{"id":16246,"date":"2026-01-13T16:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/?p=16246"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:39:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:09:19","slug":"books-illuminate-minds-shape-societys-conscience-build-an-intellectually-progressive-nation-sarbananda-sonowal-at-assam-book-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/?p=16246","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBooks Illuminate Minds, Shape Society\u2019s Conscience & Build an Intellectually Progressive Nation,\u201d Sarbananda Sonowal at Assam Book Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cBooks Illuminate Minds, Shape Society\u2019s Conscience & Build an Intellectually Progressive Nation,\u201d Sarbananda Sonowal at Assam Book Fair<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n


\nUnion Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Visits Assam Book Fair, Encourages Young Readers to build Reading Culture<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sonowal Buys Many books including ones on Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen Garg<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Posted On: 02 JAN 2026 7:28PM by PIB Delhi<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

The\u00a0Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW),\u00a0Sarbananda Sonowal\u00a0today visited the\u00a0Assam Book Fair\u00a0at Khanapara\u00a0in Guwahati,\u00a0describing book fairs as\u00a0\u201cpilgrimage sites of knowledge\u201d<\/em>\u00a0that nurture intellectual growth and a thoughtful society.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing visitors and publishers at the fair,\u00a0Sarbananda Sonowal\u00a0said,\u00a0\u201cBooks illuminate minds, cleanse thought and enrich society across generations. The collective body of literature reflects the conscience, creativity and imagination of a society and plays a vital role in building an intellectually progressive nation.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery step taken to promote reading is a firm step toward the intellectual advancement of a people,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Sonowal added, urging the younger generation to cultivate a habit of reading. Sonowal said the enthusiastic turnout of readers at the fair reaffirmed that Assam is moving in the right direction as a society.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Union Minister said books are gifts that can be opened repeatedly, each time offering new insight and perspective. He recalled the enduring legacy of Assamese cultural and literary icons who shaped the identity of the Assamese people through their words and ideas, carrying Assam\u2019s voice to the world.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Quoting philosopher Francis Bacon\u2019s observation that\u00a0\u201creading makes a full man,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Sonowal cautioned against substituting deep study with fleeting digital consumption.\u00a0\u201cNo matter how much we consume social media feed but it\u2019s only books which can complete us. Only reading can give depth, imagination and critical thought,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, Sonowal acknowledged that technology has changed reading habits, noting that digital platforms such as e-books, audiobooks and digital libraries can complement traditional reading and make knowledge more accessible. The real challenge, he said, is to make reading joyful again, particularly for the youth.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sonowal also highlighted the need to modernise libraries, especially in smaller towns, and to make Assamese literature more accessible in contemporary and reader-friendly formats. He spoke about the quiet conflict many young people face between aspirations for modern success and attachment to their mother tongue, emphasising that progress need not come at the cost of one\u2019s linguistic and cultural roots.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

During his visit, the minister interacted with publishers and readers and purchased several books, including\u00a0Mrito Ishwar<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Prof. Bhawani Pegu, published by\u00a0Banalata Publication, along with others like\u00a0Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika\u00a0by\u00a0Anuradha Sharma Pujari,\u00a0Bodhidrum – 2<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Haren Gogoi,\u00a0Mayabini Raatir Bukut \u2014 Zubeen r Jiwon aaru Gaan<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Debajit Bhuyan;\u00a0Mur Jail Jatrar Kahini<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Babul Kumar Baruah. The purchases underscored his belief and keenness to reading and the promotion of Assamese literature.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBooks Illuminate Minds, Shape Society\u2019s Conscience & Build an Intellectually Progressive Nation,\u201d Sarbananda Sonowal at Assam Book Fair Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Visits Assam Book Fair, Encourages Young Readers to build Reading Culture Sonowal Buys Many books including ones on Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Zubeen Garg Posted On: 02 JAN 2026 7:28PM by PIB Delhi …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16246"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16249,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246\/revisions\/16249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theeducationoverview.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}