We are living in a world of opportunities and challenges where progress has been made by leaps and bounds in the fields of technology and communication. People from different parts of the world can communicate among themselves almost instantly. Information on almost every subject can be retrieved in a few minutes just by a click of the mouse. However, books remain, undoubtedly, for many, a favourite and fulfilling pastime.

Just as eating the right type of food helps to keep us in good health, constant reading nourishes our minds and prevents them from remaining idle. Books impart to us a broad knowledge, boost up our state of mind and brighten up our day when we feel sad and disillusioned. They enable us to acquire good writing skills and a rich vocabulary.

The most intelligent and judicious investment which a parent can make for his children is buying books for them. In fact, books with bright and colourful illustrations and pictures captivate the imaginations of young children and make them more inventive whereby they can imagine stories of their own.

Many parents have the good habit of reading bedtime and fairy stories aloud to their children. In doing so, these parents are not only spending quality time with their children but they are also inculcating the joys of reading in them as well as creating a sense of words-awareness and recognition. While growing up, these children will naturally take to reading just like eating or sleeping. Books should be given to children as rewards for achievements in sports and studies.

Books allow us to travel to places where we have never been. They make us acquainted with other people?s cultures, traditions, ways of living and different types of leadership. By reading the biographies of great men who have left their mark on the history of mankind like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, just to mention a few, one cannot remain indifferent as they diffuse a sense of strong will, hard work and a spirit of positiveness. Jimmy Carter, for instance, received the Nobel prize for peace for his relentless efforts to maintain harmony in the Middle East where tension and rivalry are rampant.

It is sad to observe that the libraries of most of our colleges are not equipped with interesting and inspiring books. Students? enthusiasm for reading is thus dampened as the same books are displayed on the shelves all year round. The library personnel should direct their efforts towards acquiring good books on different subjects ranging from science and history to literature so as to cater for the needs and tastes of all. Helping to foster good reading habits in students will surely contribute to building a civilized and educated society with law-abiding and disciplined citizens. Besides, the phenomenal invasion of increasingly sophisticated games like ?play-stations? into our children?s daily lives can ultimately create a sense of aggressiveness. Youngsters are easy prey to such inevitable social disaster. We should instill into them the culture of reading at a young age. Some of our municipal libraries should also help to promote the works of our Mauritian authors among the reading public. In fact, many of our fellow country-men have won international recognition for their masterpieces.

Reading, being in itself a door to a world of wonders, changes our outlook on life. If a child is encouraged to read at an early age, he will become a life- time reader.Have we not seen some people who are immersed in reading in the bus or on the beach? For these people, books are their lifetime companions. Our best friends can forsake us but books stand by us through thick and thin.

<B>Rukaiya Dooreemeah</B>