ENCOURAGING BOOK-READING FOR PLEASURE: KHALID MASOOD

An avid booklover, a fervent Urdu literature critique, a dedicated publisher and an owner of ‘Kitaab Ghar’, Khalid Masood says, “Kitaab Ghar (established 1948) has, recently, given incentive to book-readers to avail 50% rebate on purchase of books for a year time and that too for unlimited buying on a meagre membership fee of Rs: 500- that will instantly consumed on 50% discount of customers’ first visit at both outlets of Kitaab Ghar- at Committee Chowk, Rawalpindi and Jinnah Super Market (F-7 Markaz), Islamabad”- a first of its kind from a private entity.

 

MAHTAB BASHIR

0333-53 63 248

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

ISLAMABAD

"An hour spent reading is one stolen from Paradise."

The dedication and hard work of pioneering publishers, scholars, and book lovers have not come to fruition yet in Pakistan. Publishers have been demanding for decades for book publishing to be recognized as an industry. Despite repeated promises, the government has not taken any steps to materialize this demand.

 

Sitting in his bookstore named ‘Kitaab Ghar’ at Jinnah Super Market (F-7 Markaz), Khalid Masood says it is very unfortunate to see book-reading culture is on the decline in Pakistan. 

 

“It gives me pain to see that the habit of reading has been declining among our younger generation. While technology is steadily taking control over individual lives, we must find a way to encourage our children to read. Books are also costly, which is a contributing factor to the situation. Some parents discourage children from reading for pleasure and force them to read textbooks only,” Khalid says adding book reading is a contagious habit- if parents are away from books- their children are least bother to read books.

 

Also, the publisher opines, “The overuse of technology should be discouraged. The government should set up at least one library in every sector of Islamabad. Students should be encouraged to read books besides textbooks by teachers at school, college and university levels and by parents,” Khalid suggests.

 

Khalid Masood- Owner Kitaab Ghar

He said for the first time ever in the history of Pakistan, ‘Kitaab Ghar’ has taken this initiative to entice book-lovers through its ‘Readers Club Scheme’- under which we are providing 50% rebate on purchase of books of all genre annually without limit with the membership fee of Rs.500/=   

Khalid Masood maintains that membership card is valid on both outlets of ‘Kitaab Ghar’ of F-7 Markaz (Jinnah Super Market) and Committee Chowk, Rawalpindi.   

 

Khalid Masood, the CEO of ‘Kitaab Ghar’ narrates that, “Of course, interest is a matter of concern. Your disinterest might work to deter the child from the books. A good practice here is to mix and match varieties of stories, including topics you like. Reading and creating conversation about a book is a key skill which you can easily impart to your child.”

 

You wonder at times about the state of reading in the world you are part of. There is the sense that it is dying, that indeed these increasing levels of sophistication coming into technology are in essence putting holes into our old habits of reading. Not many people read today, which is a pity. Worse is the knowledge that bookstores are being downsized because business is not good. And what you have in place of these truncated, eventually murdered bookstores is storehouses of all those things that reflect the decline of intellect in our times.

 

Khalid Masood with his father Malik Ghulam Muhammad

Khalid describes that one of the positive changes brought about by the pandemic is the culture of online activities. “Not only did social media communities on Instagram and Facebook burst open with possibilities, seeing increasingly more book reviews, giveaways, and nation-wide book exchanges organised by readers themselves, but publishers and booksellers, too, adapted a regular practice of holding virtual book launches and discussions with authors.

On the other hand, question remains the same: “How many programmes are there on that ubiquity of television channels that cater to books, to reading? There are nations that are privy to book discussions on television, to authors talking about their works. Surely similar discussions for an hour or so every week can be injected into the television schedules in Pakistan.

 

There are newspapers, Urdu as well as English, which come up with weekly reviews of books. It would not be a bad idea calling in reviewers and bringing them in touch with readers through the medium of television and radio. There are rivers that nourish the land. And books nurture the soul, he keeps talking.

 

Telling a tale of his laborious father, Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Khalid Masood narrates: his father established ‘Kitaab Ghar’ in 1948 at Committee Chowk, Rawalpindi for the promotion of book and book-reading. After awhile, he started publishing books. He started publishing ‘novels’ of prominent Urdu and English writers. In 1964, he took the initiative for publication of a digest with the name of ‘Kamran Series’ with similar features of ‘Imran Series’- after publicity of Imran Digest, a mushroom growth of such publications took place in Lahore and Karachi.

Since then, Khalid says, he was head over heal in love with book-reading and publishing and indulged in this profession with his father- who died in 2012 at the age of 94. “Now is the time to think about qualitative development. We need to ensure excellence in book writing and publishing. And to do so, readership has to be developed in every part, in every institution of our society,” he says adding to keep publishing sector alive, we really need to bring in meritorious young entrepreneurs in this sector and for doing so, the government should recognize it as an industry.

With his kids Ali Masood & Hassan Masood

He requested National Book Foundation (NBF) high-up’s to to take effective measures to in promotion of book-reading through ‘Shehar-e-Kitaab’ situated in F-7 Markaz and to use its own property more efficiently.    

 

The World Culture Score Index conducted a global study to measure the amount of time that people around the world spend reading on a weekly basis. The results of this study do not specify what type of material is being read, which could be anything from online news to work e-mails and magazines to books in print. Additionally, the study does not report specific information about the people surveyed (like age, educational level, or sex) or how many people were surveyed.

 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-countries-that-read-the-most.html

 

India topped the list with its citizens reporting an average of 10 hours and 42 minutes a week spent reading. Achieving the number 1 position on the list is quite an accomplishment for this country, which has a literacy rate that is lower than the global average (only 74%). This rate has, however, increased by more than 6 times since the country gained its independence in 1947, which could be an indicator of an increasing interest in reading. This time spent reading does not necessarily reflect the amount of time reading printed books, however, and may include time spent reading online or in electronic format.*