National Reading Day 2025 – June 19

Current Context: On June 19, 2025, India celebrated the 30th National Reading Day to honour Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker, the Father of the Library and Literacy Movement.

Key Highlights:

• Origin: First observed in Kerala in 1996 on Panicker’s death anniversary (June 19, 1995)
• National Recognition: Declared a national observance by PM Narendra Modi in 2017
• 2025 Theme: Promoting reading through ‘Vaayanasadhas’—1 lakh collective reading sessions across India
• Legacy: Panicker’s grassroots library movement helped Kerala achieve universal literacy, inspiring the Reading Week (June 19–25) and Reading Month (June 19–July 18).

Question:

Q.1 National Reading Day commemorates the death anniversary of which personality?
a) S. R. Ranganathan
b) Rabindranath Tagore
c) Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker
d) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Answer: c) P.N. Panicker passed away on June 19, 1995, and the first Reading Day was observed in 1996 in Kerala to mark his contributions to literacy and libraries.