NEW DELHI (PTI): What would you do if you have a few hours to spare in pre television days. The choice was easy. Most people spent their leisure reading. Today, remote controls of VCR’s and multichannel satellite T.V. have taken the place of books in people’s hands.
The reading habit, which has widened the horizons of several generations bringing knowledge and understanding, today faces a challenge as new forms of information and entertainment emerge, say leading publishers.
“Books are under siege from new forms of information and entertainment,” David Davidar, Editor, Penguin India, said at a recent discussion here.
“To overcome this and promote books we have to be innovative in our approach,” he added.
The main danger to this age old habit comes from the images of instant culture spread by the audio visuals particularly television.
Of late, this has been recognized as a serious issue and discussions are on to find methods to counter the onslaught of this culture of “global village” spread by television, said some of the leading publishers at the discussion organized by the India international Center.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 5, 1993
