Remembering the legacy of Bhikshu Akhandanand, who translated over 400 ancient books of scripture into Gujarati

Indian Express

25-05-2025

117 years ago on the day of Akshay Tritya (May 15), Bhikshu Akhandanand, an ascetic from Gujarat's Nadiad, thought there was a need to translate ancient scriptures into Gujarati at affordable prices so that common people have access to knowledge contained in them.
Despite not having resources, he continued to single-handedly do all the related work, including the acquisition of manuscripts, translation and getting them printed as well as arranging finances. Under the aegis of the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust, he succeeded in translating over 400 ancient books into Gujarati, including different kinds of Bhagavad and Valmiki's and Tulsidas's Ramayana, and promoted Ayurveda by translating the works of Charka and Sushruta.
Now Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was appointed chairman of the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust in March 2025, expressed a keen interest in not only the revival of the trust along the lines of the popular Gita Press of Gorakhpur but also expanding its reach with the help of corporates and the state government.
'Union Home Minister Amit Shah has shown a keen interest, not only in reviving but also in expanding the scope of activities of the trust. He grew up in a small town in Mansa. His progress in life is related to the books he read, including in his youth. He has read most of the trust's publications,' P K Laheri, a former chief secretary of Gujarat, told The Indian Express.
'He showed keen interest in revamping and republishing all titles and marketing them to libraries in the state. Individuals may not be able to afford or interested in purchasing all of the voluminous publications, so he appealed to corporates to purchase the books and distribute them among the libraries across the state. At his suggestion, the government of Gujarat increased the annual budget for libraries by 40 per cent this year,' he added.
He is on the advisory committee of the Bhikshu Akhand Anand Trust, an offshoot of the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust formed in the early 1990s that publishes the monthly magazine Akhand Anand, whose 896th edition came out in May.
In March 2024, at an event called Akhand Anandotsav in Ahmedabad, Amit Shah released 24 reprinted books by the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust. Of the 24 reprinted books, while the majority have been published in multiple editions, reflecting their success, some are so popular (Shrimad Bhagavad Gita-Sanskrit Shloka) that their 67th edition was released. Amit Shah has also written the preface to all 24 books reprinted by the trust.
'Like what Gita Press in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has done in all major Indian languages, Amit Shah's idea is to make the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust a multilingual trust and set up a distribution network. He also wants prices to be reasonable and corporate support to reach all libraries in Gujarat,' Laheri told The Indian Express.
In his address during the release of 24 books, Amit Shah emphasised that in shaping the future of the nation, the number of people in libraries is equally important as the number of students in schools, adding that a child who develops a habit of reading early and continues it, despite distractions, will be ready to overcome any obstacles in life.
Shah also urged scholars, linguists, and enthusiasts of the Gujarati language to protect and nurture the rich literary legacy left by prominent writers like Govardhanram Tripathi, Narmad, Mahatma Gandhi, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, Narsinh Mehta, and Sundaram.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who was accompanying Shah, said the government had ensured excellent library facilities for reading enthusiasts in every taluka. He announced that this year's budget includes an allocation of Rs 16 crore for establishing new libraries in 71 taluka centres, along with plans to develop e-library facilities in 53 libraries located in tribal areas.
Laheri said that five years ago, Akhand Anand had 15,000 subscribers, including several from abroad. Now it has less than half 6,000 subscribers, but readership is much wider as most libraries in Gujarat are subscribers. It is thus one of the most popular magazines in the state.
Aiming to reach out to the younger generation, especially the first-generation literates, and also reach out with illustrated books to children, besides promoting Ayurveda and tips on maintaining good health, the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust now also aims at opening an Ayurveda hospital near Koba circle in Gandhinagar. The trust already has an Ayurvedic pharmacy in Ahmedabad's Lambha area.
'Amit Shah started a mobile library in his constituency Gandhinagar, which has received an immense response. We visited the government-run smart schools and explored the idea of providing republished books to schools and libraries in villages. The idea to focus on libraries is that a book given to an individual will find its place in the cupboard, which is not the case in a library. Shah has selected 24 titles that we will push through libraries, aiming to provide a hundred titles every year so that in the next eight to 10 years, all the titles are covered.'
Pareshbhai Amin, a trustee of the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust, who sits at the trust's office in the Sastu Sahitya Building opposite CNI Church in the walled city's Bhadra area, told The Indian Express, 'We also have plans to digitise all the books. We have a collection of some of the oldest books which are kept in a library in the next building. We have already done a sample.'
The Sastu Sahitya Building from where it would also once print books now has a shop on the ground floor while another is on Princess Street, Mumbai.
Trustees are mulling over ideas to make the digital copies free of cost or create a portal and levy a charge. However, while some are of the view that making it free is not a bad idea though that might allow advertisements.
Bhagavad Gita, Charak Samhita and Kautilya's Arthashastra are the top-selling books. The trust publishes books by other authors for instance somebody did work on Kabir or on home remedies or Ayurved and many times the trust commissions.
Since its establishment in 1907, the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust has been illuminating and inspiring society for 116 years through the power of language, literature, and education, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel highlighted during the March event while commending the trust for making a diverse range of reading materials—covering topics such as religion, health, biographies of great personalities, and nation-building—accessible to the public at affordable prices.
After the demise of Bhikshu Akhandanand, an industrialist dedicated to literature and spiritual scriptures, Manu Subedar took over the administration of the institution in 1942. From 1942 to 1960, Manu Subedar remained as the president of the board of trustees and then, at his invitation, H M Patel, former Union Home Minister, who had previously joined the trust as a trustee, took over the leadership.
During the 50 years from 1942 to 1992, the organisation worked under the leadership of Manu Subedar and H M Patel respectively. After the death of H M Patel, Anandbhai Amin took over the helm of the organisation for years and remained president of the organisation till January 2020.
'Along with keeping the literature available to everyone, we also want to undertake new publications at the earliest convenience. In particular, it is the dream and resolve of the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalaya Trust to put new and developing subjects of various subjects as well as specialised literature of various languages of India and the world in the hands of the growing generation of Gujarat,' Pareshbhai Amin, son of Anandbhai Amin said.
On the influence of mass media, Laheri added, 'With the rise of mass media, especially in the context of social media, the question of whether print will be able to survive was raised in Europe and America in the last decade. But as the experience there in the current decade shows, the glory and importance of the printed word ,i.e., book-based literature, has not diminished. We haven't heard of anyone going into depression by reading a book unlike mobile phones, reels, shorts or the other social media platforms.'