Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India

by Akshaya Mukul

'A rare treasure trove.' - Arundhati Roy



'[An] important and timely contribution to the study of religious-cultural populism.' - Pankaj Mishra



'A powerful and original work of historical scholarship.' - Ramachandra Guha'



'Mukul rolls out a remarkably detailed map of print Hinduism.' - Shahid Amin



In the early 1920s, Jaydayal Goyandka and Hanuman Prasad Poddar, two Marwari businessmen-turned-spiritualists, set up the Gita Press and Kalyan magazine. As of early 2014, Gita Press had sold close to 72 million copies of the Gita, 70 million copies of Tulsidas's works and 19 million copies of scriptures like the Puranas and Upanishads. And while most other journals of the period, whether religious, literary or political, survive only in press archives, Kalyan now has a circulation of over 200,000, and its English counterpart, Kalyana-Kalpataru, of over 100,000.

Gita Press created an empire that spoke in a militant Hindu nationalist voice and imagined a quantifiable, reward-based piety. Almost every notable leader and prominent voice, including Mahatma Gandhi, was roped in to speak for the cause. Cow slaughter, Hindi as national language and the rejection of Hindustani, the Hindu Code Bill, the creation of Pakistan, India's secular Kalyan and Kalyana-Kalpataru were the spokespersons of the Hindu position on these and other matters.

The ideas articulated by Gita Press and its publications played a critical role in the formation of a Hindu political consciousness, indeed a Hindu public sphere. This history provides new insights into the complicated and contested rise to political pre-eminence of the Hindu Right.

Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India is an original, eminently readable and deeply researched account of one of the most influential publishing enterprises in the history of modern India. Featuring an extraordinary cast of characters - buccaneering entrepreneurs and hustling editors, nationalist ideologues and religious fanatics - this is essential (and exciting) reading for our times.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, India, Politics, Religion, Biography, Indian Literature

552 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2015

Reviews

[Sneha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a mental image of Ram, or of Yudhishthir in the Mahabharata, odds are that your definitive idea of what they looked like comes from Gita Press.

Based in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Gita Press is that rare entity - legendary-and-yet-less-known outside its immediate circle of influence.

And yet, it's almost impossible to overstate its influence on India.

Because Gita Press, a non-profit organization established in 1926, was among the first publications to bulk-produce cheap, colourful, good-quality religious texts to be consumed by the masses.

You may believe you know how substantial their reach - but the numbers are truly logic-defying.

As of February 2014, Gita Press has sold 71.9 million copies of the Gita.

They've sold 70 million copies of the Goswami Tulsidas works, including the Ram Charitramanas; 19 million copies of the puranas and upanishads and other old scriptures; 94.8 million copies of 'tracts and monographs' about women and children; and 60 million copies of biographies of saints.

To put those numbers in perspective, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has sold just under 70 million copies.

Gita Press publications are predominantly in Hindi and Sanskrit - 739 of them to be precise - but certainly not restricted to them.

There are 152 Gujarati titles. Then there are publications in Telugu, Oriya, English, Bangla, Marathi, Kannada, Assamese, Tamil, Nepali, Punjabi and Malayalam. There are also two Urdu titles.

And yet, outside of serious academic research into it, little is known or understood about Gita Press in the popular urban imagination. And, more specifically, about the editor of Kalyan, their monthly journal, the late Hanuman Prasad Poddar, whose influence on the entire field of religious and regional publishing is hard to state without hyperbole.

But journalist Akshaya Mukul set out to determine just that.

He spent an entire year in Gorakhpur, rummaging through documents that had not seen the light of day for decades, - some, unfortunately eaten by termites. What emerged is a 550-page book, Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, which details the birth of Gita Press, and more intriguingly, the motivations of its founders and editors.

His most revealing discovery? That the story of Gita Press is essentially the story of the birth of the Hindu right wing.

Also, should you be interested, an interview with the author: http://www.catchnews.com/culture-news...

