If the collective mind of our society has to develop, book reading is a must

It is an index of a healthy society if people are serious in acquiring knowledge and information. In the civilized societies reading habits are inculcated in the younger generation from the very beginning. In our valley things are not as encouraging on this count as the kind of emphasis that is being given to career related education leaves little space for a taste like book reading to develop. It is very sad to find out that the entire scheme of things, that we call education, revolves round a few fixed themes and doesn’t try to expand its horizons. From the very beginning to the apex institutions of learning we make our students confine their studies to some text books and some odd notes that help them get through their exams. Our teachers and parents never take the trouble of exposing children to the world of books so that their mind becomes strong and their vision opens up to the various trends that occupy the intellectual realm of world. This is the reason that our society has remained way behind where others have reached. The intellectual tradition that has developed in the West, and to a great extent in the Indian literary and academic circles, owes its birth and development to serious reading habits. There is no doubt that our students need to concentrate on their syllabus, but apart from that they should spare some time to know about various social sciences and add to their general knowledge. This will help them grow in their mental strength and their understanding of the changing trends and themes. Since we now live in a world that is practically as small as a village, we can not afford to remain oblivious of what happens around us in the rest of the world. Every single current of thought or any socio-politico-economic event that surfaces up, anywhere in the world, affects us in one way or the other. In this kind of a world any society that has less amount of knowledge and is incapable of engaging with the intellectual challenges is bound to lag behind and suffer at a collective level. Those of us who are associated with the world of knowledge and information are under an obligation to engage the new generation in serious reading and contemplation. It is only when our young generation gives enough time to acquiring knowledge that the world will open up itself to us. We can represent ourselves and our problems. Feeble indications that the sales of books have increased in the valley may give us a reason to feel slightly happy that younger generation has finally understood the importance of books.