Vice President expresses concern over decline in reading habit among youth

The 21st NorthEast book fair 2019 was inaugurated at the Assam Engineering Institute in Guwahati, Assam by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. The book fair will remain open for the public 12 days.

Guwahati:Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday expressed concern over the decline in book-reading habits especially among young people and called upon the educational institutions and academia to inculcate the practice of reading from a young age.

Inaugurating the 21st North East Book Fair organised by the All Assam Publishers and Booksellers Association (AAPBA) here, the Vice President said that students must be encouraged to look at reading as a fun activity rather than a chore.

He observed that with the advent of internet, children prefer to search online for information rather than rely on books. "Reading books, especially stories, is no longer the norm. Children prefer watching videos online," he said.

Urging parents to serve as role models to their children, he said they should read books themselves so that the children emulate them.

According to an official release, he suggested that schools must setup reading camps and workshops. Naidu said that reading of books was a voyage through time and like having a conversation with the finest people.

"The wisdom that you gain from these conversations is unparalleled," he said. He observed that books have the power to inspire and motivate with stories of people who have fought against odds to succeed.

"Books have the power to stir our creativity and stimulate innovative and inventive ideas," he added.

Referring to the critical role played by the library movement in different parts of the country, the Vice President called for keeping the legacy of the movement alive. "I strongly believe that for the society to benefit from books, there is a need to have one library per village," he said.

Apart from the library, there should also be a common prayer room and a service hall in every village.

He also suggested that book fairs should also be held at regular intervals in every district to promote reading habits. At the same time, there was also a need to promote quality books in terms of content.

As many as 217 bookstalls, including one from Bangladesh, have been put up for visitors at the 12-day long event.

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