‘Book reading habit declining among youth’

Speakers term excessive use of cell phones as major reason behind poor reading habit

FAISALABAD: University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa has said book reading habit was declining rapidly among the youths especially due to excessive use of cable television and cell phones.

He expressed these views while addressing a book launching ceremony on Friday. The book titled ‘Turkey Bah Tukey’ is written by Dr Ijaz Tabassum. Randhawa stressed the need for adopting book-reading culture that will promote healthy, tolerant and progressive society. “A nation that who forgets its culture vanishes from the map of the world,” he remarked. We have to enrich the heart of the youth with Islamic values, traditions and culture.”

He said Punjab, the land of five rivers, has a unique and astonishing history of having great spiritual poets, including Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Baba Farid Ganj-e-Shakar, Mian Mohammad Bakhsh, Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Shah Murad, and Pir Mehr Ali Shah. “Unluckily, we could not develop society based on such values that were propagated by our elders,” he lamented. He also lauded the contribution of Dr Ijaz Tabassum for writing many books.

Renowned Writer Tariq Ismail Saghar said Dr Tabassum’s book drive the readers to indulge in the thinking process and to think out of the box. He said that stepped up efforts were need to sensitize public about the importance of books and to create the environment in which excessive reading culture be developed. He said politicisation in the educational institutions had spoiled the quality of education.

Dr Tabassum said it was a dilemma that we were adopting the western culture. He urged people to promote literary activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2019.