Prithviraj Chavan for promoting Marathi audio books

Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra’s chief minister on Thursday stressed the need for popularising the concept of audio books in Marathi.

"In present times, people have very less time for reading books. There is such rich literature in Marathi. But, people especially the younger generation have no time to read them. Audio books can be made available on internet, Ipod and it comes at affordable rate," Chavan said while releasing "Maharashtrachi Suvarna Gatha", a book authored by senior journalist Vasant Deshpande.

He said the Marathi language directorate headed by him would provide all assistance for audio books in the language.

"Audio books in English are very popular but not in Marathi," Chavan noted.

He said there is not much research based writing in the country since the medium for it is very limited.

Speaking on the occasion, Deshpande, who has covered the state politics even before the creation of Maharashtra, said his book covers an analysis of the chief ministers since

Yeshwantrao Chavan, bureaucracy, the boundary dispute with Karnataka, division of Bombay state into Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat, electricity shortage, drought, food grain shortage of that period.