On 18 June, PM Modi tweeted to congratulate Gorakhpur-based Gita Press for being conferred with the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021. He praised the organization for its commendable work over the last 100 years toward furthering social and cultural transformations among the people.
I congratulate Gita Press, Gorakhpur on being conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021. They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people. @GitaPress https://t.co/B9DmkE9AvS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2023
The Centre announced on 18 June that the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 will be awarded to Gita Press, the organization that has dedicated itself for the sole purpose of taking Hindu religious scriptures and books to every household. As per the PIB notification, the award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom items.
The Prize is given for outstanding contribution towards social, economic, and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
The Government of India announced the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995, on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed, or gender.
ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Akshaya Patra, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Sulabh International, Dr. Nelson Mandela, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are some of the organizations and individuals who have received the Gandhi Peace Prize in the past.
In 2020, the prize was given to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh.
Congress and other assorted ‘secular liberals’ start outraging
The announcement of the Gandhi Peace Prize for Gita Press has caused sudden outrage among Congress leaders and so-called ‘secular, liberals’.
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to condemn the selection and asserted that giving the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press is the same as giving it to Godse, or Savarkar.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this year. There is a very fine biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the… pic.twitter.com/PqoOXa90e6
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2023
RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha has attacked the center too. “Don’t expect things which this government does not. They are fundamentally anti-Gandhi,” Jha told PTI.
VIDEO | "Don't expect things which this government does not. They are fundamentally anti-Gandhi," RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha attacks Centre for conferring Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 to Gita Press. pic.twitter.com/8ZcsJvuIGN
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 19, 2023
Opposition leaders, and many ‘secular-liberals’ have been outraged by the decision. One Saib Bilaval wrote, “Gita Press was responsible for some of the most rabidly communal, casteist & anti-women discourse. While Kalyan’s editor Poddar did correspond with & admire Gandhi, the overall role of the magazine & Press was absolutely un-Gandhian & anti-peace during partition.”
Gita Press was responsible for some of the most rabidly communal, casteist & anti-women discourse.
— Saib Bilaval (@SaibBilaval) June 18, 2023
While Kalyan's editor Poddar did correspond with & admire Gandhi, the overall role of the magazine & Press was absolutely un-Gandhian & anti-peace during partition.@Akshayamukul pic.twitter.com/W1eGZvU5zl
Gandhi and Tagore were the article contributors in the first issue of ‘Kalyan’ magazine
Though the Congress leaders and others are outraging over Gita Press getting the Gandhi Peace Prize, it is notable here that the ‘Kalyan’ magazine published by Gita Press, in its first issue in 1926, had featured articles by Mahatma Gandhi himself and Rabindranath Tagore.
Gita Press completed 100 years in 2023
Gita Press was started exactly 100 years ago in 1923. Established by a Marwari businessman and Hindu spiritualist Jayadayalji Goendka, it is one of the world’s largest publishing houses. Hanuman Prasad Poddar, another prominent Hindu leader, was Gita Press’ co-editor. Though initially started with contributions by prominent Hindu businessmen and leaders, Gita Press now proudly insists that they do not need donations or help, and do not even accept advertisements in their published works.
In a time when most publication houses are suffering losses, Gita Press thrives, solely based on its Dharmic beliefs and its mission of making Hindu religious books available to Hindus at a nominal price. So far, the organization has published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore copies of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and 1173 lakh copies of Ramacharitmanas.
It churns out 70000 books in a day.
Gita Press books are found in every single Hindu household. Hindus carry small ‘pocket’ versions of Gita and Hanuman Chalisa with them and the name ‘Gita Press, Gorakhpur’ is a familiar term for billions of Hindus worldwide.
Cruelty-free practice and business rooted in Dharma
Gita Press never uses adhesives or chemicals that are derived from animals. Though their printing practices have evolved in recent years to using imported machinery from Japan and Germany, the staff adhere to the principles of Sanatan Dharma throughout the production and packaging process. The Dharmic books, once ready, are never placed on the ground.
Why are Congress leaders and pseudo-liberals outraged
Congress is primarily outraged because Gita Press is a Hindu organization and it has the word ‘Gita’ in it. Just because the organization publishes Hindu religious books, and had voiced support for Hindus in its past publications, Congress has probably decided that it should not exist.
However, Muslim League is a ‘secular’ organization’ as per Congress. By selectively citing instances where the stand taken by Kalyan magazine seems regressive, the naysayers are trying to ignore the revolution that Gita Press has brought not just in Hindi publishing but the immense cultural contributions that the Press has made in the 100 years of its existence.
