Let’s Read!

SARNGA DHARAN NAMBIAR -

What elevates a hapless, insignificant human to an extra-ordinary dimension of living is his or her love of books, for as Jojen claims in George Martin’s A Dance With Dragons, “a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies… and the man who never reads lives only one.” The potential to multiply one’s life is obviously something quite empowering, so say the wise.

And, don’t we often hear fear-mongers proclaim with glee that reading is a dying art, and genuinely feel sorry for the human species? Anyways, an interesting study found that people in the US aged 15 and older spent only an average of 16.8 minutes a day reading (not including for work or school), a worrying decline indeed from the 22.8 minutes of daily reading recorded in 2005. Figures could be more or less in the same territory worldwide.

So who will remind people, time and again, that books can weave a thousand lives in a single life? Book fairs, obviously. Though not of the scale of the world’s largest book fairs such as the Kolkata Book Fair or the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Muscat International Book Fair — with 523,000 titles, 882 publishers from over 33 countries this year — is an amazing event.

In its 24th edition, the Muscat International Book Fair is one of the most anticipated events in the Sultanate and is hosted annually as a cultural, intellectual and awareness project that can support the country’s transformational journey to establish itself as the region’s knowledge hub. The fair assumes significance given the fact that Oman is focusing intently on enhancing its knowledge economy as an alternative to the highly volatile oil economy.

As stated by the organisers, beyond the simple joy of reading, the Muscat Book Fair aims to raise community level awareness about the significance of reading, strengthen the Sultanate’s cultural and intellectual movements and ultimately bring about a positive change in people’s lives. To achieve the desired goals, the Ministries of Heritage and Culture, Information, Endowments and Religious Affairs and Education, and the Sultan Qaboos University are offering their vision and guidance as part of the fair’s main committee.

To ensure that visitors get an enriching experience, the organisers have formed specific teams focusing on cultural events, communities, and children among others, and the general ambience and content of the fair reflect their focused efforts. Four halls have been dedicated to host inspiring cultural events, while a separate and spacious space has been set aside for children’s activities. Further, there are special venues for community initiatives, along with cultural coffee shops.

Deviating from the practice of hosting cities as guests of honour, this year onwards the fair will be celebrating the Sultanate’s governorates as guests. Al Buraimi has been chosen for this year’s book fair. Visitors to the fair will be treated to various experiential programmes such as folk arts, cultural evenings and seminars that highlight the splendid cultural richness of the region.

Last year, the fair had more than a million visitors, of whom 53 per cent were women. And with so many added features, this year the number of visitors and sales are bound to increase significantly.

A unique attraction of this year’s Muscat Book Fair is the display of inspiring and heart-touching images under the theme ‘Read’ snapped by people across the world, as part of the international photography competition organised by the Photographic Society of Oman.

The photographs highlight and promote reading as a fundamental human endeavour across cultural, geopolitical, religious, financial and social differences and identities. Some of the captions are truly amazing, and just like the images capture the essence of the art and science of reading. One such caption reads thus: “Read is holy thing.”

Special mention needs to be made of the outstanding works of Omani photographers. The depth and poignancy of their images are sure to awaken an instant love for books even in the most reluctant reader. The message is clear, loud and simple: “Read, and Celebrate Life!”

So, let us read.