Does NBT now stand for ‘Narendra’ Book Trust?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi loomed large over the World Book Fair at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan last month (1–9 February 2025). He was everywhere—at selfie points with cutouts of his image, in the pavilions and, of course, on book covers.

The venue was covered with hoardings of the prime minister’s wisdom. More than half of the NBT (National Book Trust) stall had been taken over by Pariksha Pe Charcha and Examination Warriors, two of the several books authored by the PM, published by NBT and translated in 14 Indian languages.

The theme of this year’s fair was ‘Republic@75’, the journey since the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950. Conspicuously missing from the fair was the first prime minister and one of the architects of the Constitution, Jawaharlal Nehru.

A few senior citizens may have frowned and whispered their disapproval, but most visitors did not appear to notice or care about the obviously deliberate omission. If books authored by Jawaharlal Nehru were at all on display, they were well hidden. This writer failed to spot one.

Over the past 12 months, NBT has published several other books by or about Prime Minister Modi. Titles like Impact of Mann Ki Baat, Collective Goodness and many of the 30-odd books ‘authored’ by Modi were on display. They ranged from Work Ethics; A Journey (a collection of poems), India’s Singapore Story, Swatantrata Senani Narendra Modi, Loktantra Ke Prahari, and Purusharth Ke Mandir: Narendra Modi’s Quest for National Progress to books on M.S. Golwalkar.

This past one year also saw the NBT publish three books authored by Yuvraj Malik, the Trust’s director. All three books—Khel Bhavna Me Vijeta, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata and Chandrayaan—published in both English and Hindi were also on display. The ‘parivarvaad’ did not stop at the director. NBT published a book authored by the director’s wife as well, who established her devotional credentials by authoring a book on Khatu Shyam.

Like her husband, who is described as a “voracious reader” on the NBT website, his wife, Deepali Vashishtha, describes herself as an “author and director” of BLF (Bharat LitFest). The website bharatlitfest.com appears to be a work in progress although the session at this year’s fair is described as the ‘third season’.

Literary circles in New Delhi have been agog with stories of how publishers were arm-twisted to shift their pre-determined events as part of the BLF. A book of poems written by a celebrity singer, which was to be released by a major publisher, had to be shifted to the BLF following an “ultimatum” said to have been delivered by the NBT.

Malik was appointed director when Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, a former Uttarakhand chief minister and a self-styled poet and author, was the Union HRD minister. Malik, an ex-armyman, has been in this post for over five years, allegedly in violation of the DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training, which comes under the PMO) rules. Not surprisingly, therefore, NBT has so far published at least eight books authored by the former HRD minister.

It is revealing to reproduce Malik’s profile from the NBT website itself. ‘Shri Yuvraj Malik joined National Book Trust on deputation from the Indian Army. [...] As the Director of National Book Trust, Shri Malik has ensured publication of bilingual books for school children in compliance to the NEP 2020 within 30 days of the launch of the policy by the government. Under Shri Malik’s guidance, National Book Trust has been working with renewed efforts towards encouraging children to take up reading as a habit…Shri Malik is a voracious reader and is passionate about the world of books and education-related issues.’

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While the role and vision of Nehru in establishing the National Book Trust on 1 August 1957 is  well-documented, he is actually missing now from the NBT website as well.

The Nehruvian vision of promoting good and affordable literature on different subjects, publishing high quality books in Indian languages and promoting them abroad was the basis of its foundation. A culture of reading and making high quality books accessible to the people was the goal.

Nehru wanted the NBT to be free from executive interference and hence it was established as an autonomous  institution under the ministry of education. Promoting children’s books was also one of the prime objectives and the very first book published by NBT was for the young ones.

The NBT also represents India in book fairs abroad. This writer was a member of the NBT team at the Karachi Book Fair in 2007. It was inaugurated by the Speaker of the Sindh legislative assembly with the German consul as the chief guest. The Speaker was effusive in praising India and the strides it had taken in computing. Asked why Pakistan lagged behind, he had a disarming reply: Nehru and his vision, he said, made the difference. While Pakistan had only one body—Pakistan

Book Foundation India could boast of institutions like NBT, NCERT, Sahitya Akademi and others under its umbrella, all free from government interference.

NBT always had distinguished writers and critics on its executive body. Governments have come and gone  but none interfered with the functioning of the Trust. No book was ever ‘banned’ or deliberately not promoted. NBT has  published 18,000  books in 55 different languages—possibly the highest in the world of publishing. It carved out a niche for itself in publishing children’s literature.

Following Nehru’s death, a series of children’s books were published as part of ‘Nehru Baal Pustakalaya’ with a distinct red rose on the cover of these books to distinguish them from others.

NBT, however, was never the ‘Nehru Book Trust’. Notably, the NBT published just one book on Nehru till the year 1990. It was a slim volume for children written by Tara Ali Baig.

It was in 1990 that an anthology of Nehru’s select writings was published, followed by two volumes in 1996 by Deshraj Goel and a volume in 2005 by P.D. Tandon with the title Avismaraniya Nehru (Unforgettable Nehru).

The solitary book on Indira Gandhi published by the Trust was in 2009 by Inder Malhotra and was a substantially scathing criticism of the late prime minister. It is also remarkable that the NBT does not have a single publication on Rajiv Gandhi, remarkable in view of the spate of books on Narendra Modi that has been published.

NBT was never meant to be the Publications Division or a vehicle of publicity. It never wavered from the ideal of promoting high quality books in keeping with Nehru’s description of the NBT as a ‘book hospital’ to treat the people’s minds. Since 2014 the Trust has systematically gone about the task of removing all references to Nehru.

First to go was the ‘red rose’ logo on the cover of books published for children. The annual National Book Week, which always began on Nehru’s birth anniversary observed till then as ‘Baal Diwas’ (Children’s Day), was discontinued from 2015.

This week-long programme was utilised to hold hundreds of book exhibitions, children’s competitions, seminars and discussions—some 20,000 events during the week when NBT would reach out to schools. Nehru’s name would never be used, much less his cutouts, hoardings or photographs.

Over the past few years even the address of the Trust has dropped ‘Nehru Bhavan’ from its stationery, letterheads, visiting cards and books. The decline of the NBT is there for everyone to see. In a book meant for children, the back cover of a book published in 2024 shows a man standing with a severed head. Children’s books across the world are published after ensuring that they do not encourage and depict violence, killings and gore.

Instead of promoting scientific temperament and morality, the NBT now  publishes books on Khatu Shyam to promote religiosity among children. A book on India’s mission to the Moon has the image of

Modi on its cover and the back cover as well, not of any scientists who made the mission a success.