[Chetana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. It was a long read with fairly repetitive content. Plus, the title, along with Arundhati Roy's endorsement, were dead giveaways of the book's political narrative. I wish there had been little more left to the imagination. What salvages the book is probably that it's the only book that comprehensively investigates the relationship between the publication industry, specifically Gita Press, and Hinduism in India. Since its founding in 1923, Gita Press has democratized access to Hindu teachings with the objective to create a Hindu rashtra. Akshaya Mukul studies numerous magazine articles, letters between the Gita Press' founders and contributors, and fan mail to describe the nature of Gita Press' mission, and how it was tied to the Gita Press founders and their caste as Marwaris. The initial chapters are about how the founders created Gita Press to cleanse the Marwari community of their image as petty profiteers and re-brand themselves as religious enlightened — I thought this was the one of the most fascinating bits of the book. The rest of the book details the regressive views of Gita Press (like their belief that women who're menstruating shouldn't catch a cold, etc.)…which bored me after a while. For a rounded view of Gita Press, think Mukul should have discussed readership little more extensively; while he mentions the number of magazines in circulation, a break-up of readers across region / age / gender would have been compelling to see. Wish Mukul had also touched on questions like - What were the other magazines devoted to religious enlightenment? How'd their version of Hinduism fare vis a vis Gita Press' Kalyan? (Mukul notes, for instance, that the Hindu Mahasabha and RSS didn't buy into Gita Press' vision of Hinduism) What were the magazines that engaged with Gita Press?

On reflection, recommend reading chapters 1-2.

[Vikas Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a book on the press that has played an important role in shaping India's outlook. Akshay has done pathbreaking work with this book. Unlike the West little effort is ever done in India to document history and that's why Akshaya needs to be commended. I would have liked him to dwell more on the iconography and explain the way Hindu Gods and Goddesses were depicted. Insetad he quickly skips the issue. One drawback with the book is its obsession with establishing the press as "regressive" in its outlook.

[Pankaj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had huge hopes from this book. But its not strctured and boring. Was not able to complete also.

[Abhïshék Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were looking to be run through the societal background, political conspiracies, economic incentives and community mores of an entire generation of well-to-do Marwaris running a religious press, this is your book (the plethora of adarsh-balak or ideal-kid memes are also inspired by the press' publications!). The Gita Press still doles out 200,000 copies of Kalyan and 100,000 copies of the English-version Kalyana-Kalpataru, an indicator of its tremendous influence on modern Indian life and polity. The enterprising-cum-spiritual editors of the Gita Press---Poddar and Goyandka, dole out moral instructions and subtly influence voters on the 'right' party to vote for by championing issues such as female rights, sexuality and morality; the responsibility of the Hindu male child to honour elders and remain spiritually active and suggest ways in which the Indian 'nation' should be defined in 'Hindu' terms and its relation to the twin enemies of secularism and communism ('Hindu-sthan' or the land of the Hindus, they say). This led them to oppose the Hindu Code Bill that was introduced by the Congress under Nehru to institute widow remarriage, the right to divorce and alimony and inheritance of property by the girl child. The book talks about what it means to be 'secular' in India: the regulation of the majority while appeasing the minority or a wholehearted amalgamation of all faiths into one (Sanatana Dharma or the eternal order? (the view of the Gita Press)

Mukul is a veteran journalist at the Times of India, and it shows in his writing. The book is not lucid reading as there is excessive information on the facts of the matter without a smooth narrative. He tells us all about the 'regressive and patriarchal' attitudes of the publications without tying it up with a conclusion on why he cited those specific instances. Was it to expose the double standards and moral ambiguity of the publishers? Or just a narration of their views which should be interpreted within the socio-cultural set-up it was written in? For instance, he quotes conversations from 'Stri Dharma Prashnottri' (Q&A on the duty of women) to expose the deeply patriarchal moral instructions for women. However, there are instances where Mukul's liberal leanings tend to have the illiberal effect of ridiculing a society's customs in a characteristically offhand manner. For instance, the Gurukul's (traditional Indian way of learning) emphasis on 'giving' and 'instruction not only to earn money but to become a human being with greater morals, a wider outlook and greater tolerance' is something I personally found quite appealing, but which appeared to not pass muster with Mukul. In his narrative, every act of asserting customs becomes a 'right-wing nationalistic ploy', which may not necessarily be true.

