Vijayawada book festival kicks off with Justice Narasimha urging mother tongue preservation

Vijayawada: The 36th edition of the Vijayawada Book Festival kickstarted on a grand note at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium on Friday. Supreme Court Judge Justice Pamidighantam Narasimha, along with AP legislative assembly deputy speaker Raghu Rama Krishna Raju and others, inaugurated the book fair in the city.On the occasion, Justice Narasimha and Raghu Rama Krishna Raju paid floral tributes to the portrait of renowned author and psychologist late BV Pattabhiram, after whom the main venue stage of the book fair was named.Justice Narasimha recalled his childhood, noting that he regularly read Telugu newspapers. Emphasising the collective responsibility of safeguarding one's mother tongue, Justice Narasimha said that every individual must contribute to preserving and promoting their native language.Highlighting the enduring value of books, Narasimha described them as lifelong companions. "Some books leave an indelible impression and remain with individuals throughout their lives. Similarly, language shares a similar bond, like kinship, that becomes inseparably woven into one's identity," he noted.Justice Narasimha described the continuous organisation of a book festival for 36 years as a remarkable achievement and lauded the Vijayawada Book Festival Society for its commitment to literary and cultural enrichment. He underlined that the responsibility of protecting and preserving the mother tongue does not lie with institutions alone but rests equally with every citizen.Stressing the importance of cultivating reading habits from an early age, he called upon parents, teachers, and society at large to actively encourage children to read books, noting that this would strengthen both language skills and cultural roots.