Do people still read books? The answer to the question is not that simple. It would be a fallacy to suggest that they don’t. They do, but, not with the kind of consuming passion that people, let’s say, three to four decades back used to. With myriads of distractions in the form of social media and other forms of reading emerging that have pushed books off centre-stage, the debate is a legitimate one.

Quite a few steps in recent times have been taken by those who run Karachi’s administrative units to bring back the ‘culture of reading’, as it were. One such step was taken a couple of weeks ago by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and administrator of the city Laeeq Ahmed. They have set up a ‘Deewar-i-Ilm’, which roughly translates as the wall of knowledge, at the iconic Frere Hall. If you happen to visit its premises and walk into its library, you will see to the right of the entrance a cupboard stacked with books. People are allowed to take books from here … with a request.

Elaborating on the subject, Mr Ahmed said, “The love for reading is dwindling (muta’aley ka shoq ghat raha hai). Then there are those who do want to read but can’t afford to do so. Keeping that in mind, we’ve set up this Deewar-i-Ilm. The idea is that people can come and read books. They can take them to their homes. But we would greatly appreciate if they donate books to us as well. That will support the effort a lot.”

According to the administrator, the initiative has just begun. They would want to spread it to other parts of the city. There are some publishers who have also shown willingness to join hands with them.

By any account, it is a good effort. However, this is the 21st century. Times have changed, as have the ways to project a programme. Looking at the simplicity of this noble initiative, one feels that it needs robust promotion — and not just through the mainstream media. Today, young readers have an entirely different mindset. In order to attract their attention, the KMC might have to do a little something extra.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2021