Gorakhpur: The ornate red-white-yellow temple-like building, which houses a cultural powerhouse of the Hindu-Hindi heartland, is 100 years old today. But the big day for the Gita Press with its storied reputation is yet to come. It has found the most formidable patron in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit next week. Its moment in the national story has never been more aligned.
Preparations are underway as floors are scrubbed clean, tiles fixed, walls repainted, and halls decorated. “Make the floor shine!” one worker shouts to another across the hallway of this sprawling two lakh square feet site.
The Gita Press, world’s largest publisher of Hindu religious text since 1923, has lived through India’s epoch-changing moments — from the Khilafat movement to the birth of the RSS, the freedom struggle, Nehruvian nation-building, and now Modi’s Hindu nationalism. And remarkably, its clout has only grown. While other publishers faced financial challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Gita Press recorded an impressive profit of Rs 77 crore.
The Gita Press century is not just a milestone in Hindi publishing. It also represents an integral part of the cultural heritage that has captivated generations of Hindus – from the masses to the middle class. It has the unique distinction of making Hinduism relatable, affordable, and portable –long before Modi did.
With over 150 million copies of various religious titles, including the revered Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana of Tulsidas, the multilingual publishing house has left an indelible mark. Its magazine, Kalyan, reaches 200,000 households across India.
“Our goal is to make the teachings of Sanatan Dharma accessible to the poorest of the poor, enabling them to develop their character through these teachings,” says manager Lal Mani Tiwari, noting how Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has thrice visited the press. “Whoever meets him in Lucknow or Gorakhpur, he asks them to visit Gita Press once,” Tiwari says about the CM.
Adityanath is not the only high-profile visitor. Over the years, several RSS leaders and prominent national figures such as first president Dr Rajendra Prasad, former president Ramnath Kovind, Metroman E Sreedharan, and former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh have also dropped in. Modi, however, is the first prime minister to visit the publishing house.
But the Gita Press isn’t about elites. The heart of its real appeal lies among the ordinary people who want to read, pray, and love Hinduism on-the-go.
By offering pocket-sized books like the Ramayana, Hanuman Chalisa, and Shiv Chalisa at incredibly low prices, as low as Rs 2, and publishing texts in 15 different languages, the Gita Press has ensured widespread accessibility. Since its inception, it has published and sold over 92 crore books, effectively reaching and impacting the masses with its message.
What began in 1923 as an endeavour by a Marwari businessman-turned-spiritualist Jaydayal Goyandka and co-editor Hanuman Prasad Poddar has evolved into a prominent player in the Hindi publishing world, forging the modern Hindu identity – after the heady decades of social reform of widow remarriages, Sati ban, and the Brahmo movement.
Maintaining a strict social Hindu code
Located in the heart of Sahabganj, a predominantly Muslim locality, the serpentine roads leading to the Gita Press are flanked by bustling mandis and wholesale markets. Almost every wall bears the inscription of “Hare Ram, Hare Krishna”, and workers greet their seniors with “Ram Ram”.
Ashutosh Upadhyay, a dedicated production manager at the press for the past two decades, points out that the press adheres to the principles of Sanatan Dharma. Even with the presence of modern technology, the press steadfastly refuses to use any machines that contain animal-based adhesives.
“We don’t have a case marker machine as it uses adhesive derived from animals. The workers produce it manually,” Upadhyay adds. This unconventional production approach is a source of pride for Upadhyay and his team.
The press also maintains a rigid caste-based hierarchy. Upadhyay reveals that all eleven members of the board of trustees are Marwaris, and individuals from other castes have never been given the esteemed position. Additionally, no one from the Dalit community holds a management position, although there are Dalit workers employed as machine operators and cleaners.
“We still believe in the varna system as written in Gita. We believe in Gita as it is the only truth,” manager Tiwari said.
However, a noticeable contrast can be observed in the printing department, where modern and updated machinery imported from Germany, Italy, and Japan is used. Over the past four years, the publishing house has invested Rs 25 crore in these machines. The colour printing machine is from Japan, while the bookbinding and sewing machines are from Germany and Italy. Importantly, these machines are also cruelty-free.
On an average day, the press produces a staggering 70,000 books, encompassing a collection of 18,000 titles in both short and long forms. Additionally, the press consumes 500 metric tonnes of paper every month. Last year, the press achieved record book sales worth Rs 111 crore, marking a significant milestone in its century-long history.
According to its website, the Gita Press has published 1621 lakh copies of Bhagavad Gita, 1173 lakh copies of Ramcharitmanas, and 9000 lakh copies of other books, including 1142 lakh copies of Gita in various Indian languages. At the Gorakhpur Mahotsav in 2021-22, Bhagavad Gita, Ramcharitmanas, and Durga Saptashati were among the most popular titles. The press has also uploaded e-books on its website, though they cannot be downloaded.
