Interview: Ashok Maheshwari, MD, Rajkamal Prakashan – “The prize changed things overnight”
On how things have changed for the 75-year-old publishing house since Geetanjali Shree won the International Booker Prize
Rajkamal Prakashan was founded in 1947, just a few months before India gained independence from British rule. How do you look back at this 75-year journey?
We celebrate 28 February 1947 as our Foundation Day. Our founders – Om Prakashji and Devrajji – were involved in the Indian freedom struggle. They were sympathetic towards freedom fighters who led non-violent protests and also to revolutionaries who made bombs. The first book that Rajkamal Prakashan published was in Hindi and English. The Hindi title was Netaji aur Azad Hind Fauj, and it was Netaji and INA in English. Major General Shahnawaz Khan wrote the book, and Jawaharlal Nehru wrote its preface. Our second book was with Louis Fischer. It was Gandhi aur Stalin in Hindi, and Gandhi and Stalin in English.
As the publishing house grew, there were books on science, history, art, politics, agriculture, and economics. Fiction, poetry, dictionaries and encyclopaedias too. In a newly independent country, the government offered subsidies because it wanted books to reach as many people as possible. It also paid a lot of attention to the promotion of Hindi.
I joined Rajkamal Prakashan in 1994, and feel proud to have built on the legacy of a publishing house that has worked with leading writers like Krishna Sobti, Kaifi Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Girish Karnad, VP Singh, Chandra Shekhar, Mahasweta Devi, and many more. We have also published international classics in Hindi, and our books have been translated from Hindi into English, Punjabi, Bengali, German, Russian, and French. In recent years, we have acquired old and reputed publishing houses to expand our offerings to readers. The Internet has helped us discovers writers from small towns. We publish e-books and audio books; they are popular among readers in far-flung areas who do not have easy access to bookstores.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, when people were stuck at home and did not know what to do with all their free time, we came up with the idea of WhatsApp books. These were shared with 30,000 readers free of cost. The effort was appreciated, and many writers approached us with their new poems, stories and prose because they were excited to be part of the initiative. The healing power of words became more apparent to us when we worked on this project.
Geetanjali Shree’s novel Ret Samadhi, which you published in 2018, went on to win the International Booker Prize 2022 after Daisy Rockwell translated it into English for Tilted Axis Press in the UK. What was it like to be at the award ceremony with them?
My son, Alind Maheshwari, who takes care of digital marketing and innovation at Rajkamal Prakashan, accompanied me. We went with a positive feeling but didn’t keep our hopes too high. It is important to remember that not all desires get fulfilled. When the winners were announced, we were stunned. People were clapping and congratulating us but it took a while to get a grip on what had happened. The professionalism of the jury was impressive. They were with us at the dinner table before the announcement but gave no indication that they knew who had won. It was an unforgettable evening. We felt welcome in the UK. After the award ceremony in London, we went to the Hay Festival in Wales. People were hospitable and supportive when they realized that most hotels were full and we were finding it difficult to book rooms. Witnessing the respect and love they have for books was heartwarming. I was surprised to see British ladies making and selling dosas at the festival. They also had food stalls selling chhole bhature, alu ki sabzi, and idlis. I didn’t expect that in the UK.
Besides the recognition you earned for publishing the first Hindi book to get the International Booker Prize, how did Rajkamal Prakashan benefit commercially?
The prize changed things overnight. There was a huge increase in demand for copies of Ret Samadhi. Since Alind and I were in London, my elder son Amod – who is also the CEO of the company – had to get 35,000 copies printed and distributed within a week. That was an enormous challenge but we managed to deliver and not let anyone down. The jubilation was short-lived because we were hit by piracy. We found that e-commerce platforms were being used to sell pirated editions. Our sales were badly affected. We hope that people who want to support Geetanjali Shree’s work realize that pirated copies don’t lead to author royalties. Even the government does not earn any tax from these books. Apart from that, the paper quality is bad. Sometimes, there are missing pages too. In order to overcome piracy, we filed a police complaint and pirated copies were found during raids. We also published a special new edition to celebrate the fact that the book won the International Booker Prize.
Have people reached out to translate Ret Samadhi into other languages?
Ret Samadhi was first translated into French by Annie Montaut, even before Daisy Rockwell translated it into English. After the International Booker Prize, there has been a huge demand for further translations. We are in talks for Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Kannada, German and Spanish translations of the book. This is wonderful because the book is epic in its scope, and nuanced in its treatment of relationships within a joint family. It has unusual characters such as Gautam Buddha, authors of Partition stories, and birds with human personalities. It also engages with history, the rights of transgender people, and the experience of ageing. It also has delicious descriptions of food. I am sure everyone can find something to relate to.
While accepting the prize, Geetanjali Shree said, “Behind me and this book lies a rich and flourishing literary tradition in Hindi and other South Asian languages. World literature will be richer for knowing some of the finest writers in these languages.” Has the success of Ret Samadhi rubbed off on other Hindi titles in terms of sales? How?
It was thoughtful of her to say this. Hindi literature is like an ocean of treasures, and translation can really help take some of these treasures to readers in other languages. It is perhaps too early to say if the success of Ret Samadhi has elevated Hindi literature as a whole in terms of book sales but I can say that Hindi literature is now getting international attention. Publishers too are recognizing the importance of translators, and displaying their names prominently on book covers. Even the payments for translation have improved.
Could you give us some insights into the market for film, television, and OTT adaptations of Hindi novels? Which of your novels have you sold rights for?
This is an emerging market, and it can be quite lucrative. We have set up a department within the company to coordinate the optioning of books for film, television and OTT adaptations. Recently, we have signed contracts for adaptations of four books – Mahashweta Devi’s Jungle Ke Davedar, Manohar Shyam Joshi’s Kasap, Shashi Kant Mishra’s Non-Resident Bihari, and Shrilal Shukla’s Raag Darbari.
In addition to being a publisher, you are also an author and have retold stories of Akbar-Birbal, Mulla Nasiruddin, Tenali Rama, and Sheikh Chilli. Why do you think these centuries-old stories continue to strike a chord among contemporary audiences?
I grew up hearing them from my elders in the family, and liked them for their spontaneity and earthy wisdom, the humour, and their creative approach to problem-solving. Folktales, myths and legends anywhere in the world stand the test of time. There is something universal about them, which connect with human beings. I would like to compile more stories like these.
Chintan Girish Modi is a freelance writer, journalist and book reviewer.