Marathi Editions of Prabir Purkayastha and Justice K Chandru’s Books Released by Janshakti Prakashan in Mumbai

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The Janshakti Granth Prakashan on May 9, 2024 organised the publication of the Marathi editions of two important books published by LeftWord – NewsClick Founder and Editor Prabir Purkayastha’s “Keeping up the Good Fight”, and Justice K Chandru’s “Listen to My Case”. The books were excellently translated into Marathi by Medha Kale and Maya Pandit respectively. The function took place at the Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre in the heart of Mumbai city.

Prabir Purkayastha has been in jail for the last eight months since October 2023 under the draconian UAPA on trumped-up charges, and the NewsClick news portal which he heads has been savagely attacked by the BJP-RSS central government because it has dared to talk truth to power, and has consistently covered peoples’ struggles in the last 15 years of its existence.

It was an intellectually and ideologically rich programme that was highly appreciated by the audience, who came from all walks of life.

The book by Prabir Purkayastha was released by retired Judge of the Madras High Court, Justice K Chandru, and Justice Chandru’s book was released by retired Judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Abhay Thipsay.

The book release function was accompanied by a seminar on the topic “Is Democracy and Citizenship in Peril?” Among those who spoke were the above two Justices, intrepid anti-communal social activist and Editor of ‘Sabrang’ Teesta Setalvad, renowned journalist and Founder Editor of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) P Sainath, and Managing Editor of LeftWord Books Sudhanva Deshpande. Maya Pandit and Medha Kale also spoke.

The scintillating speeches of all the above were summed up by the Chairperson of the function and of Janshakti Granth Prakashan, AIKS President Dr Ashok Dhawale. Director of ‘Janshakti’ and Editor of ‘Jeewan Marg’, Dr Uday Narkar, introduced the work and the recent titles of the publishing house. Managing Editor of ‘Janshakti’ and ‘Jeewan Marg’, Vijay Patil, proposed the vote of thanks. The welcome speech and compering of the programme was done by AIDWA State Secretary Prachi Hatiwlekar.

The audience comprised several eminent persons like former editor of several leading Marathi dailies and ex-MP Kumar Ketkar, two of the senior founders of the renowned Dalit Panthers movement J V Pawar and Arjun Dangle, prominent Ambedkarite-Marxist intellectual and one of the Bhima Koregaon detenus released on bail Dr Anand Teltumbde, Marxist intellectuals Sanjeev Chandorkar and Chhaya Datar, senior journalist Jatin Desai, writer on agrarian issues Namita Waikar, and several prominent leaders of the Left and secular parties.

The two new books published that day, plus some other recent Marathi titles of Janashakti Granth Prakashan, like Dr Ajit Nawale’s ‘The Insights of Identity’, Sudhanva Deshpande’s ‘Halla Bol’, Dr Ashok Dhawale’s ‘When Farmers Stood Up’, and so on, sold briskly, with over Rs 25,000 accruing to the Janshakti kitty that day. Chandrakant Shinde, as always, managed the book stall very well.