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 A
doyen in the world of publishing, Asoke K Ghosh shares with
Punita Jasrotia his life-long mission of empowering Indian students
with world-class books at affordable prices
Asoke
K Ghosh has pioneered the concept of printing in India low-cost
editions of highly expensive books published abroad, and making
them affordable to Indian students. Today, his company’s name
is synonymous with higher education in India (Eastern Economy Editions
are well-known to millions of university students), while management,
scientific and engineering books are very popular in the IITs and
IIMs.
“I
always think positive and that’s what has helped me and the
company reach this pinnacle. In the past few years competition has
increased, but it is always welcome. Competition helps in bringing
out competitive quality, new ideas, and also professionalism, which
is necessary for an industry to survive,” says the chairman
and managing director of Prentice Hall of India. The company publishes
books in virtually all disciplines of learning—from biological
sciences to management and computers. It also has arrangements with
the world’s largest educational publishing company, Simon and
Schuster (US), as well as with the largest computer publishing company
in the world, Macmillan Computer Publishing, in the US.
Prentice
Hall of India has been a pioneer in publishing textbooks on computer
sciences in India in the late 1960s (when IBM’s second generation
1401 was still at an introductory stage in the country), and has
today successfully carved its niche in publishing computer-related
books. In the past few years, the company has gained popularity
for coming out with low-cost computer titles (including Indian authored
ones). The target readership ranges from new and casual users to
expert professionals.
The
company has tied-up with the world leaders in computer publishing,
like QUE Corporation and Premier Press of US, for reprinting their
state-of-the-art, application-oriented computer titles. Besides
this, it has also partnered with companies like Microsoft and IBM,
for publishing their titles. The aim of the Microsoft tie-up (that
happened three years ago), was to publish mass-scale, low-cost reprints
of books for IT professionals. IBM has partnered with Prentice Hall
for converting their learning modules into adaptable text for mass-scale
use by students.
A
man who has spent 40 years in the world of publishing, Ghosh’s
journey started at the age of 11 years. He used to work with one
of his relatives, doing a little bit of production work. By the
time he was eighteen, he had gained some knowledge about the publishing
business. He joined Jadavpur University to understand more about
printing technology and graphics. After finishing his graduation,
Ghosh shifted base to Delhi and studied at the Faculty of Management
Studies, Delhi University. Later, he joined The Times of India Group,
where he spent three years in the production department.
Prentice
Hall (an American company at that time), was planning to set up
a publishing base and Ghosh grabbed the opportunity. From being
a minor stakeholder, he soon went on to become a major figure and
eventually bought the company. Presently having a revenue base of
Rs 30 crore, the company has also been successful in making waves
in South East Asia, Africa and the US.
Ghosh
always had a singular aim—publishing low-cost university-level
textbooks. Slowly the company expanded, bringing a large number
of world-class books in all branches of engineering—civil,
mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer and chemical, the
sciences (biology, physics, chemistry), mathematics and other allied
areas. Premier institutions like the IITs were the first to adopt
these books and set the trend for engineering institutes and universities
in the country.
Ghosh
always made sure that his market strategies reached the end customer,
and laid a lot of emphasis on building customer relations and face-to-face
interactions. The publishing industry, he reminds, has undergone
great change as a result of technology. “While earlier prices
were low and the quality was also low, but now technology has made
it possible to lower the price, and also sustain the quality,”
he says.
His
contributions to the publishing world have been widely acclaimed,
not only in India but also abroad. Presently, he is the president
and CEO of Mediamatics, the vice president of International Publishers
Association and the chairman of Internal Relations Committee Federation
of Indian Publishers. Besides this, he also holds the distinction
of being the chairman of the Delhi Book Fair.
He
has received numerous awards for his life-long contributions in
the field of publishing. He was honoured with the ‘Most Distinguished
Publisher Award’ in 1996, by then union minister for external
affairs, I K Gujral. He was also conferred with the ‘Most outstanding
leadership
award’ by the International Publishers Association (IPA), Geneva.
He was the first Indian and the second Asian to be honoured so.
The list also includes a gold medal for outstanding achievement
by the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP), and the prestigious
Shrish Kumar Kunda award for eminent publisher.
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