It is time for National Book Policy: Aditi Maheshwari

The recent recipient of the French government’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters 2023, Aditi Maheshwari Goyal (37), publisher and CEO of Vani Publications, stresses that to ascertain that the National Education Policy works, it is paramount to have a well-defined National Book Policy.

“I am currently drafting the concept note and will be presenting it to the authorities concerned. Our languages must be allowed to play an important role in the cognitive development of children. There has to be due recognition given to the richness of multiple languages in India. The government needs to step in to ascertain that there is infrastructure and funding available for translations between different Indian languages. The different akademis must be revitalized, and we need to go back to our roots of creating sahitya ghosties. And yes, there has to be zero tolerance for piracy,” she tells.

Even as the major honour from the French government at a young age has put her in the spotlight, Maheshwari is optimistic that the same will push her to break new grounds. “Of course, this also means more responsibilities,” says the publisher.

Smiling that looking after a huge publishing house also means inheriting not just friends but also enemies from one’s father, she admits it is tough not to be misunderstood. “Well, I also know that I cannot be fighting all the battles all the time, and I have learned that the hard way.”

Talk to her about the generational change she has brought to one of the largest Hindi publishing houses, and she talks about overhauling the systems, hiring experts from across industries including English, more transparency, and building a diverse list. “My father started building the list from scratch. The base was there. For me, it was important to diversify it as I firmly believe that Hindi has a huge capacity.”

Known for experimenting with different genres, Maheshwari started multiple imprints some years back including -- Vani Business, Vani Prithvi (on environment), and Satrangi Vani (LGBT+). “As a publisher, it is important to reflect the issues/concerns in the ever-evolving society to remain relevant. Yes, risks are always there, but then who wants to be in the comfort zone?”

Even as the number of literature festivals continues to grow across the country including smaller towns, participation by language authors may be increasing, but it is not tough to spot the near absence of Hindi publishing houses. “Honestly, literature festivals and their economics are not conducive for local languages, and the highly charged discussions are for a different ecosystem. Yes, we cannot spend as much on marketing and publicity as our English counterparts.”

Stressing that the need of the hour is to translate from one Indian language to another, and explore this possibility to the hilt, she adds, “Such fantastic work is being done in different languages. Sadly, it becomes inaccessible owing to the lack of availability in different languages. I feel this is one area we all need to work on.”

Commercial publishing is something that interests Maheshwari. “To write for it is an art. For an author to produce content takes a lot of work, especially for such a large audience and one has to leave the ego aside and become a careful listener. At Vani, we are taking small steps towards it. Let us hope we can have a breakthrough soon.”

Please with the kind of visibility and respect the award has brought to Hindi publishing, she says, “Thirty-seven years ago, a couple who had a daughter decided not to get her married at the age of 19 and allow her to have a worthwhile life... I must thank them.”