The 20th edition of the Visalandhra Book Exhibition was inaugurated at Turner’s Choultry in the city on Friday.
VMRDA Chairman Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao inaugurated the exhibition. He underlined the importance of reading books and how household names like ‘Pedda Balasiksha’ were instrumental in spreading knowledge among people. He praised Visalandhra’s efforts to publish books that endeared themselves to readers.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao exhorted the younger generation to draw inspiration from great personalities by learning about their lives. “With its tryst with great writers like Sri Sri, Visakhapatnam carved a niche for itself,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.
Visalandhra Vijnana Samiti treasurer J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy said though publishing took a blow after the widespread use of the internet, the younger generation would benefit more from cultivating a habit of reading from published books.
District President of Progressive Writers’ Association (Arasam) Chandu Subba Rao said the exhibition offered readers a wide range of books to choose from. The exhibition would help promote the habit of reading among children, he said.
Arasam vice-president Sitaratnam lauded the publishing house for bucking the trend of publishing books of only commercial potential. Noted writer D.V. Surya Rao, Visalandhra Publishing House deputy general manager Manohar Naidu and manager of the publishing house P.A. Raju took part.
