Popular Prakashan
Encyclopedia
History
In 1924, founder Ganesh R. Bhatkal, a former employee of OUP IndiaOxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, established the Popular Book Depot as an independent bookseller. In 1962, his successors Sadanand G. Bhatkal and Ramdas G. Bhatkal created Popular Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. as a publishing company.
Cookery
Popular Prakashan specialises in cookery titles. Sanjeev KapoorSanjeev Kapoor
Sanjeev Kapoor is an Indian chef and entrepreneur. Kapoor stars in the TV show Khana Khazana, which is the longest running show of its kind in Asia; it broadcasts in 120 countries and in 2010 had more than 500 million viewers...
of Khana Khazana
Khana Khazana
Khana Khazana is a cookery show hosted by Indian celebrity chef, Sanjeev Kapoor. The show is primarily based upon Indian cuisine and has gained substantial popularity with the South Asian population since 1993. As a result, Chef Kapoor's career and reputation has sky rocketed...
is Popular’s best-selling author and Popular has published more than 85 books by him. These are also available in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
. Asha Khatau and Jeroo Mehta have also been published through Popular.
Arts, culture and women's studies
In 1990, Popular Prakashan set up a Kolkata-based associate firm, Bhatkal and SenBhatkal and Sen
Bhatkal & Sen is a publishing partnership between Mandira Sen and Popular Prakashan. The company is based in Calcutta and publishes the imprints Stree and Samya. It is noted for publishing authors such as Kancha Ilaiah, Om Prakash Valmiki, Tirumaavalavan, Gail Omvedt, Manikuntala Sen, Ashok Mitra, V...
, for specialized publishing in the fields of culture and women’s studies. These books focus primarily on contemporary debates, grassroots movements, politics and culture as viewed from a critical and progressive standpoint. Popular Prakashan's subsidiary, Foundation B&G, also publishes books on the arts.
Books in Marathi
Popular Prakashan has published titles in MarathiMarathi literature
Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, a Sanskrit-derived language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari script.-Early Marathi Literature :...
, concentrating mainly on fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. Writers in this language include Vinda Karandikar
Vinda Karandikar
Govind Vināyak Karandikar , better known as Vindā Karandikar , was a well-known Marathi poet and writer. He was also an essayist, literary critic, and a translator....
, Gangadhar Gadgil
Gangadhar Gadgil
Gangadhar Gopal Gadgil was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.He was born in Mumbai in 1923...
, G.A. Kulkarni, Nirmala Deshpande
Nirmala Deshpande
Nirmala Deshpande was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhian philosophy...
and Kamal Desai.
Children's books
Popular have published a series of storybooks in association with ChandamamaChandamama
Chandamama in Kannada and Telugu means moon. It may refer to:* Chandamama, an Indian monthly magazine focused on kids and youngsters* Chandamama , a Malayalam film starring Kunchacko Boban...
, the oldest children’s magazine in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They have also published the Brainworks series of books in association with Leopard Learning Systems, USA, as well as other early learning titles. Shobhaa De’s book for teenagers, S’s Secret, was released by Popular Prakashan in December 2009. It has been translated into Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
Joint ventures
Popular shares a relationship with Encyclopaedia Britannica in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
with whom it has published over a hundred titles in the last few years. With National Geographic Popular has published a series on animal life, the human body, weather and the universe. These include Life Cycles, Ecosystems and Animal Adaptations. They have also published early learning books in collaboration with Modern Publishing, USA. Popular Prakashan have also published children's books in conjunction with Disney.
In partnership with DeAgostini, Popular Prakashan has published the I GET IT children's reference series and English-language course English Interactive.