However, his work is deeply engaging because it traces the root cause of patriarchy and curbing of women's rights, ban on the slaughter of cows (through Gau Raksha Samitis or cow protection councils), distrust of the 'Muslim' and deep-seated prejudices against the lower castes and tribals (and the proselytising by Muslim and Christian missionaries) to political movements in the 1920's (the formation of the Hindu Mahasabha, RSS and Gita Press Publication House), 1960's (the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War) and 1990's (the movement for the demolition of the Babri Masjid through the Ram Janmabhoomi or birthplace of Lord Ram Movement). Thus, nothing exists in vacuum and to understand what is happening today, you need to delve into what triggered it yesterday. Deeply provocative and thus, a must-read.

[Chandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a section of the population with a brute 80% majority and an overwhelming share of wealth, fame, opportunities, and riches, feel AGGRIEVED? YES!!! (Stomp feet on ground repeatedly for emphasis!). Many may find it difficult to believe that, but the Hindu, majoritarian, obscurantist, far-right’s sense of ‘hurt’ or ‘deprivation’ is very real, nevertheless. Their inability to reconcile to a bespoke nation delivered hugely contrary to their design is understandable, if not justifiable.

Akshaya Mukul’s book wonderfully chronicles the origins of these grievances - the instigators, the storm-troopers, their strategies, prevarications, and machinations. Religion with nationalism, patriarchy with politics, asceticism with ambition – these are the cocktails that are being served, to this day. Mukul’s book is extensively researched (many details may seem tedious to those unfamiliar with this world but would be invaluable to scholars) and insightful. Our history is not the simple, linear narrative it would be convenient to believe, but a tangled mess, the mother of all ‘bad-hair’ days.

Seems like a useful time to remember Guru Padmasambhava’s observation,
“If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition;
If you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.”

[Vinay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Missionary funded Leftist propaganda. A systematic attack on institutions revered by hindus by attempting to show them in poor light and dividing hindus on caste lines. nothing new.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is basically a biography of the Gita press founder and the first editor of "kalyan" Hanuman prasad poddar.

Kalyan, the first of its kind religious monthly with a single-minded focus on spreading sanatan Dharma.

There are very valuable informations available in this book like-

the formation of gita press, Hindu mahasabha, Gaurakshini sabha(or gau samiti), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP),RSS and other so called right wing organizations.

The language of the book is simple and this will make ur reading easy, though in between you will feel that the content of the book is boring, but in the end you will definitely understand the concept of the book and you can relate what the author has said in this book is true whenever any right-wing government takes control of India, like, Hindu-Muslim divide, killing of people in the name of cow(gau mata), authoritarianism, diluting historical facts etc.

One most important thing is that those who blame or curse Nehru will surely after reading this will admire that what he really done for this country by "separating religion from politics", otherwise there is no difference between India and Pakistan. And unlike mahatma gandhi and many of his colleagues in the Congress, Nehru had never patronized Gita press.

I hope u like the review, Thanks for reading, Jai hind.

[Keerthi Kiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important book in understanding the current hindu rhetoric. I could not place issues such as - cow worship, anti-romeo squads, hindi as a national language, into a historical context. For someone like me who was not initiated into 'hindu issues', I learned about the social and cultural evolution of Hinduism as it exists today. I now see order in seemingly chaotic atmosphere. I can see a pattern in the unplanned, unprovoked upsurge in these issues and incidents.

This book is also coming at the right time when there is greater interest and need to learn about these issues. Both Gita Press and Making of Hindu India are well covered and the evolution is fascinating to observe. The flow of the book is a bit rocky and it is a bit under-cooked. The transitions seem a bit abrupt and I would have loved to read more in the book about the appeal and spread of Gita Press in the past. In all, it is a book I would recommend for any one who is interested in history, religion and rise of nationalistic politics.

[Prem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a startling read that showed me, at least, how entrenched the Hindutva project has been in modern India's story, how so many of those we still neutrally acclaim as freedom fighters were proponents of a fascist mission. And guiding it all, the articles, journals and books, that produced the 'literature' of this mission.

This is not exactly an exciting read - it certainly could've used a better editor and structure - but there is a wealth of information here on the many networks of propaganda and preaching that majoritarianism and religious fundamentalism lays to further its cause. A book of significant historical importance, and yet one that can be scary in its implications for the Indian project. 

