GITA PRESS AND THE MAKING OF HINDU INDIA Paperback

"GITA PRESS AND THE MAKING OF HINDU INDIA" by Akshaya Mukul offers a groundbreaking and deeply researched account of how Gita Press, a seemingly humble publishing house headquartered in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, profoundly shaped the religious, cultural, and political landscape of modern India. The book meticulously details how Gita Press, through its ubiquitous and affordable publications—especially the monthly magazine Kalyan—became a formidable force in disseminating a particular vision of Hinduism. Mukul reveals how this enterprise, founded by Marwari businessmen-turned-spiritualists Jaydayal Goyandka and Hanuman Prasad Poddar, played a critical role in consolidating a "Hindu public sphere," influencing everything from the Hindi language's consolidation to the Hindu nationalist project, cow protection movements, and opposition to the Hindu Code Bill, ultimately shedding light on the historical and ideological roots of contemporary Hindutva.