‘Books are the best friend and true guide: Salman Khurshid, Naveen Patnaik, others wish on World Book Day

‘Books are the best friend and true guide: Salman Khurshid, Naveen Patnaik, others wish on World Book Day
on Apr 23, 2021

World Book Day is celebrated every year on April 23, ever since 1995. The idea behind the day is to promote the joy of community that comes with reading, publishing as well as copyright. The date was more of an organic choice considering many celebrated authors like Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejía Vallejo among others were either born or passed away on this date. The United Nations website states that the date was decided upon at the UNESCO’s General Conference held in Paris in 1995. The intent was to pay homage to the above mentioned authors and open up the joy of reading before young readers. This also led to UNESCO creating the World Book and Copyright Day. The day is marked by UNESCO and other international organisations representing the three major pillars of the book industry – publishers, booksellers, and libraries– selecting a World Book Capital for a year, in effect from 23 April each year. This year Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, named Tbilisi (Georgia) as the World Book Capital for the year 2021. The decision was informed by the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee. Many took to Twitter to highlight the significance of the day. Politician and senior advocate Salman Khurshid wrote, “Books are the best Friend and true guide of everyone.” Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha wrote, “Books shape our thinking, stimulate our mind and broaden our horizon. On #WorldBookDay let’s celebrate the power of reading and enjoy this portable magic to limit our time outside homes as the world continues to battle #COVID19 pandemic.” Many readers took to social media to underline the importance of reading and books. Considering the time we are living in, the significance of reading is now more than ever. Source: indianexpress