At a time when people are more inclined towards electronic gadgets, a youth from south Kashmir’s Kulgam district is bringing people towards book reading culture and has helped to set up many domestic libraries and aims to set up more in future.
From childhood, Ishfaq Manzoor, 24, was passionate towards book reading and libraries. Not seeing a public library in the neighborhood would discourage him.
Hailing from Kulgam’s Akipora village, he turned his passion into a mission and conceptualized setting of domestic libraries and continues to work on the concept.
He suggested that every home should build a domestic library so that youth develops reading habits instead of falling prey to different social evils.
After doing a lot of footwork on this idea, Ishfaq has motivated many people to build domestic libraries. So far, 40-50 people including his relatives and friends across places have established domestic libraries on his recommendation.
It was for this concept that he received the Global Teaching Excellence Award (GTEA) 2022 for contribution to libraries, community education and social work.
Recently, Ishfaq, who works as libraryparaprofessional at SKIMS Medical College Bemina, entered Indian book of records for which he has received the confirmation.
“Since childhood, I used to visit the public libraries and there I felt the need to setup the domestic libraries to create and promote an environment of book reading,” he said adding “The public libraries are not easily accessible to all.If a domestic library is setup to some extent it will help greatly with easy access.”
He has also become a source of inspiration for many people for his efforts in community education, moral teachings, exemplary social work and as well as for the innovation in the field of libraries.
“I request people to set up domestic libraries just like we purchase different kinds of latest electronics gadgets like mobile phones, computers, furniture for our houses. It would motivate children to read books from the early age. When youngsters get involved in reading books instead of sticking to their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets, it will encourage and send a message that the reading is an essential part of family life besides schools and colleges,” he said.
Ishfaq said that libraries are the best source of knowledge.The sources like books and journals or any other printed materials is trusted source of information.Looking for information on internet platforms may be misrepresented, incomplete, fake or not reliable, he said.
“Libraries are a hub of information. Unfortunately, they are being ignored with the passage of time aspeople especially studentstend to use the internet to access the information.Though it has its own advantages but the book reading has declined because of quick access to the information through the internet,” he said.
In addition to promoting reading culture, Ishfaq is also involved in other social works for which he has received an overwhelming response from people. He imparts moral education to students in the community while motivating them to be the role models in the society.
“I am on a mission to give my best to society through my ways. It is very time to bring a change in society as we are witnessing a huge degradation of our society either in one or another way. I want people to join hands and take participation at the individual level to eradicate various evils prevailing in society,” he said.
Ishfaq said life without any goal or objective is a purposeless life and a genuine human being cannot live his life without any purpose.
“There are very few people who understand the real meaning of life and are contributing their respective share in building of a responsible society. The spirit of contributing something good for the human society is felt in our new generation which is positive thing,” he said adding “I motivate people towards the positivity while upholding morality in the society. I also educating the community against the ramifications of drug abuse,” he said.
Ishfaq heads a group of selfless volunteers who go to schools and in communities to educate and aware youth about the ill effects of social evils and how to get rid of them.
In addition to this, he has also authored a book titled ‘Life A Dream’which was published in January 2022.
