Lko’s ‘Munshi’ whose publications sparked nationalistic fervour
Dastango Himanshu Bajpai and poet Abhishek Shukla held the audience captive, in a lengthy discussion about Munshi Nawal Kishore, who set up one of the oldest and biggest publication houses till date, right here in Lucknow. The publishing house, founded in 1858, published the weekly newspaper Awadh Akhbar, which quickly turned into a daily . According to Himanshu Bajpai, the newspaper and its reporting contributed much to the sentiment of nationalism in the city.
LUCKNOW: The second day of the Koshala Literature Festival (second edition) drew a lot of people to the La Martiniere grounds, to spend their afternoon surrounded by literary figures and discussions. The sessions on the second day included book discussions and an in-depth tet-e-tete on renowned publisher from Lucknow Munshi Nawal Kishore.
Dastango Himanshu Bajpai and poet Abhishek Shukla held the audience captive, in a lengthy discussion about Munshi Nawal Kishore, who set up one of the oldest and biggest publication houses till date, right here in Lucknow. The publishing house, founded in 1858, published the weekly newspaper Awadh Akhbar, which quickly turned into a daily . According to Himanshu Bajpai, the newspaper and its reporting contributed much to the sentiment of nationalism in the city.
“We theorise about nationalism,” said Bajpai, “but the role played by Nawal Kishore’s publication in building nationalism, is a subject in itself.”
Shukla informed that at the time, Nawal Kishore Press was the only publishing house in India that translated and published books in many different regional and foreign languages. “When dignitaries from abroad visited India, they also made sure to meet Munshi Nawal Kishore,” he said. The speakers stressed that several of the institutions in the city, including Jubilee College, some hospitals, schools and other establishments had also broken ground, under the aegis of Nawal Kishore. The man’s role in the roots of this city was undeniable, they said.
They further discussed that even in the late 1800s, Kishore had immaculate business standards - anyone bringing a book proposal would have to be suitably dressed and have a persuasive pitch. Moreover, he set down mats under his printing presses, so that religious texts being printed did not touch the ground even by mistake .
Bajpai wsaid the reportage published in Awadh Akhbar when the Simon Commission came to India was unparalleled. “That reporting should be printed as a book, to understand the journey of nationalism in Lucknow,” he said.
Apart from literary discussions, there was also saw an enchanting fusion performance of old classics with modern remixes by Chandrashekhar Varma and Prabha Srivastava.
Book launches
A coffee table book on Ayodhya, written by Vipul Varshney, scholar on architecture and cultural heritage was launched. Vipul Varshney herself has designed the Ayodhya airport.
COO of BFC Publications, Sharad Bindal, also launched his book, ‘Dawn of Duality’ at the festival. “My books are a retelling and not a distortion of mythology,” he said, sharing with the audience how his upbringing and his family prompted his interest in scriptures and mythology, which forms the basis of his writings.
Among other book launches and discussions, Bindal’s company BFC Publications also made the Asia Book of Records with having published 63 e-books, all different titles and genres, all on the same day.