[Kunal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A publication house is found in a time when the literacy stands at bare 14%. It keeps its footing for a 100 years running, sells more than 320 million titles on the way and affects the discourse (and to an extent, the course) of the nation. Surely a great premise for a thorough work.

And with 1200 references, a thorough work it is by Akshaya Mukul. A well-researched account of Gita Press whose influence on Hindu nationalism has somehow so far, gone under-reported.

The direct impact of easily-available, low-cost religious texts on the mindset of populace aside, Gita press's association with the right wing (within and outside Congress) is examined in good detail. Views of a number of conservative stalwarts, carried by the workhorse of the publication- the Kalyan journal, are quoted in plenty and provide great insights. The issues these views addressed (and at times fanned), be it casteism, communalism, language, role of women, cow-protection are all well elaborated. The author often points out the tenor and contradictions of these views.

The work, doing full justice to its title, is not only an extensive history of Geeta Press but is also a good primer on the early evolution and politics of the right wing in the country. In times where the media reach was limited, the impact this consistently high-circulating and opinionated publication had on both the psyche and articulation of the masses, especially in the Hindi heartland, is anything but trivial. And therein one can see the broadcast of possibilities, quite a few of which turned into reality later.

[Divya Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

After wading through Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya by the author, I was looking forward to this book and can happily aver that I was not disappointed. It is an extensively researched scholarly work that is unbiased and non-judgemental, by and large. It is essentially centred around the towering and influential personality of one of the co-founders and editor – Hanuman Prasad Poddar (after whom a cancer hospital is named in Gorakhpur). It is an indispensable and monumental reference work (83 pages out of 539 comprise the Bibliography and Notes) for scholars on Hinduism (specifically sanatana dharma), adherents of Hindutva, and the present governing political dispensation in India – although the obscurantist philosophy of Gita Press may not appeal to people against casteism and patriarchy. The author has clarified

…the idea behind the book is not to sing paens of Gita Press but to place it within the larger canvas of Hindu nationalism in colonial and post-colonial India.

It would be interesting to determine any correlation between the slow rise over the eight decades of Gita Press and Kalyan (200,000 subscribers and 100,00 subscribers for the English edition – Kalyan Kalptaru) and the dissemination of its Hindutva teachings with the assertiveness and strident nationalism of Hindus and the consequent rise of the saffron power of the BJP from political wilderness to the ruling corridors of power.
While talking about the content of the Kalyan and other publications of Gita Press there are some outrageous examples. There is a bizarre comparison of communism with the egalitarianism preached in Bhagvadgita.

Gita Press realized the need to provide an alternative to the new ideology, something that would not threaten the tenets of sanatan Hindu dharma yet celebrate the concept of equality. The alternative was discovered in the Bhagvadgita – an Indian version of communism, divinely ordained.

An almost Talibanesque attitude towards women prevailed

In all Gita Press publications on women, the language used is reformative in tone and prescriptive in nature. Poddar and others made it clear that a woman’s non-adherence to the set rules could affect the broader Hindu society. The onus was on the woman to be the flag bearer of morality, purity and chastity. Only then could an ideal family – and by extension an ideal nation – be formed.

And

In 1936 Poddar regretted the new wave of modernity that aimed to put men and women on an equal educational footing, so much so that even were becoming ‘teachers, clerks, lawyers, barristers, writers, politicians, and members of municipalities and councils. Such ideas of progress, Poddar said, were turning women anti-God and anti-religion.

Moreover,

It is a different matter that the burden of these rituals with shastric sanction fell more on women who usually had very little or no say in matters concerning their space. The ideal world of a Hindu nari followed the narrow path of daughter, wife and mother. It was a task Gita Press took extremely seriously, as expressed not only through the pages of Kalyan but also in scores of pamphlets on women.

Goyandka, the other co-founder of Gita Press, was even more regressive

To educate and build the character, strength and mental purity of girls and women, Goyandka laid stress on hard physical labour. Even harsh words and rebukes by elders were to be considered by a woman as a form of education.

