One cannot help but notice that books, once cherished companions of young and old alike, are slowly vanishing from our daily lives. The habit of reading is being replaced by an endless attachment to mobile screens, where hours are spent scrolling through reels and feeds. This silent shift is not only reducing our attention span but also eroding the intellectual depth that reading once nurtured.
The absence of books in our routines is a worrying sign. Reading has always been more than a pastime; it sharpens imagination, improves judgment and develops critical thinking — qualities much needed in an age of information overload. Yet, piles of neglected books gather dust in markets while our society continues to drift further away from the written word.
This decline demands urgent action. Families must encourage children to form a bond with books from an early stage, while schools should complement this effort through libraries, reading circles and book-sharing initiatives. Policymakers, too, can contribute by supporting book festivals, establishing public reading spaces and making literature more accessible to all.
If we fail to revive the culture of reading, we risk raising a generation that can scroll endlessly but struggles to reflect deeply. It is time to rethink our habits and give books the place they truly deserve.
Umar Mukhtar Ali Khan Bhatti
Hafizabad
