Libraries are treasures of knowledge

Banganapalle (Nandyal district): At the valedictory ceremony of the 58th National Library Week (November 14–20) held at Banganapalle Library on Thursday, former sarpanch BC Raja Reddy, the chief guest, stressed that libraries are priceless treasuries of knowledge whose importance is fading in today’s technology-dominated era. Raja Reddy paid tribute to Gadicherla Harisarvottama Rao, revered as the father of the library movement, for pioneering public libraries to bolster education and ensure free access to reading material for all ages and sections of society. He lamented that modern society is abandoning libraries for gadgets, thereby moving away from authentic knowledge.

Raja Reddy highlighted that regular reading sharpens the mind, strengthens memory, and imparts lifelong wisdom. He expressed concern over youth’s addiction to mobile phones, which wastes time and harms health, and urged students to visit libraries daily and make reading a habit. He reminded everyone that having a library in the heart of Banganapalle town is a rare privilege that must be fully utilised.

Tanguturu Seenaiah, Nandyal district president of Arya Vaishya Mahasabha and TDP commerce wing, congratulated the organisers for successfully organising the National Library Week and equated libraries to temples, appealing to the public to maximise these centres of knowledge.