ratan Tata, Shantanu Naidu, the young manager and confidant of the billionaire philanthropist, has embarked on a new journey with his passion project, Bookies. This initiative, originally started in Mumbai, aims to reignite the joy of reading among people in today’s digital age. With successful editions already in Pune and Bengaluru, Mr. Naidu is now ready to bring Bookies to Jaipur. The launch event will be held on December 8, and Mr. Naidu expressed his excitement on LinkedIn, inviting book enthusiasts to join the event and sign up for participation.

The expansion of Bookies doesn’t stop with Jaipur. Mr. Naidu plans to bring the project to Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Surat in the coming months. The book gatherings are designed to reignite the habit of reading in a fast-paced world, which Mr. Naidu believes has moved away from books due to shorter attention spans driven by modern digital content.

In his recent remarks, Mr. Naidu emphasized the importance of reading in today’s world: “Bookies have always been about bringing back reading. It seems that reading is very central to the human experience, but it’s now been pushed to the background.” Reflecting on the effect of short-form media, he commented, “We used to watch three-minute Reels. Now, we can’t even focus on a 1:30-minute video anymore.”

Shantanu Naidu’s commitment to Bookies mirrors the mentorship and values he gained from Ratan Tata, whose influence has shaped his entrepreneurial path. Tata’s support extended to Mr. Naidu’s start-up venture, Goodfellows, and even included clearing Mr. Naidu's education loans. The late industrialist’s will, which included a tribute to their unique friendship, also named Naidu as a recipient of his support.

Following Mr. Tata’s passing, Shantanu Naidu shared an emotional tribute: “The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse.”