1.3K views 0 0 RELATED TITLES India Perspectives 10/2008 Uploaded by Asociación Amigos de India-Colombia Full description Save Embed Share Print The Perennial The Snow Leopard Practicing the Power of Philosophy: An Now SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 ISSN 0970 5074 India Perspectives “ Iama great,fantasticaccident of being the right person at the right place at the right time.That is the description of my success... ” 1.3K views 0 0 RELATED TITLES India Perspectives 10/2008 Uploaded by Asociación Amigos de India-Colombia Full description Save Embed Share Print The Perennial The Snow Leopard Practicing the Power of Philosophy: An Now Publishing in Indian languages INDRA NATH CHOUDHURI 2 Editorial Indian Fiction K. SATCHIDANANDAN 6 I ndian authors have, of late, become quite the rage internationally. Book publishing in humanities “ Iamagreat,fantasticaccident of being the right person at the right place at the right time.That is the description of my success. .. ” Vikram Seth and Salman Rushdie, Shashi Tharoor and Amitav Ghosh, and social sciences Shobhaa De and Jhumpa Lahiri. The list has been impressively expanding. SRIDHAR BALAN 11 It is important to recall that these are all authors whose original writing is in the English language. Several years ago, in 1912 in fact, a 51 year old relatively unknown writer decided to try his hand at translating some of his own work while on a trip to London; it was his way of passing time. India He scribbled his translations in a notebook. Legend has it that one day Perspectives SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 while alighting from the London subway, he left his briefcase behind VOL 22, NO. 5 which had the notebook. It was discovered and r eturned by a good and A Writer and His Workshop kind soul. A few months later, the scribbling was seen by W.B. Yeats, Editor Amit Dasgupta TIRTHANKAR GHOSH 16 who was mesmerized. The rest, as we know, is history. In 1913, Assistant Editor the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature; his name was Neelu Rohra Bollywoodie Books! Rabindranath Tagore. Consulting Editor SURESH KOHLI 18 Newsline Publications Pvt. Ltd. It is argued that Tagore might never have won the prize and thus, the C-15, Sector 6, Noida-201301 international recognition if his writings were not available in the English language. The key, thus, lay in translations and in the availability of India Perspectives is published every month in English, French, German, Spanish, Indian writing in the English language. Without translations, a huge Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Bahasa wealth of Indian writing remains denied to the world. This is true of Indonesia, Persian, Arabic, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil. Views expressed in other international languages as well. Imagine if we were denied the the articles are those of the contributors and not necessarily of India Perspectives. translations of writings by Hermann Hesse and Pablo Neruda, Gabriel All original articles, other than reprints published in India Perspectives, may be Marquez and Paolo Coelho! freely reproduced with acknowledgement. Editorial contributions and letters should be A Concise History of Indian book publishing has come a long way over the last sixty years. addressed to the Editor, India Perspectives, Illustrated Books 140 ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhawan, Today, over 90,000 books in English and in Indian languages ar e New Delhi-110001. KISHORE SINGH 21 Telephones: +91-11-23389471, 23388873, published annually in India of which only around twenty per cent Fax: +91-11-23385549, E-mail: j [email protected], represent English language book publishing. In other words, what is Website: http://www.meaindia.nic.in available to the public as ‘contemporary Indian writing’ is, thus, only For obtaining a copy of India Perspectives, please contact the Indian Diplomatic Mission a mere fraction of what is produced. in your country. This edition is published for the This Special Issue offers a glimpse into the world of I ndian book publishing. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, by Parbati Sen Vyas, Special Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division. Designed and printed by Ajanta Offset & Packagings Ltd., Delhi-110052. Magic in Amit Dasgupta Words and Pictures New Delhi, September 2008 ANANT PAI 26 New Age Books S.K. GHAI 30 1.3K views 0 0 RELATED TITLES India Perspectives 10/2008 Uploaded by Asociación Amigos de India-Colombia Full description Save Embed Share Print The Perennial The Snow Leopard Practicing the Power of Philosophy: An Now Publishing in Indian languages INDRA NATH CHOUDHURI The Indian book publishing industry has seen rapid and steady growth. Even so, there is abundant scope to improve language publications which need a more professional approach. ook publishing in Indian languages has assumed great importance in view of the emphasis that has been laid on Bliteracy and the tremendous