{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Digital Age Hasn't Dimmed What Books Mean To Readers, Guwahati Event Told",
  "summary": "Writer and journalist Bikash Sarkar told a Guwahati university audience that technology hasn't changed what books and libraries mean to people, while a separate address recalled the legacy of library-science pioneer Dr S. R. Ranganathan.",
  "content": "A gathering at a university in Guwahati turned into a tribute to the printed page this week, with writer and journalist Bikash Sarkar arguing that no amount of digital disruption has dimmed what people feel for a good book, or the space that houses it.\n\nSarkar was the keynote speaker at a special programme held at Assam down town University's (AdtU) Harinarayan Dattabaruah Central Library in Guwahati on Wednesday, organised to observe National Librarians' Day.\n\n\"Temples of books\"\nSarkar told the gathering that books have always powered human progress, and that even as technology reshaped how people read and access them, the core pull of a book has not weakened. Libraries, he said, have been the institutions that kept that continuity alive. He summed up his view of these spaces with a single line: \"A library is a temple of books, and librarians are the custodians of that temple.\"\n\nRemembering the father of library science\nUniversity Librarian Dr. Ruby Goswami used the occasion to trace the life and work of Dr S. R. Ranganathan, who is widely seen as India's father of library science. Her address placed his ideas in context for the students and staff attending the programme.\n\nProceedings opened with AdtU's Vice Chancellor, Dr Narayan Chandra Talukdar, honouring Sarkar for his address. University Chancellor Dr. Narendranath Dutta then spoke directly to the students present, stressing how libraries continue to matter for both their academic training and their personal growth outside the classroom.\n\nOther highlights\nThe event closed with a vote of thanks from Dr. Santosh Mohan Upadhyay. Earlier, the programme opened with a Saraswati Vandana rendered by Brishti Mousam Kashyap, and Assistant Professor Pangkhi Kashyap conducted proceedings throughout.\n\nOrganisers said the broader point of the programme was to underline the lasting part libraries play in building reading habits and sustaining a culture of knowledge and learning on campus.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: Events like this keep the spotlight on reading habits and library access in colleges, which can influence how institutions fund and promote their libraries.\n• In Guwahati: Students at Assam down town University get direct exposure to library-science history and a nudge to make fuller use of campus reading resources.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. What did Bikash Sarkar say about libraries at the Guwahati event?\nHe said the pull of books and the role of libraries have not changed despite fast-moving technology, calling a library \"a temple of books\" and librarians its custodians.\n\n2. Where and when was the programme held?\nIt was held on Wednesday at Assam down town University's Harinarayan Dattabaruah Central Library in Guwahati.\n\n3. What occasion was the event organised for?\nIt marked National Librarians' Day.\n\n4. Who spoke about Dr S. R. Ranganathan at the event?\nUniversity Librarian Dr. Ruby Goswami spoke about his life and contributions as the father of library science in India.\n\n5. Who felicitated Bikash Sarkar at the programme?\nAdtU Vice Chancellor Dr Narayan Chandra Talukdar felicitated him at the start of the event.\n\n6. Who gave the vote of thanks and who performed the Saraswati Vandana?\nDr. Santosh Mohan Upadhyay delivered the vote of thanks, while Brishti Mousam Kashyap performed the Saraswati Vandana.\n\n7. What was the overall message of the programme?\nThat libraries remain vital to promoting reading habits and a culture of knowledge and learning, even in a fast-changing technological world.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/education/dijitala-daura-men-bhi-kitabon-ki-ahamiyata-kama-nahin-hui-guwahati-ke-karyakrama-men-bole-bikash-sarkar-15926",
  "category": "Education",
  "publishedAt": "2026-08-12",
  "tags": [
    "National Librarians Day",
    "Bikash Sarkar",
    "Assam down town University",
    "Guwahati library event",
    "S R Ranganathan",
    "library science India"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}