Frontlist | Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh appoints two commissioning editors

Frontlist | Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh appoints two commissioning editors
on Jan 07, 2021

The editorial departments at Lokbharti Prakashan (Allahabad) and Radhakrishna Prakashan (New Delhi) – two of India’s leading publishing houses – have had a felicitous start to the New Year. Recent appointments at both publishing houses are set to herald a new era in Hindi publishing. While they have been part of the family that comprises Rajkamal for a long time, both publishing houses have their own unique identity and claim to fame, having been founded more than half a century ago – 60 years in the case of Lokbharti, and 55 in the case of Radhakrishna.

Writer-editor Manoj Kumar Pandey and journalist-editor Dharmendra Sushant have been appointed as commissioning editors at Lokbharti and Radhakrishna, respectively. Manoj Kumar Pandey is a well-known contemporary writer. He has had a long association with the editorial team of ‘Hindi Samay’, the official website of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University. His most recent publication is the much celebrated collection of stories ‘Badalta Hua Desh’. Many of his stories have been adapted to the theatre, and several to celluloid. He has also edited many notable books. With his wealth of knowledge and experience in books of fiction, poetry, and criticism, Manoj ji will now mentor a new generation at Lokbharti. Dharmendra Sushant has been associated with literature and journalism for a long time. He has worked in an editorial capacity with many publications, and was also associated for some time with the magazine ‘Samkaleen Janmat’. Dharmendra Sushant, who started his journalism with ‘Prabhat Khabar’, is now joining Radhakrishna after a long innings with the editorial team of the newspaper ‘Hindustan’. He is well known for his book reviews. His special interest in book-editing and his personal collection of rare books are worth mentioning. He is deeply interested in various arts, especially painting, as well as vernacular literature in India. Lokbharti Prakashan has been a reliable publication for the works of classic authors, academic texts, and translated fiction in various languages, particularly Bangla. Radhakrishna Prakashan, along with translations of classic Indian works, has given equal importance to Dalit and Adivasi literature, as well as the publication of multi-disciplinary books and the best in Hindi writing. Congratulating both commissioning editors for this new innings, Ashok Maheshwari, Managing Director of Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh, said that Manoj Kumar Pandey and Dharmendra Sushant will help acquaint the new reader with the uniqueness and significance of both these publications. Both will certainly create a new generation of authors for their respective imprints. Rajkamal aims to diversify the world of Hindi books by bringing out books on subjects that have hitherto remained beyond the pale. Satyanand Nirupam, Editorial Director of Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh, said that Hindi publications have to overcome challenges thrown up by the changing times, to keep new readers connected with Hindi, and that the editorial team must recognize the diversity of readers. This recognition would consequently reflect in the subjects their books tackle. The reader today isn’t a passive consumer of books but is also aware. Rajkamal realizes that a high bar is set by global publishing standards that readers are now exposed to and recognizes its responsibility towards them. The current expansion of the editorial team is a step in that direction.