The results of dismal performance in recent SLC shows that our younger generation is not very much interested in reading books. Recently, I visited Nepal for my book launch event of “That’s My Love Story” published by Mahaveer Publishers, New Delhi at 18th Nepal Education & Int'l Book Fair 2014. These type of events are encouraging both for readers and writers alike. They help in stimulating and closing widening readership gap of various types of book, academic and non-academic. My book, though is a fiction based on real life story that took five years to write. Thus, I was excited to meet readers from land of Buddha and Mount Everest.
Without press release event or marketing programme and to my utter surprise, dozens of my books sold in the first day of its arrival. I got astounded that people showed keen interest as readership and book market are growing at steady pace and book buying/reading culture is also slowly taking off. This is indeed a positive outlook for publishers and writers as well. As an aspiring writer, I wanted to organize a PR event in Kathmandu but a friend of mine, who works at Kantipur radio recommended to organize such event in local district or municipality to encourage readership from the local level.
Based on his suggestion, we organized a book launch event in Chitwan inviting around hundreds of educationists. The chief guests of the events were eminent gazalkaar, Dhan Raj Giri, eminent poet and literature laureate, Ram Babu Ghimire, Keshav Raj Aamodi, Gita Lamichane, and Shiva Raj Subedi. They bestowed a short summary and review of books. Dhan Raj Giri sir said, “This is first English language novel written in entire Chitwan district” by our local writer. Analogously, Ram Babu Ghimire suggested that this novel plays a stepping-stone in diminishing readership habit. Others also gave inspiring and motivation speech praising book and encouraging readership culture in Chitwan district.
So what lessons did I ascertain from my book launch event? I learned that people have an intense interest in reading books. We need to update courses, books, methods of teaching and habit of not carrying tens of kilos of bag pack filled with textbooks and notes. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to update their own teaching and mentoring methods using various techniques and technology.
No society progresses based on merely remittance or riches. Society can only progress if people from local, regional, and nation level will be educated. The value of education should be always student-centric and always in the favor of students because as a writer, teachers and educationists, our goal is to activate their mind (from darkness to light) not the other way around.
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