Books - food for the mind

While we were busy celebrating avurudu and gorging on all the lovely delicacies, an important world event passed us by. This event was also very important, because it celebrated books, the food for our minds.

The importance of books and authors was highlighted when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) observed World Book and Copyright Day on April 23. The day, also known as the International Day of the Book and World Book Day, was organised by UNESCO for the 13th time this year, to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyrights.

The date is symbolic for world literature as it was on April 23 that giants in the literacy field such as Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died. The day also marks the births and deaths of several prominent authors like Maurice Druon, Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.

The idea for the celebrations was first arrived at in the Spanish city of Catalonia, where on April 23 (St. George’s Day), a rose used to be given as a gift for every book sold. An old custom here was for men to give their lovers roses and the women to gift them books.

The official UNESCO celebrations were initiated in 1995. Now, millions of people including schoolchildren from over 100 countries in the world observe the event. Now you may be wondering what a copyright is.

It is the sole right given to a creator of some work to print, publish, perform or profit from that work. The protection offered by copyrights and neighbouring rights is essential for enhancing individual creativity, the development of cultural industries and the promotion of cultural diversity.

Widely prevalent piracy (reproduction and distribution of material without proper authorisation) and the low enforcement of copyright laws are destroying the incentive to create and distribute local cultural products in all countries. This creates the need for efforts to encourage creativity to foster sustainable development.

The Universal Copyright Convention, implemented in 1952 under the aegis of UNESCO to promote copyrights, conducts awareness raising and capacity building projects and information training and research in the field of copyright law. It is also developing new initiatives to help fight piracy.