Nalgonda: Octogenarian book lover inspires youth

Nalgonda: In an age when the habit of book reading is becoming extinct, an octogenarian who is glued to books five to six hours a day is inspiring young people to take to reading. Few youth are delving into books and a majority are engrossed in social media.

Katta Ram Reddy, a native of Silamiyagudem of Tipparthi mandal in Nalgonda constituency, is a farmer. He studied up to Class10 in 1960s and took up farming as his profession. He has given away his 10 acres of land on lease due to his age, and is being cared for by his sister-in-law. After breakup with his wife, he started immersing himself in the world of books and rarely a day passes when he does take up a book. Of course, at this age, he has devoted himself to reading scriptures and the epics like Ramayana, Mahabharat, Bhagavatham and the like. He does keep himself abreast of the goings-on by allotting sometime for newspapers and magazines. Interestingly, he has a good sight and can read without glasses. He follows a strict diet in line traditional food habits.

Ram Reddy says reading books has protected his sanity. He is sad that most of the youth shun books and bury themselves in distracting social media and web sites. He fondly recalls book sharing among his friends and learning about the knowledge gained by others. He strongly wishes that the youth read biographies of successful personalities, famous movements in the history etc. Books are a sure way to enhance one’s knowledge and widen horizons.