On the 18th of June, the Union culture ministry announced that the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021 will be conferred to Gita Press, Gorakhpur. In its official statement, the ministry stated that this was done to recognise Geeta Press’ outstanding contribution towards social, economic, and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
“The Jury headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, after due deliberations on 18th June, 2023 unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods,” stated the statement.
The jury also recognised the important and unparalleled contribution of Gita Press. The official statement says that Gita Press has contributed to the collective upliftment of humanity, which personifies Gandhian living in the true sense.
In its official statement, the Ministry of Culture said, “The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications, for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations, strives for the betterment of life and the well-being of all.”
The official statement read, “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recalled the contribution of Gita Press, in promoting the Gandhian ideals of peace and social harmony. He observed that the conferment of the Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita Press, on completion of hundred years of its establishment, is a recognition of the work done by the institution in community service.”
A hundred years back, Gita Press was established in 1923. It is one of the world’s largest publishers, the world’s largest publisher of Hindu religious texts, and has published 41.7 crore books in 14 different languages including 16.21 crore copies of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita. It was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Sanatana Dharma.
Gita Press now publishes copies of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Ramcharitmanas, various Hindu scriptures like Puranas and Upanishads, other books related to Hinduism, books of Bhajans and Bhakta-Gathas, and others. The texts are published in several langaues including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya and other Indian languages.
PM Modi lauds the contribution of Gita Press
PM Modi congratulated Gita Press for being selected for the Gandhi peace prize. “They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people,” he wrote on Twitter.
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
Gandhi Peace Prize
The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award that was started by the Government of India in 1995. This was done to mark the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This was a tribute to the ideals promoted by Mahatma Gandhi.
The award includes a cash prize of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and a beautiful traditional handicraft or handloom item.
Some of the notable past awardees include organisations like ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, and Akshaya Patra among others. Previously, it was also awarded to luminaries like the Late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Dr. Julius Nyerere, and Shri Yohei Sasakawa, Japan among others.
As clear from above, the award has no nationality bar. It is open to all irrespective of nationality, race, language, caste, creed, or gender. Recent awardees include Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Oman (2019), and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (2020), Bangladesh.
