Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 for Gita Press, PM, UP CM hail its contribution

A publisher of Hindu religious texts, Gita Press was established in 1923, and is presently one of the world’s largest publishers. It has so far sold 93 crore copies of over 1,850 religious books in 15 languages including copies of its monthly magazine, ‘Kalyan’, which was started in 1926. Gita Press has also sold over 3.5 crore copies of ‘Ramcharitmanas’ written by Goswami Tulsadas, and over 16 crore copies of ‘Shrimad Bhagvad Gita’.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the MLA from Gorakhpur Sadar, expressed gratitude to PM Modi for the award. “Heartfelt congratulations to Gita Press located in Gorakhpur, the most important centre of religious literature of ‘Sanatan Dharma of India’, on receiving the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021,” Adityanath tweeted.

While announcing the award, PM Modi recalled the contribution of Gita Press “in promoting the Gandhian ideals of peace and social harmony”. He observed that the conferment of Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita Press, on completion of 100 years of its establishment, is a recognition of the work done by the institution in community service, said the government statement, adding that the institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications for revenue generation.

Talking to The Indian Express, Gita Press manager Lalmani Tripathi says that “such is demand these days that we are often unable to meet demands of our readers. In the last financial year, we have sold over 2.40 crore copies of our books for nearly Rs 111 crore.” Gita Press sells nearly 10 lakh copies of Ramcharitmanas every year, says Tripathy, adding that they don’t rely on any donations.

Instituted by the government in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the annual Gandhi Peace Prize carries prize money of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a traditional handicraft/handloom item.

As per the Gita Press website, its “main objective is to promote and spread the principles of Sanatana Dharma, the Hindu religion among the general public by publishing Gita, Ramayana, Upanishads, Puranas, Discourses of eminent Saints and other character-building books & magazines and marketing them at highly subsidised prices.”

It adds, “Since 1923, it has been propagating and promoting morality and spirituality through its literature throughout the world.”

Then President Ramnath Kovind had presided over the centenary celebrations event in Gorakhpur in June last year. Spread over two lakh square feet in Gorakhpur, the Gita Press campus was inaugurated by then President Rajendra Prasad in April 1955. Its books are published in 15 languages including English, Urdu and Nepali. Gita Press has 20 outlets in the country and its books are sold through over 2,500 booksellers across India, as well as in other countries such as Nepal. At the headquarters, it has nearly 450 employees. Kalyan has 1.60 lakh copies now. There are 17 crore copies of Kalyan’s sold so far, Tripathy said.

The past awardees include organisations such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari, Akshaya Patra, and Sulabh International. It has also been awarded to individuals such as Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa; Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania; Baba Amte; and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said of Oman.

(With inputs from ENS Lucknow)