Can book reading habit survive the dual threats of 24/7 television and social media?
Whatever the doom prophets may say about the survival of book reading, especially among the youth, there seem to be plenty of optimists on the other side of the debate who vouch for the immortality of the tradition of lore.
Scores of enthusiasts took out a rally through the city to express their optimism in the future of books as well as to promote the reading habit among children, parents and the society at large.
Led by the Society for the Advancement of Library and Information Science (SALIS), Puducherry chapter and the Puthiya Thalaimurai Mandram, the awareness rally formed part of a series of similar programmes conducted in places such as Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Erode.
“The aim of the initiative was to raise awareness among students and the general public about the benefits of the reading habit,” an organiser said. More than 500 students from various institutions and organisations including the NSS and the Red Cross Society units participated in the event which was sponsored by the B.S. Abdur Rahman University in Chennai.
Education Minister T. Thiagarajan, who flagged off the rally from Kamban Kalaiarangam, emphasised the importance of inculcating the reading habit at a young age. Reading expanded the mind and cultivated finer citizens helping build a better nation, he said.
The rally, which passed through Anna Salai, Jawaharlal Nehru Street and Mission Street, concluded at the Gandhi Thidal on the Beach.
K. Lakshminarayanan, MLA distributed reading materials to the participants. Children also were administered a pledge.
