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NBF to launch book clubs for villagers, prisoners
It
is a common complaint that the culture of book reading is on the
wane and it is not a surprise that books are not read much in
villages. Going against the trend, National Book Foundation (NBF)
has plans to establish book clubs in villages in remote areas of the
country.
Managing Director NBF Mazhar-ul-Islam told APP these `Village Book
Clubs’ would not take many resources as these will be set up in the
house of a schoolteacher or a prominent member of the village
community, who already have some collection of books.
These clubs will have books of renowned literary figures and the
idea is to revive the lost habit of reading. National Book
Foundation is known for its efforts to recreate a link between books
and readers. If children start reading books early then this habit
lasts for life.
Mazhar-ul-Islam says that one of their projects is to set up
children book clubs and these too will be in remote regions. Eminent
authors will be invited to deliver lectures at these clubs. Surely,
these events will become memorable for children helping them believe
that reading books is fun and tells them a lot about the world that
they live in.
The foundation wants to target another segment of population and
that is people in jails. Book corners will soon be seen in jails,
the MD NBF says. But the thing to be seen will be whether people who
get into the world of crime will be ready to take up a book and read
and learn some marvels of wisdom and insight.
Other sites where the foundation wants to keep books are airports
and railway stations where travellers can pick a thriller, a fiction
or an autobiography to have a placid journey.
Mazhar says parents should read books. And if it is done before the
children it is far better as kids want to copy what their elders do.
NBF has its own magazine and an important section in it is of
reviews of books of subjects like health, science, philosophy and
literature.
These reviews will go along with a set of surveys to be conducted by
the foundation. The surveys will provide information about the
reading choices and favourite books of people.
Seminars and workshops to be arranged by the foundation are also on
the cards.
All these steps may seem small but the lines on which the NBF
officials are thinking, it may become sort of a quiet reformation
with far reaching undercurrents.
The
News: Mondya ,25 May .2009
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