Lucknow, Sept. 21 -- : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday called on children and youth to spend more time reading books that enhance knowledge and creativity, and spend less time on smartphones. He was speaking at the inauguration of the fourth Gomti Book Festival at Lucknow University. "The pursuit of knowledge should be life's supreme goal. Children and youth should spend less time on smartphones and dedicate at least one hour daily to reading creative and knowledge-enhancing books," the CM said on the opening day of the nine-day event. "For the next nine days, the book fair will run at Lucknow University, where visitors will experience a grand confluence of knowledge and literature," he added. Yogi also held an interaction with children and emphasized the importance of introducing them to books. The festival will remain open till September 28 from 11 am to 8 pm daily. Citing examples of Indian seers, Adityanath said sages like Yajnavalkya showed society the path of knowledge. He highlighted India's rich knowledge tradition, citing the contribution of Takshashila university, Panini, Sushruta and the Brahmavettas. "Takshashila was named after Taksh, the son of Bharat (Lord Ram's brother). Reading and progress have always been part of India's heritage. Prime Minister Modi says 'When citizens read, the country leads'. The works of Maharishi Valmiki and Tulsidas are those original creations that are not only immortal but the texts have made their writers immortal," Adityanath said. Yogi presented school students the book "Exam Warriors" authored by PM Modi. "If children read the book carefully, the way to achieve success in any examination or competition will become quite easier. The students should connect with books instead of spending long hours on smartphones. For the next nine days, we will witness the Mahakumbh of books at Lucknow University. There are over 20,000 students in the university and I urge every one of them to buy at least one book from the Gomti Book Festival," he added. He also said that if women are healthy, society and the nation will be strong. He gifted books to Anganwadi workers and visited various stalls at the book festival. Those present during the inaugural session were minister for higher education Yogendra Upadhyay, advisor to CM Awanish Kumar Awasthi, National Book Trust chairman Prof Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Lucknow University vice chancellor Prof Manuka Khanna, author, filmmaker, and historian Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, and NBT director Yuvraj Malik....