Speakers stress reading habits to build enlightened society

Speakers at a discussion in Rangpur on Saturday called for cultivating reading habits to enhance knowledge, combat ignorance and immorality, and build an enlightened society.
They made the call at the second Rangpur Divisional Readers' Conference 2026, held at the District Shilpakala Academy auditorium with the participation of authors, literary figures and representatives of 150 libraries.
The Bazlur Rahman Library organised the conference, which featured various programmes throughout the day.
Additional Divisional Commissioner of Rangpur Md Ashraful Islam attended the event as the chief guest, while poet and researcher Adil Fakir chaired the discussion. Fiction writers Bishwajit Das and Sharif Ahmed attended as special guests.
Earlier, Alhajj Bazlur Rahman Sarkar, founder of the Bazlur Rahman Library and a literary personality, formally inaugurated the conference.
Assistant Director of the National Book Centre Mohammad Enamul Haque and Professor Mohammad Shah Alam, former head of the Department of Bangla at Rangpur Government Begum Rokeya College, delivered keynote speeches.
Nabir Hossain, member-secretary of the conference's implementation committee, delivered the welcome address.
Literary personalities Irshad Jamil, Lelin Basunia and Safura Begum moderated the sessions.
The speakers said libraries had played a crucial role for centuries in promoting reading habits and enriching people's knowledge, helping build a more civilised society.
They described libraries as rich sources of knowledge about ancient and contemporary societies, human life and philosophy, history, civilisation, politics, literature and the world.
The chief guest said libraries were among the key institutions for a nation's intellectual and professional development.
“Libraries have made far-reaching contributions to spreading the light of knowledge among the general public. For this reason, a library is called the People's University,” he said.
He urged people to turn to libraries and develop a habit of reading to become knowledgeable citizens and contribute to building an enlightened society and a prosperous Bangladesh.