THE books we read speak volumes about the kind of society we belong to. Unfortunately, libraries in Pakistan have lost their charm, and book-reading habit has been fading away. There was a time when parents used to take great pride in borrowing books for their children to inculcate the habit of reading books amongst the young ones.

Nowadays, we seem to be moving far away from the books and, hence, our libraries are in a shabby state. In offices, hardly anyone can be seen reading a book in their leisure or break time. They spend this time gossiping about things that are of the least impor- tance and not in their control by any stretch of the imagination.

Instead of relying on governments, we, as a society, must revamp our libraries and build some reading corners in offices to provide a space where employees may relax and read a page or two on the subject of their interest.

Also, we can lend those books to others and ask them to return the books when due. This will shift our energy and concentration from matters of distress and hopelessness to something that will create good energy and stimulate our thought processes for postitive tasks.

These small steps may prove to be the stepping stones towards creating educated, disciplined, and healthy workplace environments, thus paving the way for a much groomed and knowledgeable society.

Kaleem Ahmed
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023