Gita Press, Gorakhpur, to be Conferred with Gandhi Peace Prize 2021

This press has been honored by the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 on June 18th, Sunday, 2023 for the 2021 year.

The details about this prize and the winner “ Gita Press” are given here in this article.

Gita Press

• Gita Press, a publisher of Hindu sacred literature, was founded in 1923 and is currently one of the biggest publishing organizations in the world. 
• Up to this point, it has sold almost 93 crore copies of more than 1,850 religious publications in 15 languages, not counting copies of its monthly magazine, Kalyan. 
• Notably, Gita Press has sold over 16 million copies of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita and over 3.5 crore copies of Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas.

According to its official website, the organization's:

"main objective is to promote and spread the principles of Sanatana Dharma" 

among the general population through the publication of 

"the Gita, Ramayana,  discourses of eminent saints, Upanishads, Puranas, and other character-building books and magazines" 

that are heavily "subsidized". Scholar Paul Arney has defined to the publisher as:

"leading distributor of print Hinduism in the twentieth century"

Foundation of Gita Press

• Businessman Jaydayal Goyandka, a Marwari from Bankura, West Bengal, formally established Gita Press in 1923. 
• But over a lengthy period of time, throughout Goyandka's professional trips, the idea's seeds were planted.
• His business as a trader in cotton, kerosene oil, textiles and utensils carried him to places like Kharagpur and Kolkata as well as tiny towns like Sitamarhi in Bihar and Chakradharpur (now in Jharkhand). 
• Goyandka, a devout man, gathered groups of acquaintances in these towns—mostly other businessmen—who joined him in satsangs (religious gatherings) to debate various holy literature, chief among them the Bhagavad Gita.
• Goyandka and his companions longed for a faithful commentary and an accurate translation of the Gita. 
• Goyandka decided to launch his own publishing business after his earlier attempts to have the material published by an outside publisher failed.
• A businessman from Gorakhpur and Goyandka's friend Ghanshyamdas Jalan offered to set up the press there. 
• On a hand press purchased for Rs 600, Gita Press was prepared to publish its first edition of the Gita with commentaries by April 1923.

Gita Press in 2023

• The only colonial India-based indigenous printing company still in operation today is Gita Press, one of the biggest publishers in the world. 
• Its books are available in 20 retail locations and more than 2500 book vendors in India and internationally. They are published in 15 languages, including English, Urdu, and Nepali. And it's expanding faster than ever.
• Gita Press expanded during the epidemic, a time when publications all across the world were dealing with severe problems. Lalmani Tripathi, a representative, stated that:
  

“Such is demand from everywhere these days that we are often unable to meet it. In the financial year 2022-23, we have sold over 2.40 crore copies of our books for nearly Rs 111 crore.”

• According to Tripathi, Gita Press sells close to 10 lakh copies of Ramcharitmanas annually. Additionally, Kalyan now has a print order for about 1.60 lakh copies. More than 17 crore copies of Kalyan have been sold over the years.

Gandhi Peace Prize 2021

All details about the Gandhi Peace Prize are given here. 

What is the Gandhi Peace Prize?

In 1995, to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 125th birthday and to honor his principles and services to humanity, the Gandhi Peace Prize Awards for Economic, Social, and Governmental Transformation through Nonviolence were established.

Who got the Gandhi Peace Prize of 2021?

• The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been chosen for Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
• After careful deliberation, the panel, which was headed over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, agreed upon to honor Gita Press on Sunday, June 18. 

According to the government's statement:

“in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods,” 

• Gita Press will accept the Gandhi Peace Prize citation but not the Rs 1 crore cash prize that comes with it.

Lalmani Tiwari, manager and spokesperson for Gita Press stated:

“We never take any awards or donations. In this present case, we are going to receive the citation but we will not accept any award-money as receiving a cash award will be against our principles”

Conclusion

The Gandhi Peace Prize of 2021 was presented to the Gita Press of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. This press has this motto to spread the principles of Sanatan Dharma. 

The decision to select them as a Gandhi Peace Prize Winner for 2021 year was taken by a panel led by Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, himself. Stay connected to get the current news details on a regular basis.