Artline

It was a wide jump, the shift from a Chemical Engineer to a book publisher. But this is exactly what Bipin Shah was twenty five years ago...

It was a wide jump, the shift from a Chemical Engineer to a book publisher. But this is exactly what Bipin Shah was twenty five years ago. After graduating as a chemical engineer from the University of Wisconsin, in 1970, Bipin was convinced that he could not stand working in a factory. On a return to India after his undergraduate studies, brother Sudarshan an avid lover of books put him in touch with booksellers and publishers in Bombay, and at the end of the three month visit home, Bipin had found his load star.

8220;I knew I would be doing something with books.8221; He got a job with a small publishing house in New York, which was basically publishing art books. The company was small, it had 6-8 people working, but it was there that Bipin learnt the 8220;truths of the trade8221;. For the next four years he learnt the basics of art book publishing. Though he knew very little about art book publishing, Bipin worked in all departments, be it sales, marketing, production, editorials, and the art department.

After four years of grind, Bipin got a job in the International Division of Double Days, a major trade publishers of books for consumers. He was finally into the mainstream of publishing, and was looking after the Asian and Arab countries, from Israel, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, right through to Japan. And it was here that the seeds of MAPIN were sown. And today, Ahemdabad based MAPIN publishing house is one of the premier art book publishing house in the country.

MAPIN is the publisher of Illustrated books on Indian art and culture. Established by Bipin Shah and Mallika Sarabhai, in 1982, Mapin has more than fifty titles to its credit. They have done seminal work on the Living Traditions of India-Tribal Arts and Crafts of Madhya Pradesh, Arts and Crafts of Rajasthan, Crafts of West Bengal, Crafts of Himachal Pradesh, Arts and Crafts of Tamil Nadu, Crafts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, Bridal Durries of India, The last Wanderers Nomads and Gypsies of India, Threads of Identity, Embroidery and Adornment of the Nomadic Rabaris, Gifts of Earth- Terracottas and Clay Sculptures of India, Indian Art and Connisseurship and the Painted Towns of Shekhawati. Some prominent books which come in the category of photography included, India 24 hours, Timeless India, Coorg- The Land of the Kodavas, Performing Arts of Kerala.

The early years were good years for MAPIN, it was six rupees to a Singapore Dollar, today it is 26 rupees. 8220;Our first book on the Crafts of Gujarat was priced at Rs. 295. 50 per cent of the book sold abroad. And slowly over a period of time, Germany, France, UK and Italy became major markets. At this time Asia and particularly India were closed for publishing. Even after a 15 year stay in the US and having a lot of contacts and friends in the publishing world, people would still find an excuse not to stock Indian books. Indian books would not sell. It took us five years to place an Indian book in the West.

It was the Arts and Crafts of Rajasthan, which we produced for Thames and Hudson.8221; Today MAPIN can boast of co-publications with half a dozen art book publications and museums. 8220;We have been commissioned to originate catalogues for the Victoria and Albert Museum.8221; MAPIN was the first publisher to co publish with RIZZOLI- who are well known for their architectural books. They have also worked with well known American publishers- Harry Abraham, and Abbeville Press.

Even though Mapin started with 10 publications, eight out of which were commissioned, today 8220;we get more manuscripts form International authors than Indian authors8221; Though MAPIN has continuously faced crisis situations, it is still managing to keep itself afloat. 8220;In today8217;s contemporary world, the corporate houses are the new maharajas. And it is through corporate sponsorships that we are able to sustain ourselves.8221; They are also selling co-editions to foreign publications. Inspite of the continuous challenge of keeping their head over water, Bipin has no regret leaving behind his training as a chemical engineer. MAPIN has managed to establish a name for itself.

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8220;Today no publisher across the world asks me about the quality of our work, all what he is concerned with is that if the work fits into their publishing programme.8221; Since funds are limited at the moment, MAPIN is limiting its work. An area which is in need of the quality and elegance of MAPIN is children8217;s art books, where there is poor editorial quality, poor illustrations and a poor product. 8220;Children8217;s books require a different kind of expertise, we do 4-6 art books a year and that is what we are concentrating upon.8221; Says a much satisfied Shah.

Bipin was in Chandigarh, following yet another project close to his heart. He is negotiating with the Chandigarh Administration and the Chandigarh College of Architecture, on a book on the built heritage of Chandigarh, which should ideally be released during the three day International Conference on celebrating Chandigarh 50 years of the Idea.