It was in 2018, when I organized a National Seminar focused upon the role of Geeta Press, with special reference to Hanuman Prasad Poddar(“Bhaijee”) in the course of freedom struggle, a bunch of historians of certain intellectual trajectory reacted– “What has Geeta Press to do in the course of nationalist struggle against colonialism? Needless to mention, that with complacency they had looked upon the contours of colonialism in economic terms only, the cultural objectives of colonial power were completely set aside by them in providing the narrative of nationalist history. This was due to their limited understanding of history, that colonialism was based upon the objectives of mercantilism and later capitalism and cultural objective of colonialism was completely set aside by propounding a narrative that ‘cultural colonialism and imperialism are not worthy of consideration in the narratives of Indian history, precisely in the emergence of Modern India.
Precisely speaking, colonialism had a deep connectivity with culture and across the globe wherever the white man entered the native cultures vanished. In India the story of Intangible destruction during colonial era is a serious subject to ponder. Trio of Utilitarians, Anthropologists and Indologists worked in tandem to establish the myth of civilizational supremacy of colonialists in the 19th century and early 20th centuries along with identifying and constructing Hindus in different compartments. Thus, compromising Sanatan in totality, as destruction of Sanatan was the key to the world Imperial Parliament in which Indians should necessarily forget “Baharatiya Indentiy” on the pretext of modernity. Socio-cultural movement of accumulative nature in the early 19th century are testimony to cultural impact of colonialism and the journey of Aurobindo Acroid Ghosh to Sri Aurobindo is a classical example of loss and recovery of the self in the colonial discourse.
Amidst such cultural challenges, when a tyring platform was neatly laid as a hidden agenda of colonial masters, the “Role of Geeta Press” needs a sharp scrutiny in upholding the Bharatiya Ethos in the process of nation building by providing classical print material on Sanatan Philosophy and practices from the year 1923.
Geeta Press was established in 1923 at Gorakhpur. Earlier in 1922 Jamuna Lal Bajaj and Jai Dayal Goenka convinced Bhaijee to dedicate self for the service of Hindus, which was passing through a period of enormous challenges. It is worth mentioning here that after 1920s ‘Bande Mataram’ lost its place from designs of the national flags and ‘Hindutva’ in general entered into a phase of new discourse in 1923. Perhaps challenges from inside, a resultant of modernity, were graver now as envisaged by colonialists in the 19th century and later clearly specified by Winston Churchill about India- “They are beastly people with beastly religion”. Indian religion countered the phenomena of bestiality through “ Kalyan” meaning good for all humans.
Geeta Press and its most famous publication “Kalyan” are synonymous. When it was decided to start a publication for the benefit of society as a whole the name “ Kalyan” was suggested by Bhaijee. Though for initial thirteen months Kalyan was published from Bombay, later in 1923 Geeta Press was established at Gorakhpur. Geeta Press, now one of the largest publishers in the world, which works on no profit basis, has clearly defined objectives, to mention few;
Thus, the very essence of Geeta Press was based on Sanatan’s Principle of inclusiveness, looking for the good of humanity in global perspective, Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam.
It was planned to publish Kalayan on monthly basis with eleven general editions and one special edition annually. Bhaijee was entrusted with the service of editorship. Circulation of Kalayan was started with 600 copies but soon it crossed over one lakh before 1947. Advertisers tried to get space on the pages of Kalyan but it was denied. An interesting event needs a mention here, Mahatma Gandhi was pleased to receive a copy of Kalayan and later he contributed articles in Kalyan, it was when Jamuna Lal Bajaj and Bhaijee met Gandhiji, he gave two advices for Kalyan. Firstly, never accept any advertisement as it may jeopardize the independent trajectory of the volumes. Secondly, Gandhiji said, never write column of review of any book in Kalyan, as this could lead to unnecessary disputations. Kalyan follows bott the advises till date.
Other than the monthly Kalyan, Geeta Press started the publication of Bhagavat Geeta also and till date seventeen crore copies of Bhagavat Geeta have been published. Why Bhagavata Geeta by Geeta Press ; is a serious issue to dwell upon is something . It will not be an exaggeration to state that Geeta became a source of inspiration for revolutionaries and new nationalists in the course of national movement. Bhagavat Gita Rahasya by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak was not just a commentary on Geeta but it was suitable answer to the western Indologists. Bhaijee was conscious of the fact that Bhagavat Geeta is the most powerful Bharatiya text to enlighten the world and also to strengthen the karmic aspects on nationalism.
Role of Geeta in pushing aside the passive nationalism to active nationalism needs serious space in the narrative of freedom struggle. Thus, publication of Bhagavat Geeta by Geeta Press was a huge cultural leap in encountering the myth of “White Man’s burden” established by Utilitarians and Evangelists in the early 19th century. In post-colonial era when Indian diaspora is attaining new dimensions, Bhagavat Geeta has a prominent role to play in the cultural identity of Indians. It is worth mentioning that one can hardly find a Hindu house without a copy of Bhagavat Geeta in different moulds. Needless to say, that till date seventeen crore copies of Bhagavata Geeta published by Geeta Press, has reached to the homes of Indians. To suggest statistically this publication covers nearly a hundred crore populace in fourteen major languages. It was not just the promotion of the principles of Sanatan, but it also played a major role in strengthening a conscious and active nationalism.
Besides Bhagavat Geeta, other important Hindu Texts were also published by Geeta Press for general awareness among masses. The list is exhaustive but prominent ones are Ramayana, Upanishads, Puranas, Discourses of eminent Saints and texts on Hindu value systems.
In the history of publications of Geeta Press, year 1946 marks a new pinnacle. Divisive policies of colonialists were showing their ugly outcome and nation was witnessing the worst possible horror of 1946- 1947, leading to partition. In 1946, Bhaijee published a special volume of Kalyan on Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya. The edition carried article on the horrors of Noakhali based on the accounts of survivors who met Bhaijee. This edition of Kalyan was banned by the then Government only because it covered horrible accounts of Noakhali and tribute to Mahamana. Articles in this edition of Kalyan are like primary sources to a historian to understand the happenings in the year 1946.
Apart from being a frontline torch bearer for Sanatan, list of contributors to Kalyan is noteworthy to mention. Whether it was Mahatma Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, Pattabhi Sitaramaiah, Purushottam Das Tandon, K.M. Munshi, Sampurnanand, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, M.S. Golwalker, Kaka Kalelkar, Vinoba Bhave, Kshitimohan Sen and so many other illustrious personalities, all of them were associated with Kalyan and Geeta Press. That sums up the role and contribution of Geeta Press in the colonial and post-colonial times in a journey of one hundred years.
List of freedom warriors who were inspired by the teachings of Bhagavata Geeta is exceptional and exhaustive to mention here and one can clearly state that historically it would be correct to sate that the Geeta Press, which was established at the backdrop of the freedom struggle, strengthened the cultural identity as well as nationalism during the crucial period, or else hidden hand of cultural imperialism could have shattered India more than what it did in 1947. Even in contemporary times it is now argued strongly that “There cannot be a nation without past” this raises a logical question that what is the axis of the past? Naturally, heritage of a civilization is the axis of the past. When past is under attack, a civilization may vanish if it is not defended, as it happened in so many geographical zones across the globe, colonial agenda in India was not different in nature than elsewhere on cultural scales and in defense and promotion of the culture, role of Geeta Press needs larger introspection.
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