Inside the publishing house, there is a Leela Chitra Mandir adorned with shlokas written on the ceilings and paintings and portraits of Ram and Krishna. Kilometres away from the publishing house is Gita Vatika, which was founded by Poddar who lived there for 45 years. After his death, a memorial was set up.
Such a formidable publishing house has gained word-of-mouth fame without active publicity-seeking. Even today, the editorial unit of Gita Press in Varanasi maintains a strict policy of not advertising itself. When approached for comment, the current editor of Kalyan magazine, Prem Prakash Lahari, declined to speak, stating that Poddar, one of the founders, was opposed to any promotion of the magazine or press for personal gain because they were “working for Hinduism”.
“I might sound rude to you but I still hold to those old values. We don’t want any form of promotion through the media or otherwise,” Lahiri said and hung up.
Funded by Marwaris: ‘Act of worship’
India’s railway reading culture – nurtured over decades at train platforms — played a significant role in the expansion of the Gita Press. Alongside the colonial-era A C Wheeler book stalls, Gita Press book stores were popular spots from where Indians bought quick and easy books for their long train journeys. Currently, there are 41 railway station bookstores, including prominent locations like Guwahati and Delhi.
However, at the Gorakhpur railway station bookstore, 20-year-old Brij Raj Kumar sits idle because hardly anyone comes to buy the books these days. The impact of Covid-19 on book sales at railway stations has been evident, with only 4 to 5 books sold per day. “People come to buy all sorts of products, from Ramayana to Gaumutra (cow urine),” Kumar says as he dusts off the shelves.
The Gita Press prides itself on being a “no-profit, no-loss” organisation, emphasising that it doesn’t accept any funding and sustains its operations through revenue generated from book sales. However, in his book Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, journalist and author Akshaya Mukul highlights how the Press initially received donations from Marwari businessmen to expand the subscriber base of the Kalyan magazine.
Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, a Padma Shri awardee and former professor of Gorakhpur University, sheds light on the reverence Marwari businessmen hold for Hanuman Prasad Poddar, almost considering him a deity. In their homes, one would often find a picture of Poddar adorned with a garland, Tiwari says.
“For Marwari businessmen, donating a portion of their business profit to Gita Press is an act of worship.”
Tiwari recounts his experience as a professor of Hindi literature at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University when he invited Poddar to deliver a guest lecture 40 years ago. Poddar, who was self-effacing despite his popularity, readily accepted the invitation and arrived in a simple white kurta and dhoti. He never declined an invitation that provided a platform to spread the message of Sanatan Dharma. Such was his unwavering commitment.
A ‘Sanatan Dharma’ publication
The commitment was evident in the pages of Kalyan magazine, which took a distinct political stance during significant historical flashpoints. For instance, in the 1920s, when Hindu nationalism was gaining momentum and communal riots were taking place, the magazine called for “unity of strength” among Hindus.
In the magazine’s inaugural issue, editor Poddar squarely blamed Muslims for the riots, as noted by Mukul in his book, which also cites founder Goyandka’s response to a worried reader, who had a warrant issued against him, by advising him not to behave like a “coward” as he had acted in “defence of the Hindu religion.”
The first issue in August 1926 featured contributions from notable figures such as MK Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Rama Tirtha, a teacher of Vedanta philosophy. Tagore considered Gita Press and Kalyan as a “spiritual, cultural, and religious intervention without subscribing to the communal agenda,” as described in Mukul’s book. Later, many of Tagore’s writings were published in the magazine after his death. Even acclaimed Hindi writer Premchand would write for Kalyan in 1931 on Poddar’s persuasion, choosing Krishna as his topic.
Ahead of the partition in February 1947, two issues of Kalyan titled ‘Hindu Kya Kare’ and ‘Malviya Ank’ were banned by the government of United Province (now Uttar Pradesh) and Bihar under section 153A for spreading “communal disaffection”. After the partition, the magazine criticised Congress and Gandhi, saying: “With the formation of Pakistan, yet another Muslim country has been created whereas there was not even a single Hindu country.”
During the Hindu Code bill, the magazine launched a campaign against then-law minister BR Ambedkar and the bill, urging readers to protest. It published an editorial demanding Ambedkar’s resignation and called upon readers to “send letters” to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, requesting the withdrawal of the bill that guaranteed rights to women.
“A woman has to live with her father till marriage, with her husband as a married woman and after his demise, she has to live either with her son or some other relative. She cannot be independent at any cost,” founder Goyandka wrote in the magazine, according to Mukul’s book.
Professor Tiwari says that Poddar believed that women should be confined to traditional roles. “Freedom to women meant the destruction of society and they still promote the traditional role of women in their books,” he says.
Poddar was a founding trustee of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the 1960s and also associated with the Hindu Mahasabha. When he couldn’t attend the World Hindu Conference in 1966, Poddar sent a message to the VHP, saying, “The idea is very timely and useful. I support it heartily. I offer my name as a convenor.” He wanted India to be named Hindusthan and become a “purely Hindu nation with its saffron flag”.
