VIJAYAWADA: Efforts should be made to translate the literary works of eminent Indian writers into Telugu to expose the readers in Andhra Pradesh to the culture and history of other parts of the country, Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan said here on Saturday.
Virtually inaugurating the 32nd Vijayawada Book Festival, the Governor said the event provides a platform for book lovers and enthusiasts to gather and browse through more than three lakh books in English, Hindi and Telugu by 200 publishers from within and outside the State. Harichandan called upon all parents to inculcate the habit of reading in their children.
“As a writer and a book lover, I strongly appeal to all parents to inculcate the habit of book reading among children at a young age, which will empower them with the knowledge as they grow up,” the Governor said.
Himself a voracious reader and author of patriotic literature in Odiya, the Governor recalled his prison days during the Emergency, which he said, provided him resources for writing books such as Rana Pratap, Maru Bataas, Manasi, etc.
Expressing happiness over the library which the Vijayawada Book Festival Society has been maintaining for the past 18 years, Harichandan said libraries had played a vital role in the freedom struggle, and helped the freedom fighters to spread the message of independence and carry forward the movement to its goal. The fest, organised by the Society, is on at the PWD Grounds (Swaraj Maidan) in the city till January 11.
Velampalli Srinivas, Minister of Endowments, Malladi Vishnu, Vijayawada Central MLA, R. Bhagya Lakshmi, Mayor of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, Manohar Naidu, president, Vijay Kumar, EMESCO, and the Coordinator of Vijayawada Book Festival Society, attended the inaugural function.