Pustak Mahal Publishers is a family-owned company incorporated in 1974. [1] As of 2010 [update] , Ram Avatar Gupta is the Chairman of the company. [2] With headquarters at New Delhi, it has branches at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Patna. [1] It publishes mainly low cost paperback editions on subjects like English learning courses, dictionaries, astrology, palmistry, numerology, beauty care, self-improvement books, books for children, cooking guides, [1] Hindu Mythology, text books etc. and participates in Books fairs arranged in cities like Prayagraj, [2] Visakhapatnam, [3] Beijing [4] etc. Pustak Mahal joined other Indian publishers to protest against scanning and uploading of books by Google under the provisions of Google Book Settlement and filed objections with a New York court during 2010. [5]
Pustakal Mahal's publication "Rapidex English Speaking Course" was much sought after by common man of India, who wanted to learn basic English speaking. First printed in 1976 with 3,000 copies, [2] it ran several into reprints and became popular with Indians such as Bank employees, house wives, students trying to learn English, which has become link language of India after its independence. [2]
Indian cricketer Kapil Dev had endorsed the "Rapidex English Speaking Course" in the 1980s.His rustic accent endeared him to Indians who didn’t speak the language and wanted to learn it to get ahead in life. His faith in Rapidex showed them the way. Years later, the cricketer said: "My interest at that stage was not promoting or learning English, But I realised that it inspired many like me to learn a new language." [6]
Pustak Mahal published a series of titles under the "World Famous" series, covering a spectrum of topics of general interest and curiosity. Some of the noteworthy mentions are World Famous Discoveries, World Famous Unsolved Mysteries, World Famous Adventures, World Famous Ghost Stories, World Famous Scientists, World Famous Escapades, World Famous Treasures, World Famous Supernatural Mysteries. During 1990's around 48 titles under the series were in print in English and Hindi. Subsequently some of the titles were withdrawn while some were reprinted.
Pustak Mahal has two imprints. Cedar Books is dedicated to publishing fiction and majority of the authors of Cedar Books are from India. [7] Hindoology Books is another imprint of the company which publishes books on Hindu Mythology, prayer systems and mythology for children. [8]
The company is one of the first publishers in India to digitalize its publications and more than 300 of titles are in the form of Kindle books. [9] [10]
Mysore, officially Mysuru, is the second-most populous city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries. Known for its heritage structures, palaces, and its culture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City", and the "Cultural Capital of Karnataka". It is one of the cleanest cities in India according to the Swachh Survekshan.
Bidar (/biːd̪ər/) is a city and Municipal Corporation in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider Bidar Metropolitan area. The city is well known for its many sites of architectural, historical and religious importance. Bidar has a population of more than two lakh (200,000) and is likely to be upgraded to a municipal corporation in the year 2028–2029. and 17 September 2024 cabinet approved to Municipal Corporation for Bidar.
Shobha De is an Indian novelist and columnist. She is best known for her depiction of socialites and sex in her works of fiction, for which she has been referred to as the "Jackie Collins of India."
Begum Hazrat Mahal, also known as the Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah, and the regent of Awadh in 1857–1858. She is known for the leading role she had in the rebellion against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Anita Nair is an Indian novelist who writes her books in English. She is best known for her novels A Better Man, Mistress, and Lessons in Forgetting. She has also written poetry, essays, short stories, crime fiction, historical fiction, romance, and children's literature, including Muezza and Baby Jaan: Stories from the Quran.
Chandrashekhara Basavanneppa Kambara is a prominent Indian poet, playwright, folklorist, film director in Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi also president of the Sahitya Akademi, country's premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993). He is known for effective adaptation of the North Karnataka dialect of the Kannada language in his plays, and poems, in a similar style as in the works of D.R. Bendre.
Poile Sengupta is an Indian writer in English. She is especially well-known as a playwright and writer for children. Her formal first name is Ambika but she writes, and is known, as Poile. Sengupta has been a college lecturer, a senior school teacher, an educational consultant, a communication and language skills consultant, a consultant editor for a market research firm, and a teacher for Montessori school children.
