Daily Times

Sir: A lack of interest is being shown even by the elite towards reading books. The reading habit has now gone down to a bare minimum and little interest in reading books exists among people today.
In big cities people are so committed to earning money that they hardly find time to read books. A materialistic approach and economic, social, and political upheavals have distanced the common man from reading books. In small and remote areas books are not easily available.
However, newspaper reading is getting momentum as newspapers work hard to facilitate their readers by providing the latest news, reviews and entertaining events. Thanks to newspapers and magazines that have kept alive the reading habit of both the elite and the commoners to some extent.
Time constraints and rising cost of commodities have deprived people of the delights of reading. In the past there were a number of libraries functioning not only in big cities but also in small towns.
The Quaid-i- Azam, an avid reader, had a great interest in Armstrong’s book on Ataturk (published in 1932) that had impressed him exceedingly. Those fond of reading usually commit themselves to writing books in order to share their ideas and experiences with others.
Nelson Mandela’s book ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ is an example of recent times. Those who read books no doubt leave a legacy behind.
Reading, writing and speaking are, according to Francis Bacon, pillars in the formation of one’s personality.
In this age of information technology, all information has been digitalised on television and computers. Books have been replaced by easily accessible electronic components and gadgets.
The new generation is becoming familiar with retrieving information from the Internet. Newspapers and TV channels have played a Herculean role in spreading information to the public. Let us make reading a lifelong habit.

Saleem Ansari
Karachi