100 years of Gita Press: Indelible Ink of Sanatana

I have visited Gorakhpur multiple times but never had the chance to visit the renowned Gita Press. While I was in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar recently to attend an event, I decided to visit Gorakhpur which is barely 50 km away from the venue. My friend and I decided to make a trip to Gita Press, the historical place, which recently celebrated its centenary. On July 10, 2023, we started and within an hour, arrived at the Gita Press.

The eye-catching temple-like structure, situated on the roadside, captivates the attention of passers by through its vibrant colours of red, white, and yellow. Its inscription, Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara, meaning “speak the truth, practice righteousness,” further adds to its allure.

After arriving at the premises, I found it to be lunchtime. The gatekeeper recommended me to visit Ishwar Prasad Patwari’s room. It was only later that I discovered he is one of the trustees at Gita Press. He guided me to his chamber. Ishwar Prasad ji began sharing the fascinating journey of the Press and its history. During our conversation, he narrated an intriguing story about the historical journey of Gita Press.

From Vanik Press to Gita Press

The story of the establishment of Gita Press begins with the visionary efforts of Jayadayal Goyandka ji. A Marwari businessman hailing from Rajasthan’s Churu but based in Bankura, Bengal, was involved in the textile business. He had a keen interest in the Bhagavad Gita and used to form groups of friends in various towns, where he use to travel for business. These groups would gather for religious congregations, known as satsangs to discuss the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. However, they soon realised that they lacked an authentic, error-free translation of the sacred text.

In 1922, Goyandka approached Calcutta-based Vanik Press to get the Gita published. But the problem continued and the edition contained errors. After two editions, Goyandka raised his concerns with the press owner. The owner reprimanded and advised to establish his own press if he wanted an error-free book.

“Goyandka discussed the issues with the participants of satsangs. Ghanshyamdas Jalan and Mahavir Prasad Poddar of Gorakhpur were regular participants in the satsangs. They proposed that if a press is established in Gorakhpur, they will take care of it. Then it was decided to look for a space in Gorakhpur for the press,” said Gita Press trustee Ishwar Prasad Patwari. With this, Gita Press came into existance in 1923 and the journey started.

While highlighting the importance of Gita Press Dr Himanshu Chaturvedi, Prof of History, DDU Gorakhpur University and Member, ICHR, said, “Precisely speaking, culture and colonialism were two sides of the same coin. The intangible destruction of Sanatan by the colonists was through the trio of utilitarinists, anthropologists and Indologists. All worked in tandem to establish the myth of ‘White Men Supremacy’ jeoparding the very existence of Sanatan. Amidst such cultural challenges, Gita Press emerged in 1923 to counter the false narrative that can well be understood in the words of Winston Churchill- ‘ They (Indians) are beastly people with a beastly religion. This beastility was answered by Geeta Press through Kalyan meaning with- good for all the human beings. This is how Sanatanic value was expressed to false propaganda”.

 

“Gita Press played a significant role in shaping the religious and spiritual landscape of India. It became a source of inspiration for millions and played an essential role in reviving interest in Hindu scriptures and moral values,” claims Ishwar Prasad Patwari.

As per the Gita Press website its “main objective is to promote and spread the principles of Sanatana Dharma.” Today, Gita Press continues to thrive and has expanded its reach to a global audience, disseminating the wisdom of Hindu scriptures and promoting the timeless teachings of spirituality and righteousness.

Although the press being in a state of prosperity, it was only in 1926 it began to assert its dominance in the printing of spiritual texts. Now the question is what happened in the year 1926? In 1926, Kalyan, a monthly spiritual and cultural magazine was launched by Gita Press. Over the years, Kalyan has played a significant role in promoting the teachings of Sanatana Dharma and providing spiritual guidance to its readers. It has become one of the most popular Hindi magazines in India and continues to be published to this day. Hanuman Prasad Poddar, the founding Editor of Kalyan, headed the magazine for 45 years from 1926 till his death in 1971.

Poddar’s initiation into religious, cultural and later political life happened in Calcutta through the Sanatan Dharam Pustkarini Sabha. He had migrated from Ratangarh to Calcutta to join his father’s cloth business. There, in Calcutta, Poddar got involved in the famous Rodda Arms Robbery case of 1914. He was arrested in 1916 for aiding and abating revolutionaries. The Sedition Committee of 1918 headed by Justice Rowlatt described the case as an ‘event of the greatest importance in the development of revolutionary crime in Bengal’. Incarcerated in Alipore jail, Poddar was later released and left for Bombay in 1919 on the invitation of Jamnalal Bajaj, where he happened to meet Goyandka in 1922. Later, Poddar became the founding Editor of Kalyan.

“Ye Bhagwan Ka Sansthaan Hai”

The Gita Press, which has been the largest publisher of Hindu religious texts since 1923, has witnessed significant events in India’s history and its influence has only grown stronger. The centenary of the press is not merely a milestone in Hindi publishing; it also represents an essential part of the cultural heritage that has captivated generations of Hindus.

Brijkishore Pandey, an employee of Gita Press, expressed his thoughts about his 35-year tenure with the organisation. Notably, he is retiring next year. He shared that the goal of the organisation is to make Gita available to all 1.4 billion people of India, regardless of their religious beliefs. Pandey compared his contribution to Gita Press to that of a small squirrel that helped in building the Ram Setu, emphasising the significance of everyone’s contribution.

