Public, students should develop reading habit, says A. Raja

It is important that members of the public as well as students develop a reading habit, said the Nilgiris Lok Sabha MP, A. Raja at the inauguration of the first book fair in the Nilgiris on Sunday.

Mr. Raja said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had directed for book fairs to be organised in all districts across the State.. The first Nilgiris Book Fair was inaugurated at the Resource Centre for Tribal Culture (RCTC) hall, near the Government Botanical Garden.

Mr. Raja said that while ensuring access to basic amenities for the public was important, it was also the responsibility of the government to ensure that the next generation was aware educationally and culturally. He said that only citizens who can think critically can be aware of their political rights.

Mr. Raja added that in the Dravidian ideology, “Art is not just for art’s sake, but art is for the people too.” Poets should not only sing about Nature but also about people. The MP said that despite there being ready access to books and literature, some people had little to no idea about social justice. “Even Charles Darwin, who was born a Christian, came up with the theory of natural selection. There is not a single person who does not think, but one should think only after they read, only then can you accomplish something for society,” said Mr. Raja.

At the book fair, more than 10,000 books have been exhibited. Also present at the inauguration of the book fair and the ‘Ooty 200’ celebrations was district superintendent of police, S. Prabhakaran and other officials.