KARIMNAGAR, MARCH 22, 2026: Books are said to be the best friend of man. One cannot feel lonely in the company of books as they can deal with all sorts of moods and circumstances, be it joy, sorrow, happiness, anguish or despair, said former IPS officer, BRS General Secretary and founder chairman of SWAEROES Dr RS Praveen Kumar.
Once, books were cherished companions, offering solace and insight across the spectrum of human emotions. Today, however, the omnipresence of smartphones and the allure of social media have diverted both students and adults from the enriching habit of reading, he stated.
He participated as the chief guest at a programme on ‘Book reading’ organised by SWAEROES Karimnagar district unit at a function hall near Satavahana University in Karimnagar town on Sunday. Speaking on this occasion, Dr Praveen Kumar highlighted the importance of books and said, “With the advent of information technology, book reading is becoming an extinct habit. Right from students to elderly people, this habit is vanishing. If we remember our childhood, there used to be a complete environment of reading. Grandfather used to read the Ramayana or Bhagvad Geeta in his leisure time. Grandmother and other women sitting surrounding ‘Thatha’, listening to those religious verses and discussing moral values and noble virtues.
The father reads newspapers or magazines, and the mother used to read Grah-Sobha. In today’s scenario, when everyone in the family is either watching television or engaged on mobile phones, children are also busy with computer games or watching cartoon channels. It clearly shows the difference and change in the social environment. Surprisingly, we blame our kids for having no reading habits”, he pointed out.
However, he reiterated that, in spite of AI technology, people have not stopped reading books. But, some of the people are engaged in social media and use of mobile phone, neglecting the importance of reading books, he stated and added that people would be forced to literacy if they do not read books regularly.
Stating that the Bheem Deeksha would be conducted from March 15 to April 14, he appealed to all SWAEROES to read at least one book every day during the Deeksha period. On this occasion, he ensured that all the participants read Viktor Frankl book: “Man’s Search for Meaning’. SWAEROES chief convednor Balguri Durgaiah, state president Veeraiah, state committee members Manoj, Babu Naik, district president Anil, Akinapalli Sirisha, Ande Ajay and others were also present.
