Curiosity

Works of literature, at their best, provide a kind of blueprint of human society. Works of literature give insight and context to all the world's societies. In this way, literature is more than just a historical or cultural artefact; it can serve as an introduction to a new world of experience.

In 1957 the government of India established the 'National Book Trust' or NBT, as an apex body under the Department of Higher Education and Ministry of Human Resource Development. The main objectives of the NBT was the production and publication of good literature in English, Hindi and other Indian languages in India and making it available at reasonable prices to the public.

To obtain the above objectives the way ahead was through book fairs, exhibitions and seminars and make people book minded.

NBT publishes the classical literature of India and outstanding works of Indian authors of all Indian languages. It does translation of works from one Indian language to another and from outstanding foreign language and modern knowledge to Indian languages.

NBT promotes books and reading habit by organizing book fairs and exhibitions throughout the country and abroad. The annual New Delhi World Book Fair, is organized by NBT which is the largest book event in the Afro-Asian region.

NBT also runs on-line sales and exhibition of books through mobile vans across the country, to make books available to the public even in remote, rural and difficult areas.

To promote reading habit in children NBT set up the Reader’s Club under NCCL [National Centre for Children's Literature] in 1993. Reader’s Club encourages schools to set up the ‘Reader’s Club’ in schools and to organize workshops and exhibitions at the school level. A Readers' Club Bulletin is published every month for Reader’s Club members and is also available for general readers at an annual subscription. Interesting reading materials, activities, review of new books find place in this bulletin and articles written by children are given priority in the publications.

Its rightly said ‘Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything’.

RINCHIN

Based in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Rinchin is a writer and activist who has been actively involved in the social movement of the tribals. Living a nearly nomadic life, she has been documenting the untold stories of the people of Raigarh. A liberal person Rinchin has been putting much effort to make the voices of the helpless tribal people heard around the world.

In her books, she covers modern-day issues of men and women in rural areas struggling to save their lands from getting it converted into mines, and how it, later on, affects their lives and ecology of our country. Her stories speak volumes of the social, political and cultural realities of this big wide world.

Characters like Rinchin strongly affect people’s lives, who are tough and decisive in the long run. We need to develop ourselves like her, to help others and keep humanity alive in every individual’s heart.

Rinchin has already authored six books. She chose to write about children since she felt that they had a larger stake in the way society is going to be shaped. One of her most famous books is, “I will save my land”, in which she talks about a young girl who believes in performing tiring jobs in the fields that adults felt were too difficult for her. It’s an influential and motivating book!