Something out of Calvin and Hobbes!
The author observes

Drawing from Hitler’s Germany was not an innocuous act, but Gita Press’s affirmation of its regard for the fascist ruler. In fact, when it comes to the ‘women’s question’, there is a great deal of similarity between Nazi Germany, Gita Press and other Hindu nationalist organizations like the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha and others; in particular, the ‘hysterical protective anxiety about numbers’ vis-à-vis the Muslims shown by Gita Press and the entire Hindu right owes a lot to Hitler.

Besides his hectic schedule at Gita Press, Poddar had the time, energy, determination for other related activities – he was the probable initiator of the Ram Janambhoomi and Krishna Janambhoomi revival; he led a spirited and tireless campaign against cow slaughter (the fruition of those efforts is evident now). His messianic campaign to protect cows was one of the factors leading to the going of separate ways from Gandhi. He was one of the founder members of the radical VHP.
The author concludes ominously

Its numerous moral tracts continue to attract readers in schools and homes, and its journals and books carry its ideology across India and overseas, propagating the dream of a time when Hindu and India will become synonymous

A great book! An unusual look at Indian history through the fortunes of an Indian Publishing House.

[Amrita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't even aware that Gita Press was a thing, let alone the MASSIVE thing that it is, before reading this book. The book did feel mammoth while I was reading it but it was for good reason. It's extremely illuminating and chronicles the rise (and stagnation in the modern day) of Gita Press beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, right up until today (well, 2016). The journey of Kalyan, the journal, juxtaposed with the intense communal churn in India starting from the late nineteenth century, through periods of complete political upheaval and the freedom struggle, and Kalyan's unchanging commitment to propagating sanatan Hindu dharma through it all presents a fascinating case study of far-right Hindu ideology in India through the ages, and how it remains set in stone today after an almost complete departure from the cultural and economic context of the twentieth century. Especially interesting were the parts tracing the history of the cow-protection movement in India, the Hindu lobby's protest of the Hindu Code Bill and the very unsurprising view Kalyan TO THIS DAY maintains of women's role in society. Also, was mindblown by the depth of the role played by the Marwari community in the freedom effort and how the community's dominant conservative ideology influenced that of Kalyan's, and consequently of the religious Hindu readership's through the ages.

[Anushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

My acquaintance with the Gita Press had been limited to using their stall at the Howrah Station as a marker. Of course, I have seen these stalls at several other railways stations where I have lamented the lack of any other bookshop. I, like most of my generation, remained oblivious to this publication house with such far reaching consequences, specially in context of the rise of Hindudtva. First of all, the research done by the author is outstanding. A project of epic proportions, it has been executed with superlative deftness and an eye to detail.

Coming from a generation that has only read about the giants of the freedom struggle and Hindi literature in textbooks, this book has been a revelation about their choices and the ideas they endorsed. Hanuman Prasad Poddar's intricate network of politicians, businessmen, religious leaders and writers gives a rare glimpse into the foundation of the Hindu right wing.

The Gita Press has remained a steadfast mouthpiece for the Brahminical Hindu right for nearly a century now. The values and ethics that it aimed to propagate were too oppressive and downright disgusting in some cases, specially for women and Dalits. But this was not a surprise to me, but rather the involvement of some stalwarts who had a secular image so far in my mind. Although one should reserve all judgments in context of the era, the politics and morality of the Gita Press was regressive even in its initial years. Had it been a fringe publication, I would not be alarmed, but as this book reveals, the Press has been at the heart of the more popular than ever Hindutva narrative.

The book itself might be slow in parts, specially at the beginning but if like me, you are interested to understand the current socio-political scenario of India, you will find it engaging enough to finish it. Definitely recommended.

[Pranjal Awasthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been decently well versed with the Hindu Right, however this book opened a whole new dimension of understanding the first principles behind the Hindu Right and Hindutva. Many wrongly assume that Hindutva is no real philosophy but simple exclusionary violence in search for a theory. This book conclusively proves it's not so. Behind the thinking of the RSS, the Sangh Parivaar, the BJP etc is a set of clearly defined "visions" to use Thomas Sowell's words which have found political utterance post 2014. Akshaya Mukul's book on the Gita Press, describes how the Press with its idealogues Hanuman Poddar and Jaydayal Goyandka articulated and give filip to the voices of the Hindu reformers, Hindu activists and the Hindu politicians like Madan Mohan Malvia. You'd be surprised how often Poddar prefigures in almost every important discussion pertaining to the Hindu cause (the Hindu Code Bill, Cow Slaughter Ban, Marriage act etc) at the national stage. The book has Gandhi, Nehru, a bunch of Godmen, philosophy on morals and much more. This is a tour de force and a must read for anyone remotely curious about the ideologies becoming mainstream in India post 2014 and how a seemingly unseen player plays a pivotal role in the process

[Suman Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply researched and objective account of an organisation that made it its mission to spread the Hindutva cult. This book helps you understand how the true believers of Hindutva think. Also helps you understand how this belief has been spread through the country.

