JOIN USFour books mark 100th publication of MUP
The Manipal University Press (MUP) celebrated its 100th publication on Wednesday with the release of four books, including ‘Ayurvedic Inheritance: A Reader’s Companion’ by M S Valiathan, National Research Professor.
The other books being released are: ‘If We Meet Again, We Shall Smile’ by Anushua Chakrabarti; ‘Performing Self, Performing Gender’ by Sheetala Bhat; and ‘Sumi and the Dance of the Dark Spirits’ by Toinali Sema. The book by Dr Valiathan will be the 100th book.
It all began with the publication of ‘The Path of Proofs – Pramana Paddhati of Jayatirtha’ by Srinivasa Varakhedi in November 2011.
Speaking on the occasion, Manipal University vice chancellor Dr Vinodh Bhat said the University will hold a literary fest, a major affair that would end up in the conglomeration of literary giants from across the world. The fest would be held from September 15 to 17.
He said, “We take delight in diversity. We believe in versatility and endorse a plethora of publications and do not compromise on quality what makes a university press rich. The MUP makes it a point to maintain uncompromising quality with quantity and aims to reach out to different sections of society. The books are priced such that they reach the maximum number of target readers.”
Dr Bhat added that it was a matter of pride that the MUP touched the 100 mark in its sixth year. “It has been a fascinating journey publishing books from different disciplines, also venturing into fiction and many more. Several universities from across the world have publication divisions. However, very few from private universities in India have established publication divisions and that makes Manipal University proud to have been a torch-bearer in this direction,” he said and added that some of the books published by the MUP is in the shelf of Oxford University Press.
As a university press, the MUP offers a platform for academic publishing as well as for popular publishing. The scholarly publications include books, journals, textbooks, monographs, edited volumes, lecture notes, conference proceedings and reference works across disciplines.
Varied topics
The other set of publications include general interests such as biographies, memoirs and others that comprise books in English, Kannada and other Indian languages – fiction and non-fiction.
Elaborating on the book ‘Ayurvedic Inheritance: A Reader’s Companion’, National Research Professor M S Valiathan said that there is a need for thorough knowledge of Ayurveda before practice. “Ayurveda is in the nascent stage in India, where it had its origin. Lack of basic scientific understanding has resulted in the less promotion of Ayurveda in India. Ayurveda can be used to combat non-communicable diseases, however, it should be understood and studied in-depth. The indigenous medicinal system is marginalised and is being treated as complementary medicine,” he lamented, and added that the medicinal system can be national pride, if it is used in a proper manner.
The writer of the book ‘Sumi and the Dance of the Dark Spirits’, Toinali Sema said that children’s books are mostly authored by international writers and there are very few from India, especially from the Northeastern states. She said that the basic culture of the Northeastern states is oral, but the rich treasure is vanishing as the cultural inheritance is not penned down. There are misconceptions that the people from Nagaland don’t read, which is not true. The oral legacy is taken forward and there is nothing much to read. She said that Nagaland stands isolated.