Annual Subscription Rs 5.00; 50 paise per copy August 2020 • Vol 38 No. 8 Contents Online Certificate Course in Book Online Certificate Course in Publishing Book Publishing 1-2 course would be beneficial to participants and would help them grow in this field. Excerpts: The Hero of Many Talking about the changes that have Battles been taking place across different fields, 3 Prof. Sharma said that publishing industry has not been untouched by these changes Excerpts: The Code of Life 5 and to survive in the market one needs to be completely aware of the changing NBT Books on Freedom trends in publishing including sales & Fighters of India 6-7 marketing, printing, technology, etc. As part of its initiatives to promote Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT #MyBookMyFriend 8 “books and the habit of reading during said that the most beautiful thing about corona pandemic, National Book Trust, the publishing is that everything starts with a concept until the book is printed. Redefining Education India is organizing its first ever online 8 certificate course in book publishing,” said Prof. Govind Prasad Sharma, Chairman, NBT at the inaugural of the three month PICK OF THE MONTH certificate course in book publishing in New Delhi on 26 June 2020. Prof. Sharma added that NBT is a premier organization which has been successfully organizing the course across the country for the last two decades, where participants learn about the various aspects of publishing like copyright, royalty, printing, editing, writing, sales and marketing, etc. He hoped that this Making Sense of it All: Understanding the Concerns of Persons With Disabilities Rekha Chauhan & Harsheeta 978-81-237-9189-0; Rs. 160 AUGUST 2020 NBT NEWSLETTER 1 He said that the process involved organizing book exhibitions, book in publishing a book is entirely fairs, and especially New Delhi scientific. From the cover of the World Book Fair; participating book, to the content, printing and in domestic and international packaging, we need to understand book fairs; its collaboration with the process in order to bring out a organizations like Prasar Bharti; and quality product. new initiatives like Corona Studies Speaking of the current trends in Series, etc. publishing during corona pandemic, Shri Kumar Vikram, Editor, Shri Malik said that according to a NBT focused on the role and recent survey, around 15 per cent of responsibilities of an editor, who the ebook readers are switching back brings out latent energy hidden in to the printed books. He added that National Book Trust, India in publishing the work. the printed books will remain relevant and books in Indian languages and promoting The programme was coordinated by ebook industry will grow at its own space. culture of reading in India. He also spoke Shri Narendra Kumar, Production Officer, Shri Malik highlighted the role of of the various activities of NBT including NBT. NBT India Regional Offices Eastern Regional Office Northern Regional Office Jalanseva Trust Building, 2nd Floor Nehru Bhawan, 5 Institutional Area, 61, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata – 700 009. Vasant Kunj Phase-II, New Delhi-110070 Phone: 033-22413899 Phone: 91-11-26707700 Western Regional Office Southern Regional Office Ravindra Natya Mandir, First Floor, P.L. Deshpande Hall No. 1, BDA Shopping Complex Maharashtra Kala Akademy, Prabhadevi, Mumbai- 400025 Banashankari II Stage Bangalore – 560070. Phone: 022-23720442, 24320380 Phone: 080-26716303 NBT India Book Promotion Centres BIHAR TELENGANA 73/40, Officers Flat Bailey Road Andhra Mahila Sabha Hyderabad, Patna-800015 (Bihar) Mahila Sabha Buildings Phone: 0612-2546967 University Road, Hyderabad-500044 TRIPURA ASSAM Library (Pura Granthagar), Asom Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti Building Ground Floor of AMC Dag No.531, GMC Ward No.45, Hedayatpur, Agartala Mouza Ulubari, Guwahati-781003 Phone: 0381-2328990 Phone: 0361-2131522 ODISHA TAMIL NADU Utkal Sahitya Samaj Campus, Town Hall Road, Ground Floor, EVK Sampath Building, DPI Campus, College Telenga Bazar, Cuttack-753009, Odisha Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai-600006 Phone: 0671-2308799 Phone: 044-28252663 KERALA B2, Revenue Tower, (Near Govt Law College), Park Avenue, Ernakulam, Kochi Phone: 0484-2367702 2 NBT NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2020 Excerpts: The Hero of Many Battles higher studies to the USA. Braja Kishore NBT India has published a book Prasad and Rajendra Prasad had taken titled Braja Kishore Prasad : The Hero the lead in the anti-purdah movement in of Many Battles. Herein we reproduce 1928… excerpts from the chapter ‘Leader of the Braja Kishore Prasad Prasad was, we tend to underplay, Champaran Affiliation.’ Sachidanand Sinha a genuine leader and opinion builder 298 pp ow did Braja Kishore Prasad get since his student days at Calcutta when Rs 260.00 Hinvolved and, that also, deeply Poor Boys’ Fund was established in 978-81-237-8176-1 involved in the Champaran agrarian collaboration with Dr. Rajendra Prasad. imbroglio? As a pleader, he would have got His foresight and vision distinguished opportunities to argue for cases against the him at many a crucial occasion. The most European planters of Saran, Champaran significant move was yet to come from career as well as public life at Darbhanga, and Darbhanga. His reputation as a this Councillor who would not hesitate sometime perhaps in 1901 itself. Though successful vakil would have been of great to report a proposal like the constitution he had started practice at Srinagar, Siwan help. of an Enquiry Committee to look in 1901, he was, almost one of the blue After moving to Darbhanga in 1906 independently, thoroughly and carefully boys, selected as the first president of the to practice in the court of District and into the relationship of peasants and their Governing Body of a newly established Sessions Judge, he had established his ryots simply because he could be severely school, M. L. Academy, Laheriasarai, commitment to his profession and his criticised. No, that was too casual a charge, Darbhanga. Even in those early days, at a fearlessness in matters of professional whereas his charge against the Government meeting of Darbhanga Boys Association, it requirement by insisting in the Court that was serious—we have to look at the was decided to start a new school for poor he must be heard before any orders could very root of the problem expounding a students. This was decided in the context be passed. For the British Judge that was a relationship, normal working relationship, of the change taking place in Raj High new experience and for the Darbhanga Bar normal life pattern and peace of the poor School, Darbhanga, where after the death and the clients, it was a new record, which farmers, surely because such a committee of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh, tuition had imparted a new dignity to the Bar. of officials and non-officials for a thorough fees were being charged from all students Braja Kishore Prasad, we may also independent enquiry has not been resulting in the discontinuation of studies say, was a man with a heightened social constituted and thus all facts have not of poor students. conscience. He was always restless about come to light. Luminge almost ridiculed Darbhanga brought Prasad to a cause the progress of society. He wanted to him for asking over and over again for the close to his heart – education. Darbhanga, participate actively in all achievements by constitution of a committee for public then being an important centre of indigo members of the society. For example, when enquiry. The public spirited man was at agriculture and industry must have drawn Rajendra Prasad had stood first among all a loss to find that the Government, the the young lawyer. It may be mentioned that the successful candidates of Matriculation public Ombudsman, the saviour of public indigo cultivation, importantly in vogue Examination of Calcutta University, he had from predators, should look for dilatory since the days of Permanent Settlement, thrown a large party at the Chhapra Bar tactics for undertaking its well-defined had spread over the entire district by the Association. He had never met Rajendra charter of duties and responsibilities to turn of the 19th century. Prasad before that episode. Likewise, when its people. He could understand all these “By 1874 Darbhanga had the Dr. Ganesh Prasad had come back from only when he could remember that even largest indigo concern in India. Thus the Cambridge University, he had persuaded the Governor – General Lord Canning educationist and the lawyers and peasants’ members of his community to participate was more concerned about the safety of “guide” found himself suddenly where in the community dinner at his house the indigo factories and their oneness he was welcome and what he would against all odds. He had also arranged than about ordinary citizens during 1857, have equally welcomed. While trying to for a debate over antediluvian rituals like when the Blue Mutiny of Bengal was just understand the mystique of Champaran ex-communication after foreign travel. knocking at the doors of Calcutta and Lord and Braja Kishore Prasad, both as an Braja Kishore Prasad had encouraged both William Bentick, as we have noted, turned associate of Gandhi and in close company his daughters Vidyavati and Prabhavati a deaf ear and blind eye to all entreaties with Gandhi, we should also do well to to disregard the purdah system. He of ryots, who were clueless, helpless, remember the continuous flowering of would particularly encourage the young resourceless at the virtual enslavement his social consciousness, foresight for the Prabhavati to dress like a boy till 9 to 10 camps of the European planters. future of the country. This could take us to years and participate in public meetings. Prasad would have got exposed to the next milestone in the country’s move He had indeed allowed Prabhavatiji to join problems associated with indigo cultivation towards freedom—the non-cooperation Sabarmati Ashram when JP had gone for at the initial stage of his professional movement of 1920.