[Pranietha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing and pain-staking research on how Gita Press continues to shape the propagation of sanatan Hindu dharma. The book puts the cow protection movement in context. Rules for women that sit squarely in the realm of lunacy will make your blood boil. It is frightening to think the power Gita Press had and continues to have, especially with the obvious right tilt of our politics.

[Heramb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trues delight for students of the complex Indian history. Intensely researched but a tad bit lengthy, but a very very important book.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, while summarising the growth of Gita Press, their history and their views on a wide range of issues, creates a panoramic view of the morals, values and politics of the Brahminical forces (aka, the Hindu right-wing). The book is neatly presented and it is a treasure trove of fascinating nuggets that would help you understand India's present political scenario. As a matter of fact, the books briefs us about the origins of many of the controversies and injustices unfolding in India since 2014. In the following paragraphs, I shall give you a glimpse into the regressive world of the Gita Press.

To begin with, it must be noted that the Gita Press was akin to a proselytising group. Even though it was not concerned about bringing non-Hindus within the Hindu fold, its goal was to propagate and protect the principles of Sanathana Dharma as envisaged by the upper castes. It was an effort to convince the masses about the need for such principles and it is a movement that is still very much alive. Even though the Gita Press began merely as a Marwari Baniya-funded religious enterprise, it morphed into a political one that works as the unofficial mouthpiece of the RSS and the Sangh Parivar. The most important factor that contributed to the growth of the Gita Press was Poddar's (the first and most influential editor of Gita Press) networking skills and his ability to draw contributions from across all ideological spectrums. With the exception of Jawaharlal Nehru, almost every important nationalist leader has contributed and supported the venture.

The views of the publishing house, in a nutshell, can be described as anti-communist, anti-secularist, anti-feminist, pro-caste and anti-minority. The alarming use of pseudoscience, the use of quackery, lies, misrepresentations and bigotry run amuck through its pages. They have played a very significant role in propagating sankstirised Hindi, vilifying Urdu as the language of the Muslims and in the shaping of the Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan ideology. Cow protection was also their biggest concern and it was useful for them to otherise the Muslims and the lower castes. Every aspect of human existence was given a communal, casteist colour.

Poddar's beef with Gandhi began on the latter's support for temple entry and the eradication of untouchability. Poddar and the Kalyan (Hindi magazine published by the Gita Press) supported and defended the caste system and justified untouchability. Even today, the Gita Press runs a Vedic School at Churu, Rajasthan - the school does not admit Shudras, Dalits and Adivasis. Their constant support of Vedic education as opposed to Western educaton, suppression of women and the vilification of the Muslim community, is founded on the need to perpetuate the caste system.

The Kalyan's views regarding women are hideous and oppressive beyond your imagination. Here is a sample on the Kalyan's views on the duties of widows:

