I talk about the oldest and biggest Non Left publisher of India: Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
This thread about Gita Press, their founding members and their resistance against left-liberal & Cong Govt suppression.
The answer to this question is that Gita Press was not founded to be a profit making enterprise.
Its goals were something very different
They were making all out attacks on Hinduism. Missionaries used to distribute copies of Bible to anyone who shows slightest inclination to accept it. Bibles were flowing
Ordinary Hindu did not have any good knowledge of his own Dharma's books.
Gita Press was founded only to propagate and defend Dharma.
He used to tour village to village. Gather people around in the evening after work and recite the Ramcaritmanas (there was no night shift in those days)
His salary: 0 (food and travel was organised by Gitapress)
As of 2014, they SOLD more than 72 million copies of Gita, 70 million copies of Ramcaritmanas and 19 million copies of Puranas.
Gita press is easily the BIGGEST publisher of India. It DWARFS others by its sheer numbers
It was due to Gita Press that an ordinary Hindu could read & know about his religion.
It was Gita Press which challenged the missionary proliferation of Bibles.
Why? Because Gita Press never accumulated profits. Any profit was spent on publishing and circulating books & recruiting Kathavachaks
NOBODY wanted to associate with a person who supplied arms to Indian revolutionary freedom fighters. Poddar's community engaged in business. They did not want to ruffle feathers with the British.
In search of a Job!
The great man who built India's greatest publishing house from scratch was once unemployed!
How many of you knew that he waged a direct war with British?
In contrast to million of copies of Ramcaritmanas, there are hardly any Gita Press publications on their own founding editor.
Why?
Whatever information available ABOUT Gita Press whether online or otherwise is mostly its evaluation by parties and individuals extremely inimical to it