explosion of knowledge that we witness today all over the world. The growth of the book industry is stupendous and according to a computed figure 82,537 books were published in all the Indian languages, including English, in the year 25 per cent of the total publishing adult but also to 2005. The job was actively performed by 16,000 publishers. According done in all the languages. well as illiterates too who to this computed figure, English language publishing that is confined English follows with 20 per cent. read books by themselves but to a few metropolitan cities, actually represents only about 20 per Next in line is a group of six buy books to get these read out cent of the total Indian book publishing. Even then, it is a belief – a languages: Bengali, Malayalam, to them. mistaken one – that only English language publishing represents Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Indian publishing. This hinders unwittingly a proper assessment of Telugu. After that the other five Even with a literacy figure of Indian language publishing in 22 Indian languages recognized by the languages – if we club them on 65 per cent, India has a huge Constitution of India. the basis of the number of books sea of humanity whose hunger for reading material cannot be Looking at the language-wise figures for the year 2005, we realize published – would be Assamese, adequately satisfied that the largest numbers of books are published in Hindi, i.e. about Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi and Urdu. Following this group are annually. To augment this deficit, four languages: Kashmiri, Dogri, Indian publishers have to come Konkani and Sindhi. The last is to the fore and Sanskrit. in Indian languages 80 per cent of the demand for Again, if we take a look at books is in Indian languages. the readership figures, it is A book-reading nation is an fascinating: there are more than enlightened one and such a 3306 universities, numerous society is sure to colleges and schools and lakhs of honour for itself in the private centres which have never nations. In fact, to been enumerated. Add to that to Indian Independence through the adult population of millions education for all, it is necessary of people who read and buy all to encourage publishing in Indian sorts of books. Indian publishers languages. provide books not only for the organized educational sector and The promotion of the to book-lovers both young and habit of good books is an INDIA PERSPECTIVES SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 2 INDIA PERSPECTIVES SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 1.3K views 0 0 RELATED TITLES India Perspectives 10/2008 Uploaded by Asociación Amigos de India-Colombia Full description Save Embed Share Print The Perennial The Snow Leopard Practicing the Power of Philosophy: An Now essential part connected with grow in terms of title output will be in great demand. In fact, in mind. According to a rough book production. The London and business returns. Today, social engineering is the topic of estimate, approximately 10,000 Declaration ‘Towards a reading Indian publishing is one of the day, apart from indology and titles for children are published society’, adopted at the UNESCO the largest in the world and spiritual continuity. every year in English and all the World Congress on Books in 1982 can be counted among the Indian languages put together. points out, “We seek a world first seven publishing nations. The prospects of paperbacks This number is inadequate in which the ability to read and Professionalism, however, has and e-books are also increasing considering there are over one the will and desire to enjoy the not yet entered the publishing everyday. In the last two decades, million primary schools in India. fruits of reading are more widely industry. The producer-consumer the communication revolution The need for professionalism sought by all societies. We seek a ratio is erratic; no concentrated has changed the perspective and organized activity in the world in which there are indeed research is done to know what a and lifestyle of people in the language publication is the most books for all, but one also in reader wants. The industry rests developed as well developing essential prerequisite. A weak which all can read and all accept on public expenditure and the countries. But coping with the link in the book publishing books and reading as a desirable demand from individual buyers information revolution has chain in Indian languages is the part of daily life. We look forward is small. However, the Kolkata created more problems rather editing of manuscripts and proper not merely to a literate world but Book Fair that has three million than solving them particularly in expertise in the production field towards a universal society”. The book lovers year after year with the field of education, children’s and marketing. It is said that in UNESCO, working on this t hesis, sales over $ 568181.82 per day (in education and literature.