In the 1950s, Kalyan also supported the ban on Dalits’ entry into temples, attributing it to their “past deeds.” The magazine published the writings of figures such as MS Golwalkar (the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS), Madan Mohan Malaviya, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, KN Katju, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and MK Gandhi in the ‘Gau Ank’ issue in 1945, accessed by ThePrint. The topics covered included Gau Raksha ke liye kya karna chahye (What should be done to protect cows), written by Malaviya, while Mookerjee wrote on ‘Gau Prati Hamara Kartavye’ (Our duty towards cows).
Poddar was a follower of Gandhi before the latter took a stand against the ban on Dalits’ entry into temples. Letters between Gandhi and Poddar that are present with the press reveal their friendship, with Gandhi stating in one of the letters that the work done by Gita Press and Kalyan “is a great service to god”.
The Gita Press, especially Kalyan magazine, criticised any government it deemed as against Hindu interests or sentiments.
“The stories of Kalyan might sound imaginary for the modern world. But the press catered for the imaginations of middle-class families regarding the role of Sanatan Dharma and the Hindu world,” says Tiwari.
In her essay ‘Cultivating Emotions: the Gita Press and its agenda of social and spiritual reform’, Hindi language scholar-lecturer Monika Freier underlines that the Gita Press adopted a two-way process of creating “textual authority” through advice books and by promoting scriptures as “canonical texts of Hindu doctrine.”
Freier also mentions that Poddar had been sentenced to two years of house arrest for aiding anti-British terrorist activities in Bengal. It is worth noting that Poddar wrote articles for Kalyan under the pseudonym Siva. After his death, the monthly magazine revealed that all articles written under the pen name Siva were authored by Poddar himself.
Kalyan was also published in English as Kalyan Kalpataru but was discontinued in 2017 due to low circulation. However, previous editions are available for free at Gita Press bookstores.
In the August 2016 edition, an essay titled ‘A call to Spiritual Life’ by Swami Sivananda urged women to observe “Pativrata-Dharma and keep Savitri and Anasuya as their ideal.”
“O Devis! Don’t waste your lives in fashion and passion. Open your eyes. Walk in the path of righteousness. Preserve your Pativrata Dharma. See divinity in your husband,” the essay reads.
Cows, chyawanprash, credit for Ayodhya
Five days before Independence, the Gita Press was actively involved in organising an anti-cow slaughter day across the country, notes Mukul’s book. The publication’s stance remains unchanged, evidenced in one of their books Gauseva ke Chamatkar (Miracles of cow service), which depicts men killing a cow, accompanied by text calling them “Muslims and hungry”. The book narrates the story of a Muslim man who saves a cow, and is rewarded by the cow protecting him from facing the gallows despite having committed various crimes.
In another annual issue of ‘Gau Ank’ from 1945, the magazine draws a parallel between women and cows, stating that “wars have been fought” for both.
“These stories are meant for the young children to understand that the cow is their Mata,” says Ashutosh Upadhyay, production manager of the press, displaying the books neatly placed on tall steel racks. “By reading these books, children will become cow protectors one day,” he adds.
Other book the Gita Press has published are Naari Shiksha (Teachings for Women) and Baal Veer. Two books that continue to be in circulation are the magazine’s annual issue ‘Nari Ank’ from 1948 and ‘Hindu Sanskriti Ank’ from 1950.
Besides books, the store opposite the Gita Press building sells organic products under the brand name Gita, ranging from chyawanprash, soaps, toothpaste to gaumutra (cow urine), which are popular among the press’ loyal readers.
Gita Press, through its magazine Kalyan, reaches ordinary Hindu homes, providing information about Hindu rituals such as fasting, Purnima (full moon), Ekadashi, and the Hindu calendar.
“Not everyone who reads Kalyan is communal. Some buy it for the religious edge to it, some women buy it because it tells you when to fast, when Purnima and Ekadashi are,” Mukul says.
Devi Lal Aggarwal, one of the trustees, agrees with Akshaya Mukul’s assessment, stating that the Gita Press has built its foundation at the core of the Hindu world. Although it may sound archaic and divisive to some, it has kept the Hindus connected.
The Gita Press credits itself with the 2019 Supreme Court’s verdict in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case. The court’s order, granting the disputed land in Ayodhya for the construction of Ram temple to a trust, was a victory for the press. During the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in 1949, Poddar contributed Rs 1,500 each month for the legal battle and to sustain the protest, as confirmed by 85-year-old Harikrishan Dujari, Poddar’s treasurer who lives in Gita Vatika. Harikrishan took over the treasury responsibilities at the age of 20 in 1958 from his father, was also a treasurer with Poddar.
“At the root of Ram Mandir movement was the Gita Press, ensuring that the temple was established,” says Aggarwal, with a portrait of Ram, Sita, and Hanuman adorning the wall behind him. He credits the press for publishing numerous books on Ram, highlighting his importance among Hindus. “But we do not seek fame or popularity. Our duty is to ensure the unity of the Hindu world.”
(Edited by Prashant)