Jain Spirit 2002 06 No 11

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 66

VIEWPOINT
SELF-PUBLISHING
IS DAMAGING
Bookseller and exporter of Jain books Manish Modi argues that the quality of our publications is deteriorating
Manish Modi THE WORLD IS FULL OF DISEASES! THERE IS MALARIA, This is clearly a high-profit business for the publishers of 1 typhoid, cancer, AIDS and so many others. But there such writers. These books are invariably purchased in
is another disease to which many people are prone to thousands by the followers of that particular Guru and - self-publishing (Chhapavano Rog)! This is a peculiar what's worse, they are rarely read. They are either affliction! Its symptoms are compunction for seeing one's distributed freely or dumped away, purchased only to please name as the author on book covers and to have several the author or as a favour to earn punya. Entire tracts are books under one's name. Quality goes out of the window lifted from earlier books and used without any acknowland quantity is the only criteria. This disease is a very grave edgement to the author of the original piece. Besides, the one. It compels man to lay waste to reams and reams of cover and the page layout are often copied from other paper, and acres of forests are lost as trees are felled for books, usually foreign ones. What is really galling is that making paper. Gallons of printers' ink are wasted!
despite all this wholesale lifting the end product usually In India, there are a large number of saints who have lacks quality and depth. each written more than twenty to thirty books in half a Books are not the only thing that are being released by decade. An equally large number of self-styled scholars the hundreds. Jain calendars, audio and video cassettes and have been busy publishing dozens of books in a short time. picture books are also being made. In India alone, there are As a bookseller, I am very concerned about the quality and hundreds of Jain newsletters and journals, most of which the intellectual contribution of their writing. Of course, are struggling to survive, but they still continue to be writers who have depth, and have spent a number of years published. In all these areas, I feel there is an urgent need studying Jainism, disseminating information in an for care and professionalism, and we need some good Jain organised fashion are welcome to write. They write for publishing enterprises to ensure this. Jain Sanskrit established publishing companies like Oxford University Sanrakshak Sangh in Sholapur, Bharatiya Gyanpith and Press, Routledge, Bharatiya Gyanpith, Jain Sanskrit Motilal Banarsidass in Delhi are excellent examples but Sanrakshak Sangh or Motilal Banarsidass. These they specialise in scholarly material. There is an urgent publishers get the books professionally refereed before they need for good quality books in English which make Jainism are accepted for publication. In this way there is quality accessible to different audiences: children, students and control and a book is vetted for its contribution to existing their parents. There are very few good Jain storybooks in knowledge. Unfortunately, no such controls exist for self- English available today. As the scarce resources are tied up published books.
in self-publishing and duplication, the needs of the day are It has been my observation that unless you are a rare not fulfilled. There is an appalling paucity of solid research genius, writing a good book can take years and years! The work based on the Agamas. In the early twentieth century, best works have been written by ancient masters like there were many scholars doing pioneering work on Acharya Kundakunda or Acharya Hemachandra, who fully scriptures in both the Digambara and the Shvetambara lived the life of a Jain ascetic or layman, and learnt Jainism traditions. But this well of knowledge seems to have dried at the feet of their spiritual masters. Their scholarly up in modern India. It is left to international scholars like treatises helped us interpret the wisdom of Bhagwan Dr. John E. Cort, Dr. Paul Dundas and Dr. Nalini Balbir (to Mahavir.
name a few) to carry the torch of Jain scholarship Modern day self-published books often suffer from inaccuracy, poor language, poor grammar and a host of Manish Modi continues the family tradition in his bookshop spelling mistakes. Printing is often also poor and the in Mumbai, the Hindi Granth Karyalay and is very active in money spent on publishing such books is exorbitantly high! discussing Jainism on the Internet.
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Jain Spirit • June - August 2002