Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah said reading could be made a habit only when libraries and events like the annual Vijayawada Book Festival (VBF) have public support in addition to funding by governments.
The rich collection of books and rare literary works available in Saraswata Niketanam at Vetapalem in Prakasam district and the ancient Saraswathi Mahal Library in Tanjore attract not only book-lovers but also researchers from around the world.
Such libraries should be passed on to posterity, Mr. Rosaiah observed.
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Participating as chief guest at the valedictory of Vijayawada Book Festival at Swaraj Maidan here on Saturday, Mr. Rosaiah said the Vijayawada Book Festival Society (VBFS) deserved full praise for organising the exhibition as a tradition for the last 25 years and stressed the need for more such book fairs across the State for spreading knowledge.
He asserted that the advanced techniques of preserving literary works made the libraries flourish and it was imperative that people made the best of them. “Books have traditionally evoked public interest through the ages and they should not be allowed to fade into oblivion in spite of the advent of new media,” Mr. Rosaiah said.
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National Book Trust (NBT) Director M.A. Sikandar said he was a frequent traveller across the country and found few events like the VBF organised with such commitment in other States.
The NBT would extend full support to such book fairs as per its mandate which was to promote book reading and also encourage literary pursuits in Indian languages.
District Collector M. Raghunandana Rao, MLAs Malladi Vishnu and Vellampalli Srinivas and others were present. On the occasion,
Mr. Rosaiah felicitated VBFS Honorary President A. Ramamohan Rao and Secretary R. Rama Swamy for their efforts in organizing the VBF successfully. He also gave away prizes to the winners of various competitions conducted during the last ten days.