Informed citizens needed for democratic process: Dhankhar

Dhankhar described informed citizens as “the greatest spinal strength of any democratic process.” He underscored that only an informed citizenry can neutralise anti-national forces and narratives. Libraries are thus quintessential to achieve informed-citizen status.

The Vice-President said the event would promote the culture of reading in the country. “Library development brings about the development of society and culture. It is also a measure of progress of civilizations and cultures,” he said, lauding the ministry’s effort to employ technology for libraries.

Dhankhar also released a coffee-table book based on the writings of freedom fighters banned during colonial rule. He described the book as “the most authentic record of Indian genius for freedom”.

Literature banned during the colonial era was on display as a part of the festival. During the freedom struggle, several revolutionary pieces of literature were banned by the British as the writings were considered “dangerous”, said an official, adding, “These collections representing the feelings, aspirations and resolve of our freedom fighters, are available in various Indian languages, such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.”

An exhibition on an ancient encyclopaedia, highlighting how surgeries have been a part of Indian medicinal practice since ages, was also a part of the event. The event showcased iconic libraries from across the world with an aim to initiate a conversation on the modernisation and digitisation of libraries in India. Besides exhibitions and panel discussions, the festival introduced a special ranking system for libraries.