India emerges as major exporter of scholarly books on Buddhism
Vidhyadhar Date
The Times of India
May 17, 1999
Title: India emerges as major exporter of scholarly books on Buddhism
Author: Vidhyadhar Date
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 17, 1999
Even though Buddhism was born in India, It has been all but wiped out
from the country. Most of the research work in Buddhist studies is
also being done not in India but in the West. However, India has
emerged as a major exporter of scholarly books on Buddhism. Curiously
most of the manuscripts are imported, published in India and then
exported, mainly to the West.
Motilal Banarasidas are the biggest publishers of books on Buddhism
and most of their authors are foreigners and the books are sold mainly
in the West.
Most of the research in Buddhism is being done in the United States
and in Japan. In India the gap has been filled to some extent by the
K.G. Somaiya Institute of Buddhist Studies opened in Mumbai in 1993 by
the Dalai Lama. The Trailokya Boudha Mahasangh at Dapodi near Pune
also publishes a lot of Buddhist literature written mainly by British
Buddhist scholars.
Westerners have a fascination for Buddhism because they are sick of
excessive materialism and consumerism, said Kalapakam Sankarnarayan,
director of the Somaiya Centre. Buddhism had also become fashionable
in the West, she said. Though Buddhist studies had suffered in India,
Buddhism was very much alive in art and architecture in the country,
she said.
Over the years Motilal Banarasidas have become an institution in the
field of Indology, Oriental research, Sanskrit, Buddhist and Jain
studies. This publishing firm has been associated with top scholars
from India and abroad for several years in its 96-year-old history.
"It was at the instance of former President and philosopher S.
Radhakrishnan that we embarked on publishing sacred books of the East
in 50 volumes and have been closely associated with publishing Max
Mueller," said R.P. Jain of Motilal Banarasidas.
Among other prestigious publications are a Linguistic Survey of India
by George Grierson in 11 volumes, Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva
translated into English by C. H. Tawney in 1 0 volumes, Taxila by Sir
John Marshall in three volumes and 27 volumes of Buddhist Tradition
series edited by Alex Wyman. It has also published Religions of Asia
edited by Lewis Lancaster in five volumes.
Delhi-based Motilal Banarasidas opened a bookshop at Mahalaxmi, next
to Crossword, a couple of years ago as part of its countrywide
expansion. The bookshop is a great asset for any researcher in
Indology, said scholar and author Devangana Desai. Madhu Shetye, a
former Communist corporator, who is doing research in Buddhism, said
Marxists must go back to the roots of Indian culture to understand
Indian society better. The books published by Motilal Banarasidas
have opened new frontiers for me, he said. There is also a big market
in Japan.
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