At Rashtrapati bhavan in the sunset, India Gate. Image – Getty iStockphoto: PicZania
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Smriti Irani: ‘This Noble Pursuit’
As we announced last month, the Federation of Indian Publishers is observing its 50th anniversary during its publishers’ conference, reportedly at near sold-out capacity, at New Delhi’s The Claridges hotel. With its theme “India@2047: The Role of Publishing in Nation Building,” the program is aligned with ceremonies going forward around the nation’s independence day.
Today (August 11), the publishers’ federation has opened its two-day conference, in which a major through-line is connecting “progress in the Indian publishing industry” to “a brighter and self-reliant India.”
“With India’s rise as a global power,” the publishers association writes in its precede to the conference, “the event underscores the publishing industry’s significance in building a self-reliant nation. By fostering import-export trade, promoting talent development, and enhancing education and knowledge dissemination, publishing emerges as a driving force for inclusive growth and a catalyst for realizing India’s vision.”
The opening has featured commentary from Smriti Irani, who since 2019 has been India’s minister of women and child development and the minister of minority affairs since last year.
Smriti Irani
In her message, Irani is quoted, saying, “As we embrace the Amrit Kaal, the next 25 years, let us empower our aspirations and build a self-reliant India.
“In this noble pursuit, knowledge assumes a central role, with the publishing industry serving as a vanguard of enlightenment.”
More of the luminaries scheduled to be at the event:
- Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, minister for external affairs and education
- Prathiba Singh, a justice of Delhi’s high court
- Jasmeet Singh, a justice of Delhi’s high court
- Shri Sunil Deodhar, national secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, referred to as the BJP
- Prashant Nanda, member of parliament
- Yuvraj Malik, director of the National Book Trust
- K. Sreenivasan Rao, secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, India’s national academy of letters
IPA’s Karine Pansa Greets the Conference
Ensuing sessions today and Saturday (August 12) are to focus on—as interpreted in media messaging—”the industry’s advances amid the digital revolution, empowering publishers to adapt to changing demands and leverage technology’s potential for broader outreach, increased revenue, and more employment opportunities.”
The export of Indian content is a key component of interest in this year’s gathering, with a lot of energy around a goal of seeing more Indian work move across borders in international rights and translation trading.
Karine Pansa
The publishers’ federation is a member-association of the International Publishers Association (IPA), and the IPA’s president, Karine Pansa of Brazil, conveyed the greetings of the world body, along with special commendations on the federation’s 50th anniversary.
The publishers’ federation president, Shri Ramesh K. Mittal, said, “The team is working hard to host the Indian Publishers Conference and to make it a grand success.
“Publishers all across the country are so excited to participate and enjoy the deliberations that the conference is almost oversubscribed in terms of participants.
“Everyone is happy about the sessions curated by the organizers and the central theme on nation building is drawing absolutely special attention. It’s a pleasure to see the Sahitya Akademi and National Book Trust of India joining the conference wholeheartedly.”
The federation reports that it represents some 80 percent of publishers operating in English, Hindi, and other languages, its publisher-members being based in many parts of the country.
India celebrates its 77th day of independence on Tuesday, August 15.
In Jaipur’s Rajasthan, citizens celebrate India’s independence day in 2022. The Federation of Indian Publsihers’ conference this week has tied its theme to the upcoming 77th independence day, which will be observed on August 15. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Stockfoo
More from Publishing Perspectives on the Indian market is here, more from us on publishing conferences is here, and more on the International Publishers Association is here.
Publishing Perspectives is the International Publishers Association’s world media partner.