As a voracious reader myself, I have always admired the initiatives taken by Sharjah to promote the reading habit.

Hence, I was naturally thrilled when I noticed on your website that the Emirate of Sharjah has been declared the ‘Special Guest of Honour’ at the upcoming Moscow International Book Fair, to be held from Sept.4 to Sept.8.

It is elevating to note that this is the first time in the history of the fair that the guest of honour title has been awarded, recognising the emirate’s decades-long cultural efforts.

Books shape an individual’s mind and wield tremendous power to transform lives for the better. Books need to be promoted in order to build sustainable societies, which eventually help fortify the foundations of peace.

Sharjah remains in the forefront and hence is rightly being recognised the world over for its tremendous efforts to foster a culture of reading in the community.

It should not be forgotten that Sharjah government institutions allocate special libraries for their employees and also allow them reading hours as part of the strategy to build their cultural and knowledge aspects.

There is no doubt that Sharjah’s cultural status is thriving thanks to the vision of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who is keen on creating a reading community and promote the benefits of reading among children.

As Sheikh Sultan himself stated, “ We believe that books must be available to all and from this concept we turn book fairs into an oasis of knowledge and enlightenment.”

Dilip Simon, By email