Lala Murari Lal Gupta Chharia
Founder- Divine Books, Indian Books Centre, Sri Satguru Publications
Indian Books Centre
Men with a mission to make meaningful books
Religious fervor fuels the two erudite and gregarious brothers who pilot Sri Satguru Publications, the publishing arm of Indian Books Centre. "God willed us into this business," Naresh and Sunil Gupta, the proprietors and managers, concur conclusively. "We are religious, and this is our destiny," adds Naresh. "Our wish is that our books will in some way uplift, inspire or educate the reader. But at least we know that they are not leading anyone astray." Sunil chimes in, "We fully expect that they will help people to follow the right path."
True to their calling, their debut book was the Shiv Samhita. Later, they released major works such as the 7-volume anthology of Mimamsakosah, by Swami Kevalananda Saraswati, and the complete Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophy. "As we are Hindus," explains Naresh, "we publish about Ayurveda, Vastushastra and all the sacred sciences which are allied to Hinduism."
While they look to their Lord for inspiration, they rely on God-given management skills for success. "We are in business to publish books for sale, not to fill shelves in our stores," asserts Sunil. "It is our policy not to accept subsidies, so the title has to be absolutely saleable," Naresh elaborates. "In the beginning, we had to look for titles, but now that we have our reputation, authors approach us. We consider the novelty, content and language and ask ourselves, would this be suitable for the general reader or academicians only? Thus different criteria are used for different subjects."
Being the newest publisher in Delhi, it is fitting that they have taken the lead in the freshest market--internet sales. Their home page on the world wide web--www.indianbookscentre.com-has greatly enhanced their export sales. But, according to Naresh, the brothers have noticed that "In the last two to three years the Indian market has grown substantially, and there is vast potential. Earlier, we never concentrated on sales in India."
When asked if their parents lived with them, Naresh, in a sudden break from his cool corporate composure, quipped a terse "No." Then he sallied, "We live with them, and there is a vast difference. They are the head of our family, which is one unit. We do not worry about the future in heated competition with others. For we wish to maintain a religious household. We believe that we each have our karmas to live through and dharma to fulfill. Thus we are content."
INDIAN BOOKS CENTRE, SRI SATGURU PUBLICATIONS
sources
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1998/5/1998-5-08.shtml
Thanking You
Varun Gupta
Divine Books
40/5, Shakti Nagar,
Delhi 110007
India
