Renewed interest in Pansare’s book, 3,000 copies sold

KOLHAPUR: The attack on Govind Pansare has only served to revive interest in his work. Publishing house Lokvangmay Griha Prakashan has said 3,000 copies of Pansare’s book, ‘Shivaji Kon Hota?’ (Who was Shivaji?), were sold on February 17, a day after the veteran communist leader and his wife Uma were shot at by two unidentified youths on a motorbike.
The book was published in 1988 and reprinted 37 times.About 1.42 lakh copies have been sold so far. The publishing house prints 3,000 copies in every three or five months, but has decided to make 5,000 copies available in the next couple of days owing to the huge demand, especially from youths from Pune, Mumbai and the Vidharba region.
Chief accountant of the Mumbai-headquartered publishing house Naina Satam said, “We had 5,000 copies with us before the attack, and 3,000 were sold on the day of the attack. We are printing 5,000 copies in the next couple of days as the demand is increasing with orders for around 2,400 copies of the book from depots in Pune and Mumbai.”
Satam said the book is published in Kannada, Urdu, Telugu and Hindi, too. “The demand for the Urdu version of the book has increased in Nanded and Jalgaon.”
Unlike other literature on the life of king Shivaji which filled volumes, the book written by Pansare runs just 80 pages long and costs Rs 30 and is considered a milestone in the progressive movement of the state. In it, Pansare has condemned politics in the name of Shivaji and shows him as a secular king and a true administrator.
“The attack on Pansare has aroused the interest of the youth in his views and books. When Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead, his works, too, got significant attention,” said Suhas Palshikar, professor of political science at Savitribai Phule Pune University.
"Shiv Jayanti was observed on Thursday - no better time than this to read the works of Pansare," added Palshikar. Pansare has given more %than 50 speeches expressing his views on Chhatrapati Shivaji. When the book %was published, it fanned controversy over Pansare's attack on the ideas of outfits painting Shivaji in their %colour.
City-based historian Indrajit Sawant said, "The literature published before Pansare's book came along was posing serious questions over the nature of %Shivaji's rule. Some authors were showing Shivaji as against minorities, while some historians were depicting him as against Brahmins. But Pansare, analyzing Shivaji's life in his book, concluded that he was the most secular king in feudal times - a stand opposed by some of the right wing outfits." Pansare and his wife Uma were shot at early on February 16, and the crime is being considered an attack against progressive thought by right wing outfits.
In the meantime, Students from various institutes are organising seminars and setting up stalls to sell the books of writers from the progressive movement. A Pune university student, Kalim Ajeem, said, "We have been organizing speeches and screening Pansare's speeches in Pune in the last three days. On the second day after the attack on Pansare, we could get just 11 copies of the book from Sadhana Magazine's office. It is out of stock since then across all bookstores in Pune. We are urging the students through social networking sites to buy the book from wherever possible and gift it to their friends."
* The book was priced at Rs 5 when it was launched in 1988
* The fourth edition book costs Rs 30 and runs 88 pages long
* Average sale of book since 1988 - 5,000 copies every year
* Books sold on February 17, 2015 - 3,000
* The publishing house has printed 5,000 books since last three days
* Largest sale in Pune with 1,800 books sold on February 17
* Number of orders placed since last four days - 2,500
* Akshardhara from Pune has ordered - 400 copies
* Sangli Book Depot has ordered - 200 copies
* The Urdu translation of the book is in high demand in Nanded and Jalgaon