Vanche_Gujarat

One of the programmes slated for Swarnim Gujarat is 'Vanche Gujarat' - a programme that focuses on promoting the art of reading across the state. It is written clearly on the wall that reading habit is dying out slowly. The adage "Wear an old coat and buy a new book" is rare and people seldom boast about their extensive and exhaustive collection of books. A personal library in every home is reducing in number, a home library is no longer part of the compulsory architectural brief when one is building a home, since it takes million of rupees to stock up a library where as a desk top personal computer available for a few thousand rupees can bring an ocean of information through the internet to one's desk at the click of a button. Many other factors can be attributed to the drop in the habit of reading. Before the advent of electronic goods, reading was the primary leisure pastime, second to travelling. The intrusion of television created the first dent in the reading habit. The invention of electronic and video toys further nailed the habit down especial among school and college goers. All this, despite the obvious benefits of higher IQ, better conversational style and better general knowledge, which good reading habits bring about. The pressure of reading for the sake of examination seems to have driven in the final nail. Simultaneously, the reading habit of people is also undergoing a change. The new age ways of reading through the tablet computers, smart phones easy access to web based information, the penetration of net books due to its cheap pricing and the Kindle - a digital reading tool - are heralding a new age of digital reading. The rate at which the younger generation is adapting to the digital reading habit, it is feared that the publishing industry may receive a serious threat to retaining its market share.