<p>Launched from a need to serve the reader's community in and around Mangaluru, Gerald Fernandes set up Reader's Delight for avid book lovers like himself on Lighthouse Hill Road in March 1985 with some support from his family.</p>.<p>A few years later, his wife Wilma, another voracious reader, joined the venture.</p>.<p>Since then, many generations of book lovers, school-children, youth, and the elderly have browsed through their vast collections of classics, magazines, comics, and educational books. Fernandes recalled how little school children made a mad dash into the library looking for their favourite books. "On such occasions, my heart had swelled with joy," he recollected.</p>.<p>The vast collection of books had attracted a good percentage of readers from neighbouring suburb of Manipal as well.</p>.<p>“We were one of the first libraries to have international magazines like GQ, Cosmopolitan and People, which weren’t widely available in the market,” Wilma said.</p>.<p>However, the readership eventually began decreasing.</p>.<p>The couple attribute this to a change in mentality of parents and students alike. “Parents want their children to focus only on academics and become doctors or engineers," Wilma said. "In turn, children gave up reading for pleasure,” rued Gerald.</p>.<p>Advancements in technology and a shift in lifestyles also had a negative impact on reading habits. The couple assert that reading online cannot replace the joy of reading from paperbacks and hardcopies.</p>.<p>Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced the sales to a trickle, proved to be the last straw.</p>.<p>“This library has been a part and parcel of my reading journey for three decades. I am indeed very disheartened to hear about its closure,” stressed a devoted member of Reader’s Delight, Pradeep Rao from Lalbagh. His daughter Prerana Rao, a PhD student, called it "a repository of nostalgia".</p>.<p>Prerana, who is presently studying in Hyderabad, said: “As a young reader, I took refuge in literature for escapism and Reader’s Delight was nothing short of a sanctuary in my high school days. I kept my membership intact despite moving to different cities and made sure that I visited the library every time I came back home. It is with immense sadness I bid it a reluctant farewell” </p>.<p>The couple, Gerald and Wilma, cannot recall a time when they were not surrounded by books. They appealed to all bibliophiles to take a look around the treasure trove called Reader's Delight and buy their favorites before the curtains come down once and for all.</p>
<p>Launched from a need to serve the reader's community in and around Mangaluru, Gerald Fernandes set up Reader's Delight for avid book lovers like himself on Lighthouse Hill Road in March 1985 with some support from his family.</p>.<p>A few years later, his wife Wilma, another voracious reader, joined the venture.</p>.<p>Since then, many generations of book lovers, school-children, youth, and the elderly have browsed through their vast collections of classics, magazines, comics, and educational books. Fernandes recalled how little school children made a mad dash into the library looking for their favourite books. "On such occasions, my heart had swelled with joy," he recollected.</p>.<p>The vast collection of books had attracted a good percentage of readers from neighbouring suburb of Manipal as well.</p>.<p>“We were one of the first libraries to have international magazines like GQ, Cosmopolitan and People, which weren’t widely available in the market,” Wilma said.</p>.<p>However, the readership eventually began decreasing.</p>.<p>The couple attribute this to a change in mentality of parents and students alike. “Parents want their children to focus only on academics and become doctors or engineers," Wilma said. "In turn, children gave up reading for pleasure,” rued Gerald.</p>.<p>Advancements in technology and a shift in lifestyles also had a negative impact on reading habits. The couple assert that reading online cannot replace the joy of reading from paperbacks and hardcopies.</p>.<p>Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced the sales to a trickle, proved to be the last straw.</p>.<p>“This library has been a part and parcel of my reading journey for three decades. I am indeed very disheartened to hear about its closure,” stressed a devoted member of Reader’s Delight, Pradeep Rao from Lalbagh. His daughter Prerana Rao, a PhD student, called it "a repository of nostalgia".</p>.<p>Prerana, who is presently studying in Hyderabad, said: “As a young reader, I took refuge in literature for escapism and Reader’s Delight was nothing short of a sanctuary in my high school days. I kept my membership intact despite moving to different cities and made sure that I visited the library every time I came back home. It is with immense sadness I bid it a reluctant farewell” </p>.<p>The couple, Gerald and Wilma, cannot recall a time when they were not surrounded by books. They appealed to all bibliophiles to take a look around the treasure trove called Reader's Delight and buy their favorites before the curtains come down once and for all.</p>