By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 25 Oct: Celebrated author Manoj Das visited ‘Natraj: The Green Bookshop’, here, today. He was accompanied by Surjit Das, for mer Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand. The renowned author appreciated the selection of books and felt the city was lucky to have such a well-stocked bookshop. While speaking to a select audience, Das said good bookshops are a proof of the intellectual health of the town. He however lamented the decline in the browsing culture and hoped that efforts would be made to revive the delightful practice. Society needs to pass on the quality of the rich legacy to the new generation, he said. “There is a significant decline in book lovers among the present day movers and shakers. If they don’t let books move them, what will they shake our world into?” Das exclaimed. The discussion that followed led to the conclusion that reading as a source of knowledge, opinion and values has been taken over by online entertainment and WhatsApp forwards, and urgent efforts have to be made to get even more people to read good books. Manoj Das, one of India’s most illustrious authors has several novels and short stories in English and Oriya to his credit. His numerous recognitions include the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Padma Shri, the Saraswati Samaan as well as honorary position of Professor Emeritus and D Litt from several universities and a fellowship of the Sahitya Akademi. He is based in Puducherry and teaches at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre for Education.