"1. A woman should become sati after her husband’s death. This is considered illegal today, but dying on her husband’s pyre is not the sole way of becoming sati. A widow should consider God as her husband and immerse herself in worship, suppressing her inner desire. This is how one becomes sati. 2. A widow should detach herself from worldly pleasures and study texts like the Gita and Ramayana that inculcate the virtues of gyan (knowledge), vairagya (renunciation) and bhakti (devotion). 3. A widow should not participate in festivities. She should avoid listening to conversations of young girls and married women, discard jewels, stop braiding her hair, eating paan (betel leaf) or using any aromatic product. (As an afterthought, or probably to keep up the pretence of being a reformist, Stri Dharma Prashnottari explains why widows should shun festivities—it is not, as popularly believed, that the shadow of a widow is inauspicious, but that a woman has uncontrollable sexual urges that need to be kept in check. ‘They are advised not to attend festivities so that the pomp and glitter do not cause deterioration of mind.’) 4. To the maximum possible extent, a widow should sleep on the floor, avoid a soft bed, eat food that does not provoke desire and wear handspun thick clothes and not colourful garments. 5. Widows should resist eight kinds of sexual union (maithuna). These are: seeing a man; touching a man or woman; enjoying the company of another in a lonely place; talking to others; reading or talking about a man or woman; playing together; thinking about a man or woman; and
actual sexual intercourse. 6. A widow should undertake fasts without water or food. 7. A widow must not sit idle, but immerse herself in household work. 8. A widow should attend religious and moral lectures, and completely give up bad company. 9. A widow must remain within the control of rakshaks (protectors) like her mother-in-law, father-in-law, jeth (husband’s elder brother), devar (husband’s younger brother), father, mother or brother. She should not do anything without the permission of the rakshak. 10. A widow is advised not to talk too much or express anger; to stay happy by remaining helpless; to believe in religion and never let the heart be led astray. 11. A widow must not sit in the company of young women, but always be with elderly women who strictly follow dharma. As regards immoral women, widows should not even glimpse them. 12. If a widow has money, it should be spent on the impoverished, orphans and other widows. If a widow does not have enough money, she should earn to survive and never ask anyone for monetary help."

If you found this passage insufferable, oppressive and spiteful, you ought to know that this is the general tone of their views and the book is replete with them. They supported segregation of all spaces between the two sexes, opposed widow remarriage, opposed abortion, opposed women's right to property, sought to control the individual preferences of women right from their clothing to their sexuality and strived to keep them uneducated within the household. They have not changed their stances even now and with the rise of the BJP, they are probably awaiting better times.

Reading about the Gita Press proves that fake news is not modern. Fake news, quackery and enforced irrationality are the hallmarks of conservative, orthodox factions across the world and more so in India. The advent of the internet and social media has merely exacerbated the spread of such news. It is also important to note that such fake news does not arise out of innocence; they are rather the fruit of a concerted plan to control the masses and make political gains. 

To sum up, the book is insightful and enlightening. Some parts of the book are very dry and cumbersome, but it is worth the toil. You can contextualise many of our present political and social pages by reading it. It is not just about a certain publishing house, it is rather about the socio-cultural milieu of India over the last century. Highly recommended.

[Imran Kazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched account of a relatively unknown history. An essential companion to understand the cowbelt culture and the brainwashing of millions people of mostly north and middle India that finally resulted in the current sensitisation of religiopolitical context of our country. Felt a bit under edited though sometimes.

[Ranjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For a woman there is no God greater than her husband whose feet she should touch and wash every day – the water that washes her husband’s feet is as pure as any holy water.”

While the anti-colonial movement engulfed the entire nation, with all its myriad shades and contradictory traits, there were forces that were more interested in issues that did not have much to do with the freedom call. Unmindful of the grand social and educational changes that swept the subcontinent, these forces were more interested in establishing an obscurantist version of Hinduism that they believed would solve all social problems. And their views found a ready voice in KALYAN – a Hindi magazine that came out from Gita Press in Gorakhpur, UP.

Established in 1926, it was essentially a Marwari enterprise owned by a certain Jaydayal Goyandka, a Bengal based trader and edited by Hanuman Prasad Poddar who ran it with a missionary zeal, promoting what is known as the Sanatan Hindu Dharma. Shunning any kind of advertisements, it relied solely on subscriptions and achieved phenomenal popularity. It continues to be published till date from Gorakhpur.

Run till his death in 1970 by a tenacious and a well-networked Poddar, the magazine and the special issues that it brought out occasionally, priced very cheaply, hit on an extremely regressive and misogynist template that focussed on preserving the ‘purity of Hindu women’, opposition to widow re-marriage and Child Marriage Restraint Act; resistance to modern methods of birth control – to counter the alleged Muslim growth rate, prescriptions for the healthy mental and physical growth of the Hindu male child, segregation of the sexes, justification of untouchability and the four-fold varna system, promotion of Hindi as the national language – and of course, militant cow protection. During the period of intense communal polarisation in the 40s, it spewed strident Hindu nationalism and in a series of vituperative articles, laid the blame on Communism, Western education and Muslims for all the evils that afflicted India.

