There was a time when books were the main source of education and inspiration for millions of young people around the world. Books were really treasured and respected. More importantly, the eagerness to read a book filled young minds with burning and uncomparable passion.The majority of youth in today’s world are under a false impression that there isn’t enough time to read books which are not a part of their educational syllabus. Although the habit of book reading is slowly fading it isn’t totally gone. It is no secret that reading good books in your lifetime is nothing less than a spiritual journey or a self-discovery. The greatest of saints have claimed that books are one of the most cherished objects that the mother Earth possesses.
Those who get really motivated into the reading habit manage to carry it with them for the rest of their lives.The so-called top class professional colleges in India seldom do anything more than churning out heaps of crammed-up science geeks.The colleges care only about grades and reputation and so does the society. They fail to realise that even reading a detective novel can improve a person’s personality and change his way of thinking.
The college libraries of the top institutions in India are not willing to spend some extra money on non-curriculum books.The students already lack motivation or ambitions for reading. However, the fact is that it is the institution which is indirectly responsible by having vast unnecessary syllabi and additional pressure of grades.
The development of quality reading habit in young Indians can change the country. It is a highly under-rated issue. Imagine the time when there is a craze for good books among our students. This will lead to positive thinking, positive research and positive steps in the right direction. It can be possible only when educational authorities take a lot more steps to make non-educational, fictional, self- help books more affordable.The best solution to this is to compulsarily have not only an academic library but also a non-academic one for this purpose.
The writer is a correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz.
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