Renowned Marathi writer and Sahitya Akademi awardee Vishwas Patil expressed deep concern over the increasing dependence on smartphones, especially among children, during the inauguration of the Pune Book Festival on Saturday. He emphasized that books remain irreplaceable when it comes to acquiring profound and lasting knowledge.
Patil highlighted that the average Indian now spends nearly six hours daily on mobile phones, calling this trend alarming as it weakens reading habits and diminishes meaningful intellectual engagement. “Books are lifelong companions. For authentic and best knowledge, nothing can replace books,” he said, underscoring reading’s vital role in leading a fulfilling and purposeful life.
Addressing efforts to counteract this trend, Patil mentioned grassroots initiatives in Sangli district’s gram panchayats that have imposed restrictions on children’s mobile phone use between 7 pm and 11 pm to encourage reading and study.Rajesh Pande, convenor of the Pune Book Festival, noted the strong turnout at the opening event as evidence of a growing interest in reading among all age groups in Pune. He said the enthusiastic response marks a steady revival of the city’s reading culture.
Meanwhile, Pune made headlines by setting a new world record for the “largest display of posters.” “India has surpassed the United States to claim the record for the longest poster display,” announced Swapnil Dangrikar, Guinness World Records adjudicator.The record was established at the festival held at Fergusson College, featuring an exhibition of 1,678 posters showcasing tribal words—surpassing the previous record of 1,365 posters set in the US in February 2025.
The Guinness certificate credits the Pune Book Festival, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, and the RISE Foundation for this achievement on December 12.This initiative was dedicated to tribal leader and freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, whose life and legacy are featured in a special pavilion at the festival.
Organized by the National Book Trust, the Pune Book Festival runs from December 13 to 21. Rajesh Pande shared that the festival includes a dedicated Birsa Munda gallery honoring his contributions to tribal society and India’s freedom struggle. The poster display was part of this tribute, highlighting tribal vocabulary.Social activist and Padma Shri awardee Girish Prabhune praised Munda’s multifaceted contributions and stressed the importance of preserving endangered dialects.
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