Its first journal Kalyan was published in 1927. While most journals of this period are confined to libraries and archives, Gita Press and Kalyan still exist with millions of copies
Today is the founding day of Gita Press.
This thread tells the story of Gita Press. Their mission, their founding members and their unrelenting resistance against left-liberal & Congress Govt censorship of their organization.
Gita Press was established in 1923 by JD Goyanka.
Its first journal Kalyan was published in 1927. While most journals of this period are confined to libraries and archives, Gita Press and Kalyan still exist with millions of copies
For example, a Bhagavad Gita can be procured at Rs.30. A copy of Hanuman Chalisa costs just Rs. 2 (50 lakh copies printed every year). Yet, the printing, cover and content quality is FANTASTIC
The answer to this question is that Gita Press was not founded to be a profit making enterprise.
Its goals were something very different
They were making all out attacks on Hinduism.
Missionaries distributed copies of Bible to anyone who showed slightest inclination to accept it. Bibles were flowing in
Ordinary Hindu did not have any good knowledge of his own Dharma's books.
Gita Press was founded only to propagate and defend Dharma.
Hence, in addition to printing books, Gita Press also used to organise several Kathas(Oral narration). Their Kathavachaks would read & narrate the great Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata
He used to tour village to village. Gather people around in the evening after work and recite the Ramcaritmanas (there was no night shift in those days)
His salary: 0 (food and travel was organised by Gitapress)
As on 2014, they SOLD more than 72 million copies of Gita,70 million copies of Ramcaritmanas and 19 million copies of Puranas.
Gita press is easily the BIGGEST publisher of India. It DWARFS others by its sheer numbers
It was due to Gita Press that an ordinary Hindu could read & know about his religion.
It was Gita Press which challenged the missionary proliferation of Bibles.
But NO!
The Gita Press House is a very small building. It looks like a very small temple.This is certainly not what one would expect from "India's biggest publisher"
There is no centralized air conditioning even.Why? Because Gita Press never accumulated profits. Any profit was spent on publishing and circulating books & recruiting Kathavachaks
At the age of 22, Hanuman Prasad Poddar was arrested and held guilty of supplying arms to revolutionary Indian Freedom fighters of Anushilan Samihiti who wanted to liberate India by waging direct war against British
NOBODY wanted to associate with a person who supplied arms to Indian revolutionary freedom fighters. Poddar's community engaged in business. They did not want to ruffle feathers with the British.
He migrated in search of a Job! The great man who built India's greatest publishing house from scratch was once unemployed!
How many of you knew that he waged a direct war with British?
In contrast to million of copies of Ramcaritmanas, there are hardly any Gita Press publications on their own founding editor. Why?
The answer lies in the Motto of Gita Press.
Hanuman prasad Poddar used to say- "I never sanction self praise" Gita Press shuns self praise and worship of Individuals"
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All the information available ABOUT Gita Press, whether online or otherwise, is mostly its evaluation by parties and individuals extremely inimical to it
Did you know that the founding editor of Gita Press, Hanuman Prasad Poddar was recommended for Bharat Ratna by then home minister Govind Ballabh Pant?
But to the surprise of Pant, Poddar flatly refused it. All his life, Poddar refused any felicitation
He even arrested Hanuman Prasad Poddar alleging involvement in assassination of Gandhi.
Poddar was jailed. Birla refused to help Poddar and accused Gita press of propagating "Shaitan Dharma"
More from Bharadwaj
FAKE quote!
Such a verse is NOT FOUND in any authentic Ravidas Bani.
Nowhere in his poems does Sant Ravidas say "I proclaim all Vedas as worthless".
This is a new scam in the market. Appropriation of Hindu history and Hindu saints by anti Hindus to boost their own legacy.
What Sant Ravidas actually said (when he was asked to convert to Islam by Lodhi):
"The religion of the Vedas is the greatest. It is the treasure trove of matchless knowledge.Why then will I abandon the Vedic Dharmic and read the untrue Quran?"
From Ravidas Ramayana(16th cent):
False quotes denigrating Hinduism are circulated in the name of Sant Ravidas as he was a great Hindu Sant from Dalit background.
This represents a challenge to people who want to spin the caste narrative of opposition of Dalits to Hinduism. They want to break this connection
Such a verse is NOT FOUND in any authentic Ravidas Bani.
Nowhere in his poems does Sant Ravidas say "I proclaim all Vedas as worthless".
This is a new scam in the market. Appropriation of Hindu history and Hindu saints by anti Hindus to boost their own legacy.
I, Ravidas, proclaim all Vedas as worthless...
— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) February 27, 2021
Best wishes to all on #HappyRavidasJayanti pic.twitter.com/muJq2k6ox5
What Sant Ravidas actually said (when he was asked to convert to Islam by Lodhi):
"The religion of the Vedas is the greatest. It is the treasure trove of matchless knowledge.Why then will I abandon the Vedic Dharmic and read the untrue Quran?"
From Ravidas Ramayana(16th cent):
False quotes denigrating Hinduism are circulated in the name of Sant Ravidas as he was a great Hindu Sant from Dalit background.
This represents a challenge to people who want to spin the caste narrative of opposition of Dalits to Hinduism. They want to break this connection
