Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the third edition of National Book Trust (NBT) India's Anushthan Gomti Book Festival 2024, in Lucknow on Saturday.
The Gomti Book Festival is being organised at Lucknow's River Front Park from November 9 to 17. Yogi Adityanath said, "The Prime Minister said one thing - "when citizens read the country leads". Uttar Pradesh is very fortunate that Maharishi Valmiki was born in the land of Uttar Pradesh and he gave the first epic of the world like Ramayana. As time passed, when people felt that apart from Sanskrit, they should know more practical things. It is said about Tulsidas Ji - when he started writing Ramayan in Sanskrit, the more he wrote it, the more it disappeared. Later it is said that Bajrangbali appeared to him and told him to write it in the local language and then he wrote Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi. Today, Ramcharitmanas is sung in every house in Awadhi." He further said there is a challenge in front of everyone in this digital age. "Earlier human beings used to use technology. Now technology has started using us. If you see the average working hours of any youth, his 6 hours are engaged with his smartphone. If he uses this time for any constructive purpose it can give benefit to the society. There is a decrease in recognising and reading works of good writers. We have to encourage these writers and engage readers in it," CM Yogi said. He said that children should be encouraged to read creative writing which can improve creativity in him. "We have a tradition of listening, analysing and incorporating the good. We should use technology but not become dependent on it," he added. (ANI)
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