"Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything" - Plato.
Books have long embodied the human capacity to conjure up worlds, both real and imagined, giving voice to the diversity of human experience. They help us share ideas, information, and inspire admiration for different cultures, enabling far-reaching forms of dialogue between people across space and time. Books act as a force to address contemporary challenges, to understand political and economic realities, and to combat inequalities and misinformation. They act as vital vehicles to access, transmit and promote education, science, culture, and information worldwide.
In order to always keep in frame always, the aforementioned significance of books, UNESCO celebrates the World Book Day also known as the 'World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book' every year on the 23rd of April. Ireland and UK observe World Book Day in March.
23rd April was chosen as a date as that marks the departure of three great authors of universal literature, Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vaga. We actually celebrate their captivating power to spark innovation and generate knowledge and strong minds.
Reading books gives oneself a good escape from the stressful reality of the world, acts as a link between the past and future, and also a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organisations represent the three major sectors of the book industry- publishers, booksellers, and libraries. The endeavour is to maintain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of books in our lives and at the same time acknowledge the insurmountable contributions of significant writers, and publishers who have actually aided the social and cultural progress of humanity.
In 2022, the theme for World Book Day is, 'You are a reader'. Yes, everybody is a reader, as a reader is one who actually pays attention to the world. Everybody does that. This year World Book Day is here to focus on reaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We people can celebrate World Book Day by organising various book clubs, book fairs, stalls, etc. We can also celebrate it in the Spanish model where it is customary to present books to each other on this significant day. The global celebration gives a chance to people of all ages to come together and explore the enjoyment of reading. Books must be recognized as symbols of hope and dialogue. Come hay, fall in love with the adventures of reading, and together 'Celebrate Literature and the Joy of Reading.'
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