Amit Abraham is an Indian academic, author, and psychologist. He has worked as the Deputy Vice Chancellor at the Mount Zion International University of Rwanda (MZIUR), Kigali, Rwanda, East Africa, from 26 September 2018 to 31 July 2020. Prior to this he was the Registrar at Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal, India. He has been the former principal of Scottish Church College, Kolkata, India. He has served as the head of the postgraduate department of psychology at St. John's College, Agra. He was teaching graduate and postgraduate classes along with supervision of research work. He had been actively involved in various offbeat research works related with the human psyche. He did his schooling from St. Joseph's College, Nainital and his post-graduation in psychology from the Delhi University. His PhD is in the area of personality as determined and influenced by the Zodiac signs of individuals. He has been the Coordinator of the National Commission For Minority Educational Institutions, New Delhi for three consecutive terms (2005–2008). He is also the recipient of the U.P. Shikshak Samman for the year 2006, awarded by Bright Organization of Youth, Agra. He features in text books of various state governments, as an eminent Indian psychologist, which detail out his diversified contributions in the field of psychology and social causes.
The Immortals of Meluha is the first book of Amish Tripathi, first book of Amishverse, and also the first book of Shiva Trilogy. The story is set in the land of Meluha and starts with the arrival of the Shiva. The Meluhans believe that Shiva is their fabled saviour Neelkanth. Shiva decides to help the Meluhans in their war against the Chandravanshis, who had joined forces with the cursed Nagas; however, during his journey and the fight that ensues, Shiva learns how his choices actually reflect who he aspires to be and how they lead to dire consequences.
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Dewan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918.
Jaya Madhavan is an Indian author, poet, The New Indian Express columnist and comic creator. She is a winner of The Children's Book Trust All India Competition for Writers of Children's Books.
Abhay Kumar Dubey is an Indian journalist and writer.
Ankur Betageri is an Indian poet, fiction writer, photographer and arts activist. He currently teaches English at Bharati College, University of Delhi. In 2012, he was named as one of the ten best writers in the country by the English daily Indian Express. He holds a master's in clinical psychology from Christ University, Bangalore. Betageri is also known for founding the public arts and activist platform, Hulchul, whose artistic interventions in reclaiming Public Spaces like public washrooms and roadside walls, and the use of art to transform the everyday urban life have been widely appreciated. As a poet he has represented India at The III International Delphic Games (2009) at Jeju, South Korea, and Lit Up Writers Festival (2010) at Singapore.
Fred Goodwill (1874–1969) was a British missionary stationed in Bangalore, British India, between 1899 and 1924, serving as the superintendent of the Wesleyan Tamil Mission, Bangalore, and Kolar Gold Fields. He is acknowledged for working for the cause of education of native women in the Bangalore Cantonment. The Goodwills Girls School located in Fraser Town, Bangalore Cantonment is named after him. He was a scholar of the Tamil Language, and was also fluent in Canarese (Kannada) and Telagu (Telugu). Fred is acknowledged as an authority on Tamil Shaiva Literature, with authors quoting from his research. As one of the founding members of the Mythic Society, his published papers on the history of the Mysore State form the basis of history of the State, as we know it now.
Bhawana Somaaya is an Indian film journalist, critic, author and historian. She has been honoured with the Padma Shri in the year 2017 by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Starting her career as film reporter in 1978, she went to work with several film magazines, through the 1980s and 1990s. Eventually, she remained editor of Screen, a leading film magazine, from 2000 to 2007. She has written over 13 books on history of Hindi cinema and biographies of Bollywood stars, including Salaam Bollywood (2000), The Story So Far (2003) and her trilogy, Amitabh Bachchan – The Legend (1999), Bachchanalia – The Films And Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan (2009) and Amitabh Lexicon (2011).
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Neelum Saran Gour is an Indian English writer of fiction that depicts North India's small towns and their cultural histories. She is the author of six novels, four collections of short stories and one work of literary non-fiction. She has edited a pictorial volume on the history and culture of the city of Allahabad, where she lives and works, and has also translated one of her early novels into Hindi.
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Vamsee Juluri is a professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco.
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