April 23 has come and gone and the Education Ministry, the media and the publishing fraternity seem to have simply ignored this important day like any other day — UNESCO celebrates April 23 as World Book Day to promote reading, publishing and copyright. When there is so much of a fuss about Valentine’s Day on February 14, and an inconsequential day, why was April 23 ignored? Ever since the new government has come to power, it seems to be going out of its way to direct educational institutions to observe various days, ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on May 31 is one example. So why the miss? It was Irina Bokova of UNESCO who said: “Books help weave humanity together as a single family, holding a past in common, a history and heritage, to craft a destiny that is shared, where all voices are heard in the great chorus of human aspiration.”N. Nagarajan,Secunderabad

Source: The Hindu May 23, 2016 11:45 UTC