In a world full of likes, comments, social media, and clicks, if you are looking for books and novels, then Thane’s Korum Mall is an ideal spot for book lovers as Lokmat has organized a unique Marathi book exhibition showcasing up to 5,000 books from 25 publications. This marks the first Marathi book exhibition of its kind in a mall, aiming to engage the youth in a digital detox and offer a glimpse of our rich literary heritage. From historical works to biographies, readers can savor and explore this literary feast. Often, there are complaints that reading is a dying art and we are too glued to our smartphones, but initiatives like this in upscale malls can serve as a small step towards fostering the habit of flipping through pages and simply enjoying the process.
Reading makes us laugh as well as cry, it provides us with wonderful ideas and an insightful eye. You will find books of all kinds of genres in the exhibition. There were books like ‘Ya Jeevanache Kay Karu’ by Aani Nivadak, Sandhiprakash by Jyotsana Lele, Navroji Te Nehru by Govind Talwalkar, ‘Kapatniti’ by Daji Panshikar, ‘Don Mitra’ by Bharat Saasne. This festival is a celebration of authors, poets, and books who have made a mark in various fields like stories, novels, poems, biographies, ideologies, and translations.
This literary extravaganza for Thanekars is being organized from today onwards in order to take forward the legacy of Marathi literature and preserve Maharashtra’s reading habits. From the 24th to the 26th, at Korum Mall, literature and cultural feast is available to the audience at Kusumagraj Granthalaya. Thane Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar, senior writer Nilu Damle, author Dr. Anant Deshpande, actor Mangesh Desai, Jitendra Mehta of MCHAI, etc. were present for the inauguration of the book exhibition.
TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar, Actor Mangesh Desai, senior writer Anant Deshmukh, and Journalist Nilu Damle were present for the inauguration ceremony. While gracing the occasion, TMC Commissioner Bangar said, “Reading should be associated with reflection and adoption. It should be an intentional effort and should not be limited to just social media. ” He asserted that there shouldn’t be any breakfast competition in reading but just experience the joy of it. While sharing his personal experience, Bangar said, “I read at least 1 page daily. This is the practice that I have followed since my college. It enhances my life and gives me a new perspective.” He emphasized the TMC’s efforts to build libraries in the classrooms of TMC schools. “We already have libraries in the TMC gardens and Thanekars are avid readers. The municipal corporation is coming up with new facilities that can make reading more accessible.”
Actor Mangesh Kadam stated that reading Marathi books should be a part of our daily routine. “In the fast-paced world, we have somewhere not giving priority to reading. We should inculcate the habit of reading so that the future generation also takes an active part in it.” Senior writer Anant Deshmukh said, “There should be a link between readers and writers. Reading transpires people into a different world and we all should experience the joy of reading.”
Journalist Nilu Damle who is the author of the book Punha Ekda Avaghad Afghanistan said, "Medium of reading has changed. For me, every person is like a book. I observe people a lot and like to narrate their stories." He shared his anecdotes from Afghanistan and narrated how people living there want a simple and decent life. "I resided in Kandahar. We easily make perceptions about people by judging them. However, I observed that the common people over there live a common and normal life just like us."
Young reader Sahil Yadav who came to get a glimpse of the exhibition told LokmatTimes.com, “This is a good initiative taken by the Lokmat group. We need the youth to be friends with books and such an exhibition inside the mall will definitely attract young readers.” LokmatTimes.com spotted kids, senior citizens, working professionals, and students taking an active part in the literary extravaganza. “I came here for shopping but came across this book fair and was amused by the interesting novels over here. It is true that reading books has taken a back seat due to the social media and OTT platforms but will surely make it a practice to read books regularly,” a citizen.
There will be various other programs like poetry gatherings and "Varditatil Dadardi in which Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre will be the chief guest of the program. Administrative officers will present their poems and ghazals. On February 27, on the occasion of Marathi Bhasha Divas, a literary award ceremony will be organized at Gadkari Rangayatan. The program will be presided over by Dr. Vijay Darda, Chairman of Lokmat Editorial Board. Popular Book Depot’s chief Ramdas Bhatkal will be felicitated with the 'Jeevan Gaurav' award. Senior writer Shyam Manohar will be present as the chief guest.