Experiments in Publishing: Indian Opinion and the Murty Classical Library of India

Between 1903 and 1915, whilst he was based in South Africa as a lawyer, M K Gandhi published a newspaper Indian Opinion. The newspaper, published in multiple world languages and encompassing different genres from news to philosophical extracts was aimed at a broad international audience. Over the years, Gandhi used the paper to test out theories of how printing and publishing could create new kinds of ‘ethical selves’ and built a concept of an ideal reader, one who was free from constraints of market and nation. The Murty Classical Library of India aims to present the greatest literary works of India from the past two millennia to the largest readership in the world. The series seeks to reintroduce these works, a part of world literature’s treasured heritage, to a new generation. The series provides English translations of classical works alongside the Indic originals in the appropriate regional script in languages such as Bangla, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Pali, Panjabi, Persian, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

This paper posits two case-studies of independent publishing ventures, each with ambitions for transnational publication. It places this within the context of publishing, a market-driven industrialized practice as well as within today’s international and intercultural world where news is absorbed by multiple audiences and readers. It provides a view of the economies, printing practices and challenges faced by these ventures, whilst also showcasing the possibilities of what can be achieved when the traditional and transactional relationships between design and economy are challenged.

This paper was presented as a part of the Typographic Transactions Panel with Tai Cossich and Vaibhav Singh.