The Geeta Press was established in 1923 during the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement. Since then, until today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Prime Minister to visit the Geeta Press. However, Geeta Press has been visited by two Presidents and numerous dignitaries from India and abroad.
Geeta Press is celebrating its centenary year, which began last year by former President Ram Nath Kovind and will conclude on June 4, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to join. Modi will be the first Prime Minister to visit Geeta Press, while former Presidents Ram Nath Kovind and Dr. Rajendra Prasad have previously visited. Notably, even Metroman Sreedharan has visited Geeta Press. Special preparations are underway for the first visit of the Prime Minister, with the Geeta Press building, known as the Hindu Dharm Power House, adorned in beautiful red, white, and yellow colors, resembling a temple. Celebrating a century for Geeta Press, the preparations are in full swing, from decoration to polishing the floors and arranging flower beds.
Geeta Press: Its Inception
During the time of the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement in the country, Geeta Press was founded in 1923. It was established by Marwadi businessman Jaydayal Goyandka, with its first editor being Bhai Mahavir Prasad Poddar. It is said that Mahavir Prasad Poddar had a vision of Lord Narada in Geeta Vatika at the time of its establishment. The place is still maintained for people to visit. Employees here greet each other with "Ram Ram" even today, and notably, Geeta Press does not use any item derived from animal slaughter, even for bookbinding, although German, Japanese, and Italian machines are used.
77 Crore Books Sold Even During the COVID Era
While the whole world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and most institutions had zero income, Geeta Press, the world's largest publisher, continued publishing books, earning a profit of around 77 crore rupees. In its hundred years, Geeta Press has published books worth nearly a hundred crore, including approximately 50 crore worth of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Ramcharitmanas.
Daily Publication of Around 70,000 Books
Geeta Press publishes approximately 70,000 books daily, including 18,000 different titles in various sizes. The monthly consumption of paper for book publication is 500 metric tons. Even during the previous year, when the world was recovering from the COVID pandemic, Geeta Press earned a profit of around 111 crore rupees.
Publication Details
Geeta Press has published 16.21 lakh copies of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, 1173 editions of Ramcharitmanas, and 9 lakh books, including 11.42 lakh editions of the Gita in various languages.
Munshi Premchand's Association with Geeta Press
Archives of Geeta Press reveal that renowned Hindi novelist Munshi Premchand wrote a letter to Geeta Press in 1931, ordering the Kalyan magazine. Besides, Geeta Press received praise from Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. After the partition of the country, the government banned the issue of Kalyan, which had published an article critical of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar during the Hindu Code Bill. Despite this, Geeta Press has always worked on the principle of neither profit nor loss, never accepted any donation or funds, and has published books related to Sanatan Dharma and moral education at the lowest cost for the common people.
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