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"
.
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
The official name of this mosque is "Atala Devi Masjid".
It still stands on the pillars of the Hindu temple that originally stood at this site.
The temple was destroyed and its material was used in the construction of the Mosque. Egyptian?
"The original name of Jaunpur was Yavanapura".
"Even in the 19th century, no Hindu called it by the name 'Jaunpur'".
"The local Sharqi Sultans were great destroyers, and every mosque in Jaunpur was built on an existing Hindu temple"
- Archaeological survey of India report
"There is a Sanskrit inscription dating back to 8th century in the Southern Gate of the Jaunpur's Jami mosque".
"There is at present not ANY trace of old temples standing, for the Muhammadan conquerors did their work of destruction with unusual completeness"
- ASI report
"After destroying Karar Bir temple, Firoz Shah saw Atala Devi temple.
He ordered the temple to be destroyed immediately.
But Hindus violently attacked the workmen & pelted the emperor with stones.
Hindus were initially victorious"
- Tarikh I Jaunpur, translated by Pogson
"But fresh Muslim troops arrived from Jaunpur Capital Zafarabad.
An order for slaughter was issued.
Thousands of Hindu infidels became food to the d0gs of death. The river Gomati ran red with Hindu blo0d. Yet, Hindus did not refrain from fighting" -
Tarikh I Jaunpur
It still stands on the pillars of the Hindu temple that originally stood at this site.
The temple was destroyed and its material was used in the construction of the Mosque. Egyptian?
Jama Masjid of Jaunpur is regarded as an eye-catching, creative and artistic attraction. It is adorned with Egyptian style engravings. The curves and arches are also skillfully decorated with lotus, sunflower and rose motifs.#Jaunpur #UPNahiDekhaTohIndiaNahiDekha #UmmazingUP pic.twitter.com/Pdq8kv9wa0
— UP Tourism (@uptourismgov) October 23, 2020
"The original name of Jaunpur was Yavanapura".
"Even in the 19th century, no Hindu called it by the name 'Jaunpur'".
"The local Sharqi Sultans were great destroyers, and every mosque in Jaunpur was built on an existing Hindu temple"
- Archaeological survey of India report
"There is a Sanskrit inscription dating back to 8th century in the Southern Gate of the Jaunpur's Jami mosque".
"There is at present not ANY trace of old temples standing, for the Muhammadan conquerors did their work of destruction with unusual completeness"
- ASI report
"After destroying Karar Bir temple, Firoz Shah saw Atala Devi temple.
He ordered the temple to be destroyed immediately.
But Hindus violently attacked the workmen & pelted the emperor with stones.
Hindus were initially victorious"
- Tarikh I Jaunpur, translated by Pogson
"But fresh Muslim troops arrived from Jaunpur Capital Zafarabad.
An order for slaughter was issued.
Thousands of Hindu infidels became food to the d0gs of death. The river Gomati ran red with Hindu blo0d. Yet, Hindus did not refrain from fighting" -
Tarikh I Jaunpur
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THREAD PART 1.
On Sunday 21st June, 14 year old Noah Donohoe left his home to meet his friends at Cave Hill Belfast to study for school. #RememberMyNoah💙
He was on his black Apollo mountain bike, fully dressed, wearing a helmet and carrying a backpack containing his laptop and 2 books with his name on them. He also had his mobile phone with him.
On the 27th of June. Noah's naked body was sadly discovered 950m inside a storm drain, between access points. This storm drain was accessible through an area completely unfamiliar to him, behind houses at Northwood Road. https://t.co/bpz3Rmc0wq
"Noah's body was found by specially trained police officers between two drain access points within a section of the tunnel running under the Translink access road," said Mr McCrisken."
Noah's bike was also found near a house, behind a car, in the same area. It had been there for more than 24 hours before a member of public who lived in the street said she read reports of a missing child and checked the bike and phoned the police.
On Sunday 21st June, 14 year old Noah Donohoe left his home to meet his friends at Cave Hill Belfast to study for school. #RememberMyNoah💙
He was on his black Apollo mountain bike, fully dressed, wearing a helmet and carrying a backpack containing his laptop and 2 books with his name on them. He also had his mobile phone with him.
On the 27th of June. Noah's naked body was sadly discovered 950m inside a storm drain, between access points. This storm drain was accessible through an area completely unfamiliar to him, behind houses at Northwood Road. https://t.co/bpz3Rmc0wq
"Noah's body was found by specially trained police officers between two drain access points within a section of the tunnel running under the Translink access road," said Mr McCrisken."
Noah's bike was also found near a house, behind a car, in the same area. It had been there for more than 24 hours before a member of public who lived in the street said she read reports of a missing child and checked the bike and phoned the police.