23rd April was World Book and Copyright Day

Rajmani Ayekpam *

Mega Book Sales 2021 at Manipur University, Canchipur in March 2021 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

From childhood and till now one of the things that come to our mind is none other than books. Books are not only important for students but for any human being to learn new things and move ahead in life.

Reading books is a hobby for many around the world and as there is demand there are many authors who have written books in different languages. Like hard copies now soft copies are also available and one of the popular editions is kindle version which can be read digitally.

During the last year when most countries have seen periods of confinement and people have had to limit their time spent outside, books have proved to be powerful tools to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity. In some countries the number of books read has doubled. Reading will increase as similar things are repeating this year too.

April is a month which contributes towards more book reading as there is celebration of World Book and Copyright Day on 23rd April. 23rd April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.

It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.

It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

With this in mind, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day. The Day is celebrated by a growing number of partners and since its launch has shown itself to be a great opportunity for reflection and information on a significant theme. It is observed by millions of people in over 100 countries, in hundreds of voluntary organizations, schools, public bodies, professional groups and private businesses.

Since 2000, World Book and Copyright Day has inspired another initiative of professional organizations which receives the assistance of UNESCO and backing from States: World Book Capital City. Each year a city is chosen which undertakes to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations until 23 April of the following year.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, named Tbilisi (Georgia) World Book Capital for the year 2021, based on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.

For promotion of creativity and innovation copyright is important. Copyright and neighboring rights protection is essential for enhancing individual creativity, for the development of cultural industries and the promotion of cultural diversity.

Rampant piracy and low level of enforcement of copyright laws destroy the incentives for the creation and distribution of local cultural products in all the countries of the world and reveal the need for concerted efforts to encourage creativity and to foster sustainable development.

Now more than ever, at a time when most schools are closed and people have to limit time spent out of their homes, the power of books can be leveraged to combat isolation, to reinforce ties between people, and to expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity.

To mobilize and support learning continuity, UNESCO has established the Global Education Coalition which today counts 160 members working around three central themes: Gender, connectivity and teachers.

UNESCO has been promoting books and copyright around the world. We must encourage creativity. It is essential to promote creativity and as we are getting time to be inside homes let us explore more books and make the reading habit.


( With direct inputs from UN publication )