Kuruppampady: The good and bad can be reasonably differentiated while reading printed words, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function here in Ernakulam district on Saturday.
He was speaking during the inauguration of the Mary Paul Memorial Children's Library at the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET). The library was built by eminent writer and former chief secretary late Dr D Babu Paul in memory of his mother.
Parents need to be careful enough to limit the usage of new media by children, he said, adding, that results often depend on how they are used.
"Today, the new media is considered indispensable but they are also used for committing crimes and other misdemeanours. The significance of reading is pronounced here. People are concerned that reading is dying now. Moreover, some think there is no need to read anything beyond the syllabus. For them, D Babu Paul who read and studied till his last breath should be a role model," he said.
"D Babu Paul worked for the good of people. And, he shared such ideas with society," he added.
Babu Paul's daughter Neeba Joseph presented a gift to the chief minister.
Eldhose Kunnappilly, MLA, presided over the function.
The other speakers at the function included Babu Paul's brother and former aviation secretary and UPSC member K Roy Paul, district panchayat member Basil Paul, Rayamangalam panchayat president Soumini Babu, former speaker P P Thankachan, former MLA Saju Paul and DIET principal K M Krishna Das.
Babu Paul was hospitalised while the finishing working of the library was on.
The library has come up next to the local school where Babu Paul's mother taught. Both Babu Paul and his brother Roy Paul commenced their education there.
The library, which has been set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, has books that Babu Paul had collected from several places over the years. About Rs 1 lakh was spent to buy new books. The books collected by his friends within and outside the country will also be arriving soon.
A big tree stands in the reading room. Habitat Group, which built the library, has retained the tree while building the reading room. Now, one can read books sitting under the tree.
