<p>In what is being seen as a build-up to the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in January 2024, the Modi government on Sunday decided to confer the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 on Gorakhpur-based Gita Press. </p>.<p>The Ministry of Culture said a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unanimously decided in a meeting held on Sunday to confer the award on the publishing house. </p>.<p>The ministry said that Gita Press was given the award in recognition of its “outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”.</p>.<p>Established in 1923, the Gita Press has been an unwavering champion of Hindu religious texts and its founder, Hanuman Prasad Poddar, was closely associated with the Ram Temple movement since 1949. Till date, it has published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore publications of the Bhagavad Gita alone, the ministry said in a release. </p>.<p>Akshaya Mukul, author of Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, said the award is the “biggest irony” one can think of.</p>.<p>“It is true that the founding editor earlier had good relations with Gandhi – he listened to Gandhi on publications not taking advertisement and Gandhi even wrote for Kalyan (the monthly published by the Gita Press). But by the late 1930s and early 1940s, their relationship suffered and the Gita Press attacked Gandhi mercilessly before Partition took place,” Mukul told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>Congress’s chief spokesperson Jairam Ramesh, in a tweet, termed the decision a “travesty” and said it is “like awarding Savarkar and Godse”. </p>.<p>Founder Poddar was close to Gandhi and exchanged correspondence for decades. But fell out with him as Partition approached. They disagreed on issues like entry of Dalit in temples and the creation of Pakistan. </p>.<p>After conferring the award, PM Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the publishing house for winning the award. “They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people,” the tweet read. </p>.<p>The award was constituted in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and is awarded annually to an individual or an institution that espouses his ideals.</p>.<p>The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a handicraft item.</p>.<p>Past awardees include former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, social activist Baba Amte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Isro, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman among others. </p>
<p>In what is being seen as a build-up to the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in January 2024, the Modi government on Sunday decided to confer the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 on Gorakhpur-based Gita Press. </p>.<p>The Ministry of Culture said a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unanimously decided in a meeting held on Sunday to confer the award on the publishing house. </p>.<p>The ministry said that Gita Press was given the award in recognition of its “outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”.</p>.<p>Established in 1923, the Gita Press has been an unwavering champion of Hindu religious texts and its founder, Hanuman Prasad Poddar, was closely associated with the Ram Temple movement since 1949. Till date, it has published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore publications of the Bhagavad Gita alone, the ministry said in a release. </p>.<p>Akshaya Mukul, author of Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, said the award is the “biggest irony” one can think of.</p>.<p>“It is true that the founding editor earlier had good relations with Gandhi – he listened to Gandhi on publications not taking advertisement and Gandhi even wrote for Kalyan (the monthly published by the Gita Press). But by the late 1930s and early 1940s, their relationship suffered and the Gita Press attacked Gandhi mercilessly before Partition took place,” Mukul told <em>DH</em>. </p>.<p>Congress’s chief spokesperson Jairam Ramesh, in a tweet, termed the decision a “travesty” and said it is “like awarding Savarkar and Godse”. </p>.<p>Founder Poddar was close to Gandhi and exchanged correspondence for decades. But fell out with him as Partition approached. They disagreed on issues like entry of Dalit in temples and the creation of Pakistan. </p>.<p>After conferring the award, PM Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the publishing house for winning the award. “They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people,” the tweet read. </p>.<p>The award was constituted in 1995 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and is awarded annually to an individual or an institution that espouses his ideals.</p>.<p>The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and a handicraft item.</p>.<p>Past awardees include former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, social activist Baba Amte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Isro, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman among others. </p>