The expanse and the depth that Akshaya Mukul’s ‘Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India’ manages to negotiate is simply phenomenal. Meticulously researched over several years and rich in sumptuous details, the book adopts an absolutely objective tone without the slightest trace of any ideological bias. Subscribers to both sides of the ideological divide would find it a delight to read, each interpreting the text from his own perspective. That’s a very fine balance to strike indeed. Perhaps that’s the reason why a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist PM did not hesitate to launch the book in 2016 at a much-publicised event – which the author chose not to attend!

Above all, in examining the history of an immensely popular and influential magazine that shaped the minds of a significant section of urban and semi-urban Hindu populace with its bigoted, toxic views, this book automatically examines the antecedents of all that which afflicts our country today. There is a continuity that runs through its pages, that spills over to our times, helping us to understand the phenomena that disturb many of us so profoundly.

A must read for anybody wanting to understand not only a regressive phase of our nation’s history, but the times we live in.

[Manish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Akshaya Mukul speak about this book in a podcast. The way he explained the early 20th century Indian political setup was just too fascinating to let this book go. One point which he made and which I'm now convinced after reading this book is that India would have had a right wing government in a couple pf decades post independence had it not been for the assassination of Gandhi.

The protagonist of the books is the formidable Hanuman Prasad Poddar, the towering editor of Kalyan, the publication of the Gita Press which became the vehicle for propagating Hindu ideas since the 20's. Mukul's work is encyclopedic in its nature which also makes the book a 'heavy' read. But do browse through it for a better and more nuanced understanding of how the right reached its apogee in 2014.

[Satwik · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply researched, very engaging but an exhausting read.

The book traces the journey of Gita Press from its inception to the present and examines its influence on India's politics and key political moments. It shows how Kalyan, a monthly magazine, shaped mass Hindu consciousness and consolidated Hindu identity often through seemingly apolitical religious appeals.

It critically exposes how unscientific and conservative ideas were promoted to sustain patriarchy, rigid gender roles, and caste hierarchies. The book also highlights how Gita Press maintained its influence through wide reach and institutional resilience, allowing its ideology to enter everyday social life even as its intellectual authority declined.

A must-read for anyone trying to understand India better.

[Hemant · Rating 3 out of 5]

INFORMATIVE. In my knowledge this is the first serious attempt to document and gauge the impact of Gita Press. The author got access (first time ever) to collection of Kalyan's first editor Hanuman Prasad Poddar (monthly Hindi journal of Gita Press), and the book is mainly built on these papers (published first time). The book is mainly informational, though at times the author (tries to) place Gitapress in larger Indian context through analysis. The author has his own prism through which he analyses Poddar and Goyandaka and reader should be aware of this.
Overall, I would suggest it if you want to know timeline/ history of Gita Press and its involvement with various movements, and biographical sketches of its founders (even then skim through as the many points are reiterated).

[Lucas Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Long and becomes quite redundant after a point. But a good account of the working of Gita Press, the dive into it's co founder Hanuman Prasad Poddar. One thing that comes out of this book the is the insight to the close knitted society of Indian leaders, corporates big wigs and editors of prominent media publications. The progenies of the members of these cliques are still in the prominent and relevant as media personals, judges, politicians and CEO's and chairperson of big organization.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed in depth and unbiased work. The book doesn't show Gita press in bad light. After reading I came to know many positive sides and neutral sides of right wing. This book is not a leftist view on right wing forces but a neo-liberal brotherly rebuke of right.

[Pramit Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The research work done by akshay mukul is great. I had read so many books of gita press but never knew the about the press itself. So much work goes into to lay foundation and establish an institution.

[Sudipt Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and detailed. Helps one understand the India of 2019. More relevant and contemporary than before, if that is possible. Skipping some minor details would have helped reduce the girth of the book but everything is presented in such a readable manner that one can't really complain

[nadeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative book written on the basis of research and investigation

Amazing book I have found. It is an unputdownable. I was so engrossed that some times I forgot my meal. A must read book.

[Saurabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important book to understand the Hindu ecosystem. But a tedious read.