Motilal Banarsidas- Books that keep India Alive!

As the rest of the world stepped into the new millennium, a grand old institution renewed its commitment to the country and its rich literary traditions and celebrated a hundred years of service in 2003. It is a rare occurrence that one family pledges itself to preserve and promote the idea that India’s wealth lies in its art, culture and ancient esoteric sciences.  If this knowledge is garnered and offered to the world, it would secure for the country its rightful place as a shining example of secularism, harmony and wisdom. It was on this premise that one of the oldest publishing houses in India Motilal Banarsidass was established in 1903 at Lahore, now in Pakistan.

What began with a meager capital of Rs.27 and a small library of books grew into an institution dedicated to the cause of Indology. Motilal Jain was drawn to the many spiritual crosscurrents running across the country. The nation was being rocked by waves of righteous indignation against the British. The people were awakening to the call of the spirit of India and were stirred to respect and honour the rich cultural and religious heritage of their country. Motilal Jain was a lover of books, and realised that promoting awareness of our literary wealth would be an immortal contribution towards true independence of his country. His sons, Lala Banarsidass Jain and Lala Sunderlal Jain continued to work for the cause with the same obsession as their father. After the death of the former, his son Lala Shantilal Jain joined hands with his uncle. The communal frenzy of Partition in 1947 destroyed the bookshop and the family fled to India, finally settling in Delhi in 1958, determined to continue the good work. Under the leadership of Sunderlal Jain, and continued patronage of scholars like Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, (both ex-Presidents of India) the company flourished as the premier publishing company of the country.

Shantilal Jain, who was awarded the national honour ‘Padma Shri in 1992, passed away in 1997 after initiating into the business his five sons who today manage a company that brings out 200 titles every year. The present Chairperson is his wife, Smt. Lilawati Jain . The eldest two sons Mr. N.P.Jain and Mr. J.P.Jain head the company while the other sons work in coordination to manage a steadily expanding group of companies. The MLBD is not just as a commercial publisher of books. It is an institution that believes in old fashioned virtues like honesty, prudence, traditional social values, and the importance of the joint family system.  MLBD the institution is an ideal representing the strength of the joint family system in the times of rapid proliferation of nuclear families. Like an ancient banyan tree with its spreading roots and branches, five generations of one family has built this house. ‘Slow, steady and sustained growth’ seems to be the motto which has laid the foundation of MLBD with emphasis on fair practices and quality in work culture. The story of this family will never be complete without mentioning the touching incident when Maharaja Ranjit Singh entrusted the Kohinoor diamond for three days with an ancestor, Lala Buta Shah, a jeweler.

This goodness factor filters through to their image as a globally respected, unique house of publishing. The specialization in Indology and academic research-oriented books has sustained the attention of scholars of Sanskrit, and religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Among the sister companies are New Age Books, Shri Jainendra Press, and a charitable Trust. There are 7 branches in India, 2 franchisees, Motilal Books in UK and Netherlands, and a world-wide network of distributors and dealers.

Among the books published in a foreign language, are the world classic Sanskrit –German Dictionary (Sanskrit Worterbuch) in 7volumes, Worterbuch Deustch –Nepali and a dictionary of Rig Veda in German.  MLBD has also published in Spanish, Dutch, Italian, German, French, Croatian, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian books on religions of India. Regional languages of India find a representation in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya and Telugu. In 1989 an English translation of ‘Ramcaritamanas’ of Goswami Tulsidas by R.C.Prasad  won wide acclaim running into 5 editions. ‘Vedic Mathematics’ by the Sankaracharya of Govardhan Math received tremendous popularity and was accepted as a text book in the school curriculum in UK. MLBD went beyond its call of service and organized  100 workshops on Vedic Mathematics to popularize it and dispel the fear of  numbers among students. The spiritual lecture series in 2002 by Roy Eugene Davis (USA) a direct disciple of Paramahamsa Yogananda, became so popular that MLBD  invited him to India..

MLBD earned itself a name that is revered among scholars and students of research in the fields of Indology , Sanskrit literature, Buddhist and Jain studies. Over 5000 titles have been published in this genre. Not many publishers would have undertaken the challenging task of reprinting 10 volumes of ‘Manusmriti’ with Sanskrit text and English translation by Ganganath Jha. ‘Ancient Indian Traditions and Mythology’ runs into 100 volumes containing English translation for each verse of the 18 Mahapuranas. Some of the other invaluable titles in the multi- volume series are Indian Medical Traditions (Ayurveda), Max Mueller’s Sacred Books of the East (50vols), Kathasaritasagara((10vols) Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (30vols), Kalamulasastra (40vols), Kalatattvakosa (5vols) and Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages. The list is long and covers an astounding number of diverse subjects. MLBD books are in great demand overseas.

The government’s liberal import policy has helped in the import of good quality paper and machinery, and gives incentives to continue publication of books in the regional languages.  This is how many important books carry an affordable price tag. The emphasis is not on the profit, but honesty and fair-practice in its dealings with its authors

Conforming to the general trend and pursuit of spirituality by lay persons, New Age Books have published a string of low-cost easy reading books on Alternate Therapies, Nutrition, Feng Shui, Vastu, Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda. An array of unusual culinary books like ‘The Expanding Light Cookbook ‘, ‘The Ayurvedic Diet’, ‘The Yoga  Cookbook’ and ‘Natural Healthcare At Home’ have proved popular.

The MLBD may be steeped in tradition, but in its infinite wisdom plans to zoom towards modernization with the aid  of technology and science. The company is looking into the possibilities of developing software based on its rich treasury of   resources.

The list of events planned for the centenary celebrations reflect the intrinsically philanthropic nature of MLBD. Low-cost publications, discounts for readers, Vedic Mathematic workshops for students, thanksgiving honours for authors, staff and scholars, funding for the underprivileged and free distribution of MLBD’s gifts are some of them.

 In this age of global violence and communal disharmony, the success of Motilal Banarsidass rings out a clear message about the strength of the spiritual wisdom of India.

These words of Max Mueller sum up the significance of India’s role in the world. ‘Whatever sphere of human mind you may select for your study, whether it be science or art, religion or philosophy, laws or customs, traditions or nursery tales, you will have to go to India … the most valuable and pristine materials are treasures found in India only.’ We have to thank MLBD for their vision and missionary zeal in bringing this knowledge to the world.

[ You can logon to their website www.mlbd.com or email “RPJ. Jain” mlbd@vsnl.com for  regular newsletters.]