Gorakhpur36 minutes agoAuthor: Gaurav Pandey
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Gita Press…the press of religion, faith and belief. The press has been in headlines for a long time in the past. Sometimes because of the rumors of closure and sometimes because of the Ramcharitmanas chaupai controversy. But Geeta Press is beyond all this. Geeta Press, which publishes the maximum number of books of Sanatan Dharma… is currently celebrating Shatabdi Varsha (100th anniversary). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the closing ceremony. His program has been approved, but the date has not been finalized yet. In today’s Sunday Big Story, let’s talk about… “The Saga of Geeta Press”.
Geeta Press has so far printed 92 crore books of Sanatan Dharma, which is a record. This year alone 2 crore 42 lakh books have been published. Since the political controversy over Ramcharitmanas, more than 50 thousand books have been sold. The income of the press has also increased.
Let’s first know Geeta Press…
Employees do printing work by taking off shoes and slippers
At the time of binding of books in Gita Press, the employees work by taking off their shoes and slippers.
As soon as the name of Gorakhpur comes, the first two names come to mind, first – Gorakhnath Temple, second name – Geeta Press. Which is about 5 km away from the railway station. The entire Geeta Press is a temple-like office, where routine work is no less than worship.
Strict instructions have been given on the walls here not to use gutka, pan-masala and smoking with cattle. The employees engaged in printing work by taking off their shoes and slippers during the final binding of the book. So that the faith and trust of the readers are not cheated. Inside the campus there is also a grand art gallery with press machines. Which was unveiled by the country’s first President Rajendra Prasad.
Presently 1848 types of books are being published in 15 languages in Gita Press. The Press has 20 branches across the country. Everyday 70 thousand books are being published in Gita Press, while the demand is for about 1 lakh books.
Book covers are applied by hand, because the machine uses glue made from animal fat.
Ashutosh Upadhyay, production manager of Geeta Press, says that we print about 500 tonnes of paper in a month. A total of 70,000 books including big and small books are published daily. Offset technology is used for printing. Web offset machines have also been installed for this.
Machines have been purchased from Japan for color printing. There are total 8 offset and 2 color machines. Machines from Germany and Italy have been installed for bidding. All the printing work is done by machines, but we apply the cover of the books manually. Because animal fat is used in the glue of cover machines, we do not use such machines.
Since people worship these books, have faith and trust in them, we do not use any material in our printing that will hurt people’s feelings. 20 to 25 men have been kept separately to cover the books, who work in different shifts.
Demand for books is 20 to 25 percent more than printing
Devi Dayal Agarwal, trustee of Gita Press, says that the main work of the press is to propagate religious texts. Now the new era has come, people want to read and write more in digital mode. That’s why we are also putting our books on the website so that people can read online. An app is also being made, which will be launched soon.
We have more than 100 such books on our website, which you can download and read for free. 100 more books will be available online soon. The demand is 20 to 25 percent more than the number of books we are making available to the readers every day. As far as our revenue is concerned, last year books worth Rs 87 crore were sold, this year books worth Rs 111 crore have been sold so far.
Let us read the entire conversation with Geeta Press manager Lal Mani Tiwari…
Chastisement in Ramcharitmanas means education
On the Ramcharitmanas controversy and the ruckus about the meaning of “chastisement” in one of its verses, Lal Mani says that see its meaning is education here, we have written it as education in Ramcharitmanas. Chastisement and punishment do not even mean torture, so he should not take torture.
See Ramcharitmanas controversy has been rejected by the people, such controversies go on from time to time. Don’t know why people do this, but Geeta Press does not comment on any political statement. Sales of Shri Ramcharitmanas have increased after the controversy, but this is not the only reason. Due to the faith people have in its authenticity, its demand is increasing day by day.
More than 50 thousand books of Ramcharitmanas have been sold this year.
When asked about the best-selling and published books from Geeta Press, Lal Mani Tiwari says that if we look at the value, it is Ramcharitmanas and in number it is Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta. The demand for Ramcharitmanas has increased a lot. Last year its 9 lakh 32 thousand copies were sold. This year 9 lakh 82 thousand books have been sold. It is no coincidence that people have faith in Geeta Press. The sale of Shiv Puran has tripled in two years. Next we are preparing to take out Gita Prabodhini, Shri Krishna Leela Darshan.
