KARACHI: Economic factors blamed for low readership
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 3: Speakers at a seminar on Tuesday apprehended that irrelevant writings, degrading economic condition of people and dishonest marketing of literary books made readers feel wretched.
“If writers continued to remain insensitive to the current issues of the readers and different aspects of society while opportunities of having access to literary books also kept reducing, then society will be left unguided and weaker,” they maintained.
The seminar on “Why were the readers annoyed with literary books?” was organized by the library committee of the Arts Council of Pakistan with Aftab Ahmed Khan in the chair. A majority of those who spoke on the occasion rejected the hypothesis that readers had distanced themselves from literary books, but called for measures to check
the decline of their interest in such books.
A former finance secretary and president of Anjuman Taraqi-i- Urdu, Aftab Ahmed Khan, said the readers were not annoyed but were losing interest in the literary books and as such responsibilities had increased very much on the part of the writers.
“No doubt, while lifestyle and social values are changing, talking about promotion of book-reading culture could be taken as inappropriate today, but it is a fact that society sans books can not be called civilised at any cost,” he added.
He regretted that interest in research and studies had decreased and the ever-increasing rate of inflation had also played adversely on the readers.
However, he hoped that despite all the factors, including a sizable effectivity of the electronic media, there was a permanent room for literary books.
Novelist Firdaus Haider said the readers should not be blamed for any decline in readership of literary books as channels and avenues which guaranteed relationship and the links between the readers and the writers had decreased miserably.
She suggested revival of Muhalla Library, among other measures, for promotion of literary books to enable the readers access to such books.
TV and film actor Talat Hussain said he was not convinced with the idea that readers were annoyed with literary books. Even today, he said, certain books are being published repeatedly only because they were closed to the readers and highlighted the societal aspects as well.
He blamed that it were the market requirements that books were priced higher and ultimately the middle income group people were failing to buy them. He also cited the poor subject of books and dishonest practice on part of certain publishers in bringing costly and repeated editions of worthy literary books as reasons behind the lack in reading habits.
Columnist and travelogue writer Rizwan Siddiqui said the electronic media and cable channels had stolen the reading time from the readers, but on the other hand, he said, it was also a point to ponder why the book business was flourishing in the developed countries where electronic media were at boom.
Writer and political analyst Hassan Zaheer said in a society where terrorism and chaos managed to get a foot, one could least expect any betterment in people’s attitude towards literature and literary books.
“Reading books is a peaceful process, while writing good literature is possible only in an environment conducive for freedom of expression and thoughts,” he noted.
Among others, honorary secretary of the Arts Council Saifur Rehman Girami, Anjum Khan and Ali Hassan Sajid also spoke.
