Agartala: Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Wednesday called upon the youth to invest more time in reading books to develop a wiser worldview.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the 42nd Agartala Book Fair, the Chief Minister said, “I can vividly recall my childhood when our friends used to form large queues in front of Bir Chandra Central Library to get early access to the new collection. Sad to say, that enthusiasm for books no longer exists in the new generation.”
The Chief Minister appealed to make books an integral part of daily life and social exchanges. “Books are the best friends of mankind. We are all aware of that but still, we gift temporary things to our loved ones on their special occasions. We can make these special moments more special by making the right choice of the gift which is books. The more you read the wiser you evolve. Reading is the only practice that enhances human capability of creative thinking,” Dr Saha pointed out.
The Chief Minister also underscored the harms of the human propensity to access everything on screen, “Nowadays books are also available online. People tend to read books on screen which is not bad but reading a book physically is an altogether different feeling.”
Advising the students to rely on books for authenticity, Dr Saha said, “This is an age of misinformation. We often hear people taking medicines based on random videos created on social media platforms. This is the biggest harm of unverified information. In books, all information is verified and authentic. Students should also explore subjects outside of their syllabus. Syllabus is for academic progress, but the art of living a good life could only be found in the books.”
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Apart from the Chief Minister, Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Mayor Dipak Majumder, Chief Whip Kalyani Roy, Bangladeshi author Suhash Singha Roy, and MLA Mina Rani Sarkar were present at the function.
Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh Arif Mohammad and other senior officials of the state government also spoke on the occasion.
A total of 191 stalls have been set up at the fair. Publishers from West Bengal, Assam, and Delhi also opened stalls in the 42nd edition of the event.
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