It is a fact that television brings great development gain for countries like Bangladesh with a large population and with a low rate of functional literacy. But the task of improving the quality of learning, in terms of functional knowledge and communication skill, is equally important. It is evident that Bangladesh has to obtain the functional ability of communicating effectively with the outside world. And at the same time to raise the enabling quality of its expatriate community to compete well with other nations. The ability to communicate in English has immense benefits. Written words in particular are enduring treasures that bring ability, enlightenment, imagination and delight. We get a ready account of the labours of mankind in the past and the about the goals they had laboured for.

For Bangladesh, English language is our bridge to the world. The use of English should run parallel to the growth of Bengali. In the last few decades there has been a considerable increase in the number of local Bengali publications in different fields of aesthetic pursuit, knowledge and education. The readership has also grown phenomenally. The Bangla Academy book fair has become a national festival. I, however, don't know whether the country has seen an equal increase in the publication of technical and medical books in Bengali.

In Bangladesh, generally, the English medium boys and girls are known for the cultivation of English and to a lesser degree for excellence in it. Honestly, the love of language and written words languishes in the case of English, while it is appreciable for Bengali. The love of a language, if it seeks self-improvement through greater aesthetic fulfilment, has to explore beyond the home of our mother tongue. It applies for all pursuits that they should begin with love and should be spurred on by an ever-increasing appetite. The joy one finds remains as a lifetime enchantment. President Thomas Jefferson, the third President of America, had great love for books that found expression in his observation 'I live for books'. President Kennedy used to finish reading a book every night. He was however a speed-reader.

Sir Winston Churchill, a politician, went on to earn the Nobel Prize for literature for his writings on the Second World War. Honest Abe, or Abraham Lincoln, rose from the humble beginnings of a log cabin and ultimately triumphed to become America's most righteous President by winning a war against slavery. He persisted with his love of written words since his days as the sales clerk. It made him into one of the finest communicators among the leaders of the world. The speeches he made, the words he articulated became lasting definitions of government, of national responsibility and the duties of a leader. He personally wrote the Gettysburg Address in his tent and the speech was over in two and a half minutes. Yet, it endures as a precise definition of the government that 'government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Reading transports us to a comforting retreat, a haven of delight, and a niche of enlightenment. We become one with the imaginary and real characters that writers develop with the profundity of their thoughts and the probing nature of their facts. It can be a realm of perennial youth even at an advanced age.

In fact, reading is our right to know and writing is our right to express. The right to know on a broader level, seeks fulfilment through enlightenment; and celebration of life through the stimulation of our imagination. The right to write seeks to release oneself in the permanence of thoughts through sharing. A mind that seeks to know by reading is befriended by information and knowledge. It builds an inner world where we relax, renew and rejoice. And a mind that travels beyond has a greater view of the world. The ones who hold this view have a better understanding of the world when it comes to building the bridge to the world.

The world speaks many languages, holds many beliefs. But the need of communication among nations is not defeated in uni-lingual nations. A shared history has developed common languages like English. For Francophone countries, it is French and for the Latin countries, it is Spanish and Portuguese. Accordingly, over the last two and half centuries the countries of South Asia have a common vehicle to travel in English language. In the last 57 years, India has been very successful in keeping English as a language of her own to the greater benefit of the country. So has Sri Lanka and to a lesser extent Pakistan. These countries stay on the road to the modern world by using English language as an instrument for development. For Bangladesh, the constancy of purpose as to the use of English language has not been even over the last three decades.

The sixties saw the growth of an enlightened middle class in our country. It was to a great extent inspired by brave journalists, romantic socialists and a handful of pucca sahib educationists. The pioneer in this field was late Abdus Salam the editor of the then 'The Pakistan Observer. I also remember with great regard the late lamented Enayetullah Khan for his lonely crusade with avant-garde weekly 'Holiday'. The standard of English prospered on the love of English language cultivated by the English newspapers and periodicals of the time. In recent times, The Daily Star is doing a creditable job of rallying people around the cause of upholding the standard of English education.

I should pay a personal tribute to late S.N.Q. (Syed Nasru Qader) Zulfiqar Ali an eminent educationist of the country and a steadfast practitioner of the art of English writing. He wrote a weekly column under the title 'As I See It' in Observer under the pen name 'Astryx'. He was not a rebel neither was he brash, but he carried his love for English language to the last day of his life. C.P. Snow, P.G. Wodehouse, James Joyce and all other titans of English literature were among his many companions. He loved them; he lived them and encouraged others to discover the treasure.

Written words are the fountainhead of civilization. And they on the other hand are the offspring of our thoughts. Our thoughts for their profundity need constant stimulation to soar with imagination, to delve deeper like an explorer and to seek like a voyager. Thoughts find permanence in written words. One must read to write, confer to speak, more because, we live in a modern time, in a world that keeps advancing. The worth of a country or a society depends on how well they move with the time. A country and a society ready and up to date in their comprehension and knowledge of the world ride the advances of the time into the future. Reading makes us ready. And the habit of English reading and writing can be an enabling vehicle for Bangladesh to ride into the ranks of developed nations.

Syed Maqsud Jamil is a freelance contributor.