Mangaluru : Writer and critique Vi.Ga. Naik on Friday said that decreased reading habits among the masses, particularly the mothers, has been responsible for rising intolerance in society.

He was speaking at the inauguration of National Library Week and the launch of mobile library organised by the City Central Library here. “There were days when mothers used to read a lot and inculcate values among their children. These days many of them would be busy watching soaps on television channels,” he regretted.

Giving his own example, Mr. Naik said his mother used to tell stories from the Ramayana, the Bible and the Koran thereby imbibing human values in him. “You cannot see such a scenario these days,” he said.

As a result, the youth are drawn towards violence which is responsible for the present day sorry state of affairs, he said.

The celebration of library week is one such occasion where the reading habits can be encouraged, he said.

He also praised City Central Library’s Deputy Director K.V. Raghavendra for revamping the library building making it a model one.

Inaugurating the celebrations, Mayor Jacintha Vijaya Alfred said many libraries in the city were housed in dilapidated buildings with very few facilities to readers and the staff. There is a need to create a separate corpus for libraries instead of making them depend on the City Corporation, she said.