Lal Mani Tiwari says that apart from Hindi, Geeta Press is publishing the maximum number of books in Gujarati and Telugu languages. We have more than 100 books each in both these languages.
111 crore books have been sold in the 100th year
How memorable has Gita Press made its 100th year..? On this question, Lal Mani Tiwari says that we had set a target of selling books worth 100 crores in the 100th year, but people have bought books worth more than Rs 111 crores. This is when we are not able to provide books to the people as per the demand.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came here on the occasion of Gita Jayanti. On May 3, celebrations were held in 20 branches across the country and in Kathmandu to mark the centenary year. Although we have symbolically concluded the centenary celebrations, but when Prime Minister Modi will come, we will conclude grandly and divinely.
There was never any financial crisis on Gita Press, the closure was a rumor
On the question of Geeta Press ever reaching the verge of closure, Lal Mani says that there was never any crisis on Geeta Press, it was a matter of 2015, when some people spread this rumour. Geeta Press runs from its own resources. The reason for this is because there is no expenditure on our top management and trustees. They go to office and meetings at their own expense. Second thing- because of good machines it costs less. Third thing- We are not a profit making organization. Our aim is not to earn profit.
We work on No Loss, No Profit. That’s why we are able to keep the price of our books so low. After rumors of financial crisis, we have installed machines worth Rs 20 crore. About 450 people work in the campus of Geeta Press.
This picture is from inside Geeta Press. There are verses written on both sides of the walls.
For the first time after independence a Prime Minister will come to Geeta Press
Lal Mani Tiwari, manager of Gita Press, says that our centenary year was concluded on 3rd May. It was started by the then President Ram Nath Kovind. We have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the closing ceremony. But due to the code of conduct on May 3, he could not come. Then we were asked for another date from the PMO, on which we told them the date of Gangavataran i.e. 30th May. But that doesn’t seem likely either. But there will be a program of the Prime Minister. Approval has been received. The minute-to-minute schedule is also gone. It is a matter of great pride that the Prime Minister is coming here for the first time after independence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release Shiv Puran
Lal Mani says that Geeta Press is publishing more than 1800 types of books in 15 languages. In this centenary year, we have made 2 crore 40 lakh books available to the people, which is a record. The demand for these books has increased ever since we brought out editions of Shriramcharitmanas, Shrimadbhagwadgita with art paper illustrations. For this reason, we brought out Durga Saptashati and Sundar Kand. Now Shiv Puran is also ready, which will be released by Prime Minister Modi.
Geeta Press was started in 1923 in a rented room. Today the Press has 20 branches across the country.
Inspired by Gita, Seth Goyandka opened the press in 1923
The credit for taking Shrimad Bhagwad Gita and Ramcharitmanas to every household also goes to Gita Press. The story of the beginning of Geeta Press is very interesting. It is about the 1920s. Jaydayal Goyandka, a Marwari Seth from Calcutta, used to read Gita daily. One thing written in the form of Gita Saar in the 18th chapter touched his heart. This thing was – “Whoever recites this supremely secret Gita Shastra to my devotees, I will get it.”
After this, at the behest of the people, Goyandka got his explanation published by a press, but he was saddened to see the glaring mistakes in it. The same day he thought of the press. Then, on the suggestion of one of his devotees from Gorakhpur, Ghanshyamdas Jalan, he started Geeta Press in 1923 in a ten rupees rented house in the same city.
Now see Geeta Press in 10 pictures…
This is the main gate of Geeta Press. In this, the work of printing and binding of books is done.
This is a picture of the book stall of Geeta Press. Sanatani books are sold here.
After the book is printed from Geeta Press Printing, they are kept in an orderly manner.
Hi-tech machines have been installed in the printing press for printing books.
This is a book printing machine. About 450 people work in the campus of Geeta Press.
The binding of the book is done after many processes with machines.
This picture is of Leela Chitra Mandir inside Geeta Press. There are different pictures of many forms of God here.
A handwritten copy of Shrimad Bhagwad Gita is also kept in Gita Press.
1848 types of books are being published in 15 languages in Gita Press.
Smoking of beedis, tobacco and cigarettes is prohibited inside Geeta Press. There is also a warning board on the wall here.
Input- Utkarsh Srivastava, Graphics- Rajkumar Gupta
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