Need to inculcate reading habit, feels city-based author Khairah
Amritsar, March 11
City-based author Gurpratap Khairah, whose debut book ‘How Dinkar Lost his job and Found a Life’ released recently, was among the participants at the first-ever Chitkara Lit Festival that featured sessions by eminent personalities, including Javed Akhtar, Usha Uthup and writer Irshad Kaamil.
As a debut novelist, whose book is also a dedication to his idols Gulzar and RD Burman, Gurpratap also spoke on the music of Burman and its legacy. “Even in my book, I have used the iconic songs by RD Burman as a part of narrative and they add value to the story. I wanted to document his music and its legacy through my book. I also spoke about that in my session and I feel that the youth today might have listened to his iconic and celebrated songs but they are not familiar with their significance,” he said.
Just like Burman’s music, he also feels that readers are a diminishing community now. “Especially in Punjab, I find that not many youngsters invest in a good book or like to take up reading as a habit. This is disappointing on so many levels as Punjab has a rich literary history and we have given celebrated writers in multiple genres. There is a need to inculcate reading habit and make it a lifestyle choice,” he said.
Khairah spoke in a session titled, Transformational Journeys, at the literature fest. Gurpratap shared his journey as an author and the transformation he went through with his debut novel. “My book is a story of an average, small-town guy, who has been surrounded with strong women in his life, be it his mother, his sister or the girl he loves. The novel is a mix of fiction and real-life experiences,” he added.
