No alternative to books for true knowledge: writer Vishwas Patil

Pune, Dec 13 (PTI) Noted Marathi author and Sahitya Akademi awardee Vishwas Patil on Saturday expressed concern over excessive use of smartphones, especially among children, and asserted that there was no alternative to books for acquiring true and lasting knowledge.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Pune Book Festival here, Patil said an average Indian spends nearly six hours a day on mobile phone, which weakens the reading habit and intellectual engagement.

"Books remain a person's lifelong companions. There is no substitute for books when it comes to obtaining true and the best form of knowledge," he said, adding that the joy of reading leads to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Referring to corrective steps taken at the grassroots level, Patil said some gram panchayats in Maharashtra's Sangli district have decided to restrict children's mobile phone usage between 7 pm and 11 pm to encourage reading and study.

The Pune Book Festival, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), has turned the city into a "pilgrimage centre for books", he said, praising the organisers for sustaining a vibrant marketplace for books in an age dominated by technology.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol said the large turnout on the opening day shows the growing reading culture. Pune has emerged as a major centre for literature and culture, with readership and book sales increasing every year said Mohol, the local MP.

State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said students visiting the festival would receive book vouchers worth Rs 100, while colleges would be given vouchers worth Rs 10,000 for purchasing books.

He urged citizens to actively participate in the festival to help strengthen Pune's identity as a book capital.

NBT chairman Milind Marathe said the festival features a children's corner, literary sessions, cultural programmes and a conference of librarians from Pune district. Maharashtra, he noted, is the only state to host two book festivals, with another edition scheduled in Nagpur.

Rajesh Pande, Convenor of Pune Book Festival, said that hundreds of Punekars flocked on the inaugural ceremony.

The eight-day festival will see series of literary as well as cultural and educational events. PTI SPK KRK