Adityanath: Ensure Books Reach Youth Eager to Read

Lucknow, Sep 12: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said young people remain interested in reading, but greater efforts are needed to make books accessible to them.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the fifth Gomti Pustak Mahotsav in Lucknow, Adityanath said the response to book fairs in the state had challenged the perception that the younger generation was losing interest in books. The festival will continue until September 20.

Recalling the first edition of the book fair, the chief minister said he had suggested organising a similar event in Gorakhpur. The response there, he said, surpassed that in Lucknow, with book sales also higher.

“The results completely dispelled the notion that today’s youth do not read books. We had not made the efforts to make the books reach them,” Adityanath said.

He also rejected the criticism that young people spend excessive time on social media, saying the issue should instead be viewed in the context of their access to meaningful reading material.

Taking a swipe at previous governments, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh had once struggled with poor infrastructure and inadequate educational facilities.

“Earlier, the schools and buildings were dilapidated, and there were no teachers. Since the state was ‘BIMARU’, the governments themselves were dilapidated, and hence the system became dilapidated,” he said.

The term ‘BIMARU’, meaning sick in Hindi, was coined by demographer Ashish Bose in the mid-1980s for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which were then among India’s poorer states.

Adityanath said Lucknow had historically been an important centre of literature and noted the contribution of the city and surrounding regions to India’s literary heritage.

He also referred to the spiritual and cultural significance of places including Naimisharanya in Sitapur, Prayagraj and Muzaffarnagar, highlighting Uttar Pradesh’s long association with knowledge, religion and literature.

Questioning why a state with such a rich heritage had been unable to progress in the past, the chief minister said restricting access to knowledge had contributed to an identity crisis.

“The narrow mindset plunged us into an identity crisis. It relegated UP to the category of ‘BIMARU’ states,” he said, adding that societies and nations also suffer when they become disconnected from their heritage.

According to Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh carried the ‘BIMARU’ tag until about a decade ago, while young people faced difficulties in expressing their identity confidently.

He said initiatives undertaken over the past 10 years had begun producing visible changes in the state.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book ‘Exam Warriors’, Adityanath urged young people and citizens to read it and draw inspiration from its message.

He said the book was not restricted to schoolchildren because people encounter different kinds of examinations throughout life, whether while pursuing degrees, obtaining certificates or dealing with personal challenges.

“When one’s courage falters, ‘Exam Warriors’ serves as a source of strength and guidance,” he said.

Adityanath concluded by invoking the ancient Indian tradition of welcoming knowledge from all directions. He said access to ideas should remain unrestricted and that society must keep its doors open to learning.

“The doors and pathways for knowledge to flow in from all directions must remain open,” he said.