By Our Reporter
Shillong: Hopes of keeping the readership habit alive and kicking has compelled some of the book lovers, distributors and publishing houses to widen their services beyond mainstream India and come closer to the people of the region in the form of book fairs and related activities.
A wholesaler from Kolkata, Book Line, made his fifth visit to the city on Monday to organise a 10-day book fair at All Saint’s Hall here in the city displaying a variety of books ranging from children books, fictions and classics to health-related books, spirituals and sports.
“My intention is to spread the reading habit among the people here and provide them with books which are not easily available in the market,” Ramesh Tiwary of the Book Line told this scribe here on Tuesday.
Admitting that the reading habit has declined Tiwary blamed it on the busy schedules of the people which have compelled most of them to drop reading and opt for something more easy and accessible like the internet or the TV.
Tiwari who been in the book business for the past 25 years, terms books as ‘Man’s best friend’ while stating that reading can help build up confidence and character. “As music is food for the soul, books are considered as food for our thoughts,” he said.
Praising the North Eastern people for their simplicity, the distributor said that people here are unique in their attitude and their interest in reading is reflected in their curiosity to learn new things.
“Not only those in urban areas but even people in the suburbs are showing tremendous interest in reading and purchasing new books that hit the market which is rather surprising,” he said.
Reacting to a query on whether the internet has taken a toll on the reading habit of people, Tiwary said when the internet was launched in the mid 90s, the effects was temporary and lasted for only a decade. But then what goes around, comes around, he said.
Book Line which is supported by Penguin and Viva Books has hosted similar book fairs in different parts of the North East like Guwahati, Imphal and Aizawl displaying over 20,000 books.
Commenting on the impact of the SMS language, Tiwary said technology has its negative impacts too on the lifestyles of the people in the manner that cell phones do. “The SMS culture has diluted the essence of the English Language,” he said.
However, Tiwary said the system will purge itself because in the end, academically or professionally, the language preferred is the English language and not the SMS language, “So, with time, a manner of putting the words together will change and subsequently, the original English language will find its way back into the minds of the people especially the youth,” he stated.
Tiwary also mentioned that the increase of young and dynamic authors in the country has influenced readership among the youth stating that young people would definitely want to explore what is interesting and fun.
In his message, Tiwary said there is no difference between a man who does not know how to read and a man who does not read. He also called upon people not to be unduly obsessed only with their physical health but to also enrich their minds and make books their best friends.
Meanwhile, a senior citizen of Shillong, WR Laitphlang stated that the reason behind the decline in the reading habit among the youth can be traced to their hectic and busy schedule.
“No doubt, they want to read, but time is a major constraint. The homework and assignments they get from school and college often restricts them from reading,” he said.
Laitphlang said that reading could become popular among the youth with the help of the parents and the teachers.
“Teachers could encourage the students to get into this habit which is beneficial to them and which helps in shaping their thoughts and widen their perspective towards life,” he added.