riddle@im4u.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (09/12/85)
There is a professor of geography here in Austin, a U.S. citizen of Gujarati
origin, who is seriously considering embarking on a rather ambitious but
extremely interesting project: he wants to found a publishing house
producing books for the Indian market in North America.
His main concern is to present works of and on Indian culture in a format
tailored to the needs of the growing numbers of Indians who were born in
North America or who came here while still young. There are several reasons
why simply importing books from India won't do: most members of the second
generation can't read Indian languages comfortably, if at all; most of the
best books from India (especially in the regional languages) haven't been
published in English translation, and most of the translations that have
appeared are terrible; even the good books put out in English in India are
in "Deshi" English, which kids raised in North America are reluctant to
read; and beyond linguistic grounds, the tastes and backgrounds of Indians
here are sufficiently different to call for different kinds of books.
To give you an idea of what he has in mind, here are a few of the projects
in the works:
-- a collection of popular garba texts, printed both in Gujarati and Roman
scripts, so old and young can join in the singing;
-- good, American-English translations of the best current Indian fiction
and poetry;
-- a cookbook, aimed at Indian tastes but using ingredients and cooking
techniques adapted to North American kitchens;
-- books of stories for children explaining religious festivals and such,
but aimed at kids who were reared on North American TV;
-- textbooks on Indian languages for those who've grown up with English;
-- good books on the major Indian religions and sects for non-academics
(at the moment he'd like to bring one out on the Sikhs).
Some of these books, of course, would have some appeal to non-Indians as well,
and a few might even sell in India, but his main goal is to help the Indian
community abroad pass on the elements of its culture that can get neglected
in the hustle and bustle of North American life.
His project is still in the planning phases, but he is looking for good
writers, editors and translators. If any of the readers of this newsgroup
or their friends have something to contribute, they should contact him
at the address below. (He is also looking for investors, if any of you
would like to patronize this project that way.) His address:
Bharat Bhatt
6305 Wilbur Dr.
Austin, TX 78756
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech}!ut-sally!riddle riddle@sally.UTEXAS.EDU
--- Leaving the net soon: friends can write for my new snail-mail address.raghu@rlgvax.UUCP (Raghu Raghunathan) (09/17/85)
> There is a professor of geography here in Austin, a U.S. citizen of Gujarati > origin, who is seriously considering embarking on a rather ambitious but > extremely interesting project: he wants to found a publishing house > producing books for the Indian market in North America. > > --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") Sounds like a good (and useful) academic project, but I doubt if it is economically feasible (from a business point of view). To me it seems the market of such books would be extremely thin and very selective. In the publishing business, a book has to sell in large quantities (several thousands) if the fixed overhead costs have to be recovered while still keeping the price at reasonable levels. I doubt if the market for books of Indian interests in large enough in North America to make the venture profitable. Also, don't forget that most Indians by nature are very frugal and wouldn't spend money on an entertainment book unless they considered it a really, really good value for their money.