Govind Tekale
Books are the best friends of people. They take you to the dreamland of princes, princesses, heroes and villains. They entertain you. They also are a source of knowledge and inspiration. They help you to succeed in life.
That is why UNESCO celebrates a World Book and Copyright Day. It is celebrated every year on April 23. April 23 is an important day in the history of books. Several prominent writers like William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died on this day. So this date was selected by the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris in 1995 to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors. It encourages everyone to access books.
On this occasion, UNESCO brings together the three major sectors of book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries. It also selects a World Book Capital. This year’s World Book Capital is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is recognized by UNESCO for that city’s emphasis on literary heritage as well as its promotion of publishing and youth literacy in the face of digitization.
The theme of 2025 World Book and Copyright Day is “Read Your Way”. It provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure. It also supports a child’s right in book choice. It embeds a habit of reading with a number of benefits.
In India, Maharashtra Times, a Marathi daily and Popular Prakashan, a publishing house have jointly organised a competition for readers to name their favorite books. The list will be published on April 23, 2025, to coincide with World Book and Copyright Day.
The WBCD (World Book and Copyright Day) highlights importance of books in our life. It tries to safeguard the copyrights of authors. It contributes to raise the importance of books, their authors, publishers and libraries.
In fact, we are in midst of celebrating the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL). It is important to preserve the indigenous languages. Dr. GN Devi, author of People’s Linguistic Survey of India, says that even one speaker of an indigenous language is a depository of linguistic and cultural heritage.
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Last year, Strasbourg, Germany, was the World Book Capital. That city celebrated linguistic diversity of the world. It promoted national book policies. The WBCD also raises awareness about copyright laws. Professional training of librarians also features in the Book Day’s celebrations.
Translations play an important role in the world of books. With the help of AI, it is easier now to get the world’s classics translated in several languages of the world. Books in all the forms allow us to learn and keep us informed. Ebooks and audiobooks are the latest avatar of a book. They are to be encouraged.
Libraries all over the world provide the books in bold letters for elders, while the books in Braille help the people with poor eyesight. The AI is influencing content creation, distribution and copyright issues of book industry. UNESCO is actively encouraging the publishers, libraries and distributors to help the reader have open access to books.
Literary festivals are organised as part of WBCD. Book Fairs attract maximum number of people. Kolkata (Calcutta), India, is famous for its annual book fair. Sahitya Akademi, a literary organization of government of India, gives prizes to writers of various languages in India. It also awards authors for their translations. This is an annual event.
National Book Trust, another book agency of government of India, publishes books in all the recognized languages of India. Bharatiya Jnanpith Award is the highest literary award in India. Vinod Kumar Shukla, a writer of Chhattisgarh, is the latest recipient of this award. He writes in Hindi language.
A practical example of promoting reading is a novel method adopted by a hotelier in Maharashtra, India. A mother and son have started a “hotel of books” near Nashik. In this unique hotel books are lined up on the tables along with your food items. You can spend as much time as you want browsing the books in English, Marathi and Hindi, along with your food. The hotel also helps in organising publishing books events. It is located on a highway near Nashik.
According to Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, for books to unleash their full potential, it is essential that they reflect the linguistic diversity of our world. That is why, as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, launched in 2022, UNESCO is supporting publication of books in the indigenous and regional languages.
In short, the World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated on April 23, every year. It raises awareness about the importance of books in our lives. The main sectors of book industry – publishers, distributors, and libraries are brought together to discuss and debate the significance of books in all the forms. Rio de Janeiro is the World Book Capital this year. The theme of 2025 World Book Day is: Read Your Way. Books are our real friends, philosophers and guides.
