Book review: Akshaya Mukul, Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India

Kumar, Manoj Book review: Akshaya Mukul, Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India. Journal of Human Values, 25 (2). pp. 124-129. ISSN 09730737

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Abstract

Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India—a book written by a senior journalist and researcher, Akshaya Mukul—is a comprehensive and detailed account of the involvement of a publishing house in shaping the religious and cultural politics of Hindi-speaking northern Indian states. Headquartered in Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the publishing house Gita Press has been a ubiquitous and formidable presence in literate and semi-literate households ever since its inception in the 1920s. Over the years, Gita Press has set up a huge distribution network through which it markets printed versions of Hindu religious scriptures, epics, fables, magazines and cautionary tales on affordable and subsidized prices to the length and breadth of a large part of the country. Unlike many other publishing houses in Hindi, the presence of Gita Press is intergenerational and therefore enduring. Particularly, the monthly magazine Kalyan with its founder editor Hanuman Prasad Poddar has always been much greater resonance in emerging Hindi public sphere. Despite its formidable presence for the past so many decades in the cultural and religious milieu, the serious scrutiny of the contribution of Gita Press, Gorakhpur has not been attempted until recently. Therefore, Akshaya Mukul’s book is a timely intervention in the scholastic field.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Kumar, Manoj
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Religion Social sciences
Divisions:	Azim Premji University > School of Education
Full Text Status:	Restricted
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/4397
Publisher URL:

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