Mega book reading movement launched

For Daily:12/10/15:Ramanathapuram: School students at the mega book reading movement at Municipal Girls Higher secondary school in Ramanathapuram on Monday.Photo:L_BALACHANDAR [with report]

Kalai Ilakkiya Arwalar Sangam, which assists the district administration in organising book fair in the district, has launched a mega book-reading movement to inculcate reading habit in school students.

The sangam organised the movement in all government, aided and private schools in the district on Monday, involving more than one lakh students as part of its series of programmes to create awareness of the book fair to be held from October 23 to November 1.

“More than organising the book fair, we wish to encourage students to develop the habit of buying and reading books and the movement is aimed at achieving the twin objectives,” said A. Chinnadurai Abdullah, president of the sangam.

After re-christening the third ‘Ramanathapuram district Puthaga Thiruvizha’ as ‘Kalam Puthaga Thiruvizha’ as a mark of respect to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who hailed from the district, the sangam encouraged the students to read ‘Manithan Magathanavan’ in the mass reading movement, he said.

The sangam had distributed 44,000 copies of the books to the students – one book per three students to cover all the 1.20 lakh students in the district, Dr. Abdullah said. The book, brought out by the sangam, contained speeches of Mr. Kalam and his vision for setting up a library in every household, he added.

He said that as a novel idea this year, the sangam had distributed ‘hundials’ to more than one lakh school students studying from classes VI to XI to encourage them to save money for buying books.

The feedback received from the students suggested that they had saved a good amount of money for buying books during the 10-day book fair, he said.

As part of the awareness campaign, folk artistes from the district were staging shows in all schools and villages, Dr. Abdullah said, adding “book fairs could be organised every year in the district only if people extended good patronage”.

Chief Educational Officer K. Jayakannu and District Education Officer S. Jayakumar and office-bearers of the sangam attended the book-reading events organised at Ramanathapuram Muncipal Girls’ Higher Secondary School and Syed Ammal Higher Secondary School, an official release said.

“More than organising the book fair, we wish to encourage students to develop the habit of buying and reading books and the movement is aimed at achieving the twin objectives”