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Readers big on Shri Ram, no matter the daam!
Books based on Shri Ram and the legacy of Ayodhya are selling like hot cakes. We go deeper into the phenomenon
Ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22, books based on Shri Ram and the temple town’s legacy are selling like hot cakes.
Among titles that are up for grabs are Ramayana, priced at ₹1.65 lakh, Sanskriti Mein Raam, a pack of 10 books priced at ₹15,000, National Award-winning author Yatindra Mishra’s book Ayodhya: Parampara and Sanskriti, Virasat ( ₹7,999).
Mishra, who hails from the Ayodhya royal family, says, “We did not have an authentic book on the city for a long time, that is Bharatiya parampara ke hisaab se. Using sources such as Dutch historian Hans Bakker’s Ayodhya, Lala Sitaram’s Ayodhya Ka Itihas and Shri Awadh Ki Jhanki, I came up with a pictorial coffee table book.”
The Ramayana is an ornately crafted collector item, packaged in an elaborately crafted wooden chest studded with Swarovski crystals, has acid-proof paper printed with Japanese ink. “We’ve already sold over 100 books in the country. In UP, we’ve sold 10 books and three units in Delhi. It also has a gold-plated bookmark,” says Jaishanker of Vedic Cosmos.
Ayodhya Darshan (Gita Press), which is part of the prasad at the ceremony, is sold out. Another title that’s in high demand is the Ramcharitmanas, which would soon be made available to download and read on the website, Gita Press trustee Devi Dayal Agarwal confirms.
“Books aimed at young readers, including close to 100 illustrated titles for children, too, are flying off the shelves. Major publishing houses have come up with series books on the Shri Ram and Ayodhya with proper catalogues. Everything is selling well as hotels, guest offices, offices are displaying them. For parshad and gifting purpose, people are buying Geeta Press books in bulk,” states Manav Prakash of Universal Book Sellers
