A nation is known by what it reads
TURBAT: A nation is known by what it reads. From novels to philosophical discourses, reading books is the sign of a developing nation. However, habits like reading books are seldom found in Pakistani society. There are a number of bookshops in most of the cities but they remain empty. There are Sunday bazaars where books are sold every Sunday at cheap prices. Not many people visit such places. The core reason behind the lack of visits is the lack of interest in reading books. From students to teachers, from a layman to the bureaucrats and from parents to the children, all are spending most of their precious time with ubiquitous technological automaton. As a result of this, intellectual circles are coming to an end. And the reading habit is dying gradually. Notwithstanding the fact that the habit of reading is facing a decline, it can be reinvigorated if parents, peers, and the surroundings are replete with such circles. It is high time that children were told to spend more time with books rather than technological devices. Reading books opens the vision of a nation and teaches new truths and realities that lead to progress. This not only helps in envisioning the current problems but helps us predict the future and come up with solutions to overcome them. This nation needs books more than anything else.
We also need to establish more and more libraries. The most important of all is that both the government and society must promote reading habits.
Mahnaz Faqir
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2020.
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