When asked about his thoughts on working elsewhere during his 35 years of service, Pandey described Gita Press as a divine institution, saying, Ye Bhagwan ka sansthaan hai (This is the organisation of Bhagwan).”

When asked about his salary, Pandey said, “Salary at Gita Press is like Bhagwan ka Prasad and we know the importance of prasad. I never faced any financial difficulties. People say that you have very low income, but I am really satisfied and happy. I managed to give good education to my kids and now they are doing well.” Pandey started with a salary of Rs 530 and now earns multiple times more than that. He attributed his prosperity and contentment to the grace of Bhagwan, expressing gratitude for spending a significant part of his life working at Gita Press.

Modi, the only Prime Minister to visit Gita Press

As I was taking a tour of Gita Press, I came across a shocking fact when Iswar Prasad Patwari told me that no Prime Minister had visited the Press before Narendra Modi.

While he mentioned that notable figures like Dr Rajendra Prasad, former President Ramnath Kovind, Metroman of India E Sreedharan, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have visited the Gita Press over the years, Narendra Modi holds the distinction of being the first and only Prime Minister to visit the publishing house, indicating its significance and influence.

Signifying the importance of Gita Press at the centenary celebrations, PM Modi said, “Gita Press is the only printing press in the world, which is not just an organisation but a living faith. It is not just a printing press but a temple for crores of devotees.”

He further praised the institution for “promoting national consciousness and unity in the country”. PM Modi also highlighted the contribution of the Gita Press towards environmental awareness, particularly in keeping the Ganga river clean, as well as its role in nation-building.

Leela Chitra Mandir, a must visit

Books alone do not draw people to Gita Press but Leela Chitra Mandir is equally an attraction here. It is a must visit place for visitors. The Chitra Mandir’s inauguration was graced by India’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad in 1955. The art gallery showcases a vast collection of paintings created by renowned Indian artists adorned with shlokas written on the ceilings. With 684 paintings arranged in a chronological order, the gallery beautifully portrays the stories and teachings of Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Krishna in the name of Sri Ram Leela and Sri Krishna Leela respectively.

In addition to these remarkable artworks, the gallery features a series of paintings illustrating the divine plays of Sri Krishna. The walls are adorned with marble plaques displaying the verses of the Bhagavad Gita. Furthermore, the gallery houses a library filled with Hindu religious books, including rare and ancient editions of the Bhagavad Gita with commentaries in different languages.

One of the visitor at Leela Mandir, while sharing his experience, said, “It is a different feeling to be here. Every painting is worth seeing. I request each and very Indian to visit this place once to know its role and importance. There are stories and teachings in most of the paintings. Even the Prime Minister did not miss the opportunity to visit Leela Chitra Mandir in his busy schedule.”

Footprints Continue to Make a Mark

The journey of Gita Press that started with a treadle machine run by peddle has come a long way. Gita Press have now 16 modern and updated machines. Some of them were imported from Japan, Italy and Germany. In the initial days, the press used to print 1500-1700 copies daily but now the number reaches to 70,000 copies.

Through their offering of pocket-sized books like the Ramayana, Hanuman Chalisa, and Shiv Chalisa at incredibly low prices, as low as Rs 2, and by publishing texts in 15 different languages, Gita Press ensures widespread accessibility. While Gita Press’s provides books priced at just Rs 2 a copy, some of its books cost Rs 2,500. Apart from Hindi, these books are available in various languages including English, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali, English, Bangla, Tamil, Assamese, Urdu and Malayalam.

Since its establishment, as per the data shared by Iswar Prasad ji, the Gita Press has published 1692 lakh copies of Bhagavad Gita, 1217 lakh copies of Ramcharitmanas and Tulsi-sahitya. As of March, 2023, Gita Press has published 75 crores and 69 lakhs books. Its flagship monthly magazine Kalyan has been in circulation for the last 95 years and so far 16.74 crores copies have been printed. The number tells how effective and influential Gita Press is and its success story. The press that started with few workers has now 450 workers. When the business of leading publishing houses is declining due to the prevalence of visual content and social media and fewer people reading books, Gita Press faces no such challenges. Neither the introduction of GST nor demonetisation nor the pandemic has impacted its business significantly. Even the Covid-19 pandemic had minimal impact on its business.

As per the data shared by Gita Press, the sales turnover stood at Rs 39 crore in 2016, Rs 47 crore in 2017, Rs 66 crore in 2018 and Rs 69 crore in 2019. Unaffected by the pandemic, the sales in 2021 were Rs 78 crore. Last year, the press achieved record book sales worth Rs 111 crore, marking a significant milestone in its century-long history.

The availability of Gita Press bookstores at numerous Indian railway stations and their publication of books in various native languages have also widened their reach to a broader audience.

Book sales, not the only source of Income: Due to their extremely low prices, Gita Press is unable to recoup all of its production expenses from book sales. Revenue from selling clothes and medicines at Gita Press Vastra Vibhag, its popular clothes unit, in several cities and Gita Ayurveda, the unit that sells medicines works as a helping hand to Gita Press. “A big chunk of revenue is generated by selling clothes and Ayurveda medicines across the country,” informed the trustee. The journey to this place was truly memorable for me and in my opinion, every Indian should do this ‘pilgrimage’ once in a lifetime.