Reading vital to social development: Bindu

Stressing the importance of reading for social development, Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu inaugurated the State-level observance of Reading Week organised by the Kerala State Library Council here on Thursday.

The Minister lauded the council as a unique and commendable movement that had made significant contributions to Kerala’s social, cultural, and intellectual landscape.

“The era of literacy movement was the most culturally dynamic period in our history. This moment calls us to reclaim that spirit — reviving the energy and atmosphere of those times to inspire our youth and students towards a culture of reading and active civic engagement,” she said.

Reading Day is observed on June 19 in memory of P.N. Panicker, the visionary who championed the message “Read and Grow, Think and Become Wise.”

The celebration will continue until July 7, the birth anniversary of I.V. Das, a key figure in Kerala’s library movement, with the aim of making reading and libraries more accessible and people-centred across the State.

K.V. Kunjikrishnan, president of the Kerala State Library Council, presided over the function. Writer and speaker K.E.N. Kunhahammed delivered the keynote address on the topic “Conflicts in Reading.”

Murali Perunelli, MLA, president of the District Library Council, delivered the Reading Day message, while council member T.K. Vasu paid tributes to P.N. Panicker. Thudi music-dance performance by the Kerala Kalamandalam added colour to the event.

Published - June 19, 